Bacelli, Giorgio and Ringwood, John (2011) A Geometrical Interpretation of Force and Position Constraints in the Optimal Control of Wave Energy Devices. Proceedings of the 9th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC).

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Abstract

Physical constraints need to be considered in the design of control systems for an oscillating body Wave Energy Converter (WEC). In the case of a hydraulic Power Take Off (PTO) unit, such constraints include the length of the stroke of a hydraulic piston or the maximum pressure permitted in the hydraulic circuit. In the paper, two types of WEC are considered: A 1-body point absorber oscillating in heave and a 2-body point absorber also oscillating in heave. A procedure for the analysis of the constraints is presented. It provides sufficient conditions for the satisfaction of both constraints and/or the violation of at least one constraint. The procedure is based on the discretization of the equations of motion of the WECs by approximating the forces and the velocities with a linear combination of basis functions. A special case is presented in which truncated Fourier series are used for the approximation. It is shown that the constraints can be interpreted as a geometrical object in a finite dimensional vector space, and that the study of sufficient conditions for the satisfaction of both constraints and for sufficient conditions for the violation of at least one constraint can be seen as the study of the intersection between these geometrical objects. It is also shown that the method allows the study of the effect of constraints on the amount of produced energy.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	WEC; Single body; Self reacting; Control; Constraints;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Electronic Engineering Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Centre for Ocean Energy Research
Item ID:	3549
Depositing User:	Professor John Ringwood
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2012 09:25
Journal or Publication Title:	Proceedings of the 9th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC)
Publisher:	School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton
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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