Faedo, Nicolás and Mosquera, Facundo D. and Pasta, Edoardo and Papini, Guglielmo and Peña-Sanchez, Yerai and Evangelista, Carolina A. and Ferri, Francesco and Ringwood, John and Puleston, Paul (2024) Experimental assessment of combined sliding mode & moment-based control (SM2C) for arrays of wave energy conversion systems. Control Engineering Practice, 144. p. 105818. ISSN 09670661

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Abstract

Motivated by the lack of comprehensive experimental implementation and assessment of the potential benefit that can be achieved with energy-maximising optimal control solutions for arrays of wave energy converters (WECs), we present, in this paper, the development, design, experimental implementation, and performance appraisal, of optimal moment-based control for arrays of WEC systems. Both centralised and decentralised controllers are evaluated. Four different WEC array layout configurations are considered, with up to three 1:20 scale prototypes of the Wavestar WEC system operating simultaneously within the basin, subject to a variety of sea state conditions. In particular, the proposed controller, termed sliding-mode-moment-based controller SM C, is composed of a receding-horizon moment-based reference generation process, and a subsequent proportional–integral–derivative-like continuous sliding mode tracking controller. This composite control structure is implemented and assessed experimentally, providing a detailed analysis of key performance metrics. We show that the proposed SM C strategy is able to maximise energy absorption for all the considered WEC array layouts, with up to 2.8 times energy improvement when compared to the benchmark controller case. The findings of this experimental study show tangible proof of the performance enhancement that can be achieved in real arrays of WEC systems with the use of appropriate control technology, demonstrating not only the feasibility of the proposed SM C strategy in itself, but the key role that control systems have to play in the pathway towards effective exploitation of the yet largely untapped wave energy resource.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Wave energy; Wave energy converters; Array; Farm; Optimal control; Moments; Moment-based theory; Sliding mode; Experimental assessment; Experimental validation;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Experimental Physics Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Centre for Ocean Energy Research
Item ID:	18943
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conengprac.2023.105818
Depositing User:	Professor John Ringwood
Date Deposited:	27 Sep 2024 13:17
Journal or Publication Title:	Control Engineering Practice
Publisher:	Elsevier
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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