Controller for a wave energy converter

DWPI Title: Wave energy converter (WEC) used in resonant WEC e.g. one-portion resonant WEC, has controller that reactively controls operation of power take off based upon sensed condition pertaining to WEC and nonlinear model of WEC
Abstract: A wave energy converter (WEC) is described, the WEC including a power take off (PTO) that converts relative motion of bodies of the WEC into electrical energy. A controller controls operation of the PTO, causing the PTO to act as a motor to widen a wave frequency spectrum that is usable to generate electrical energy.
Use: Wave energy converter (WEC) used in resonant WEC e.g. one-portion resonant WEC, two-portion resonant WEC and n-portion resonant WEC.
Advantage: The controller improves efficiency of the WEC by expanding a wave frequency spectrum over which the WEC efficiently absorbs wave energy, thus increasing electrical energy. The controller is designed to take into consideration such limitations while controlling the PTO, thus increasing an amount of electrical energy generated by the WEC.
Novelty: The WEC (100) has a float (102), a spar (104), and waves that are configured to impact the float cause relative motion between the float and the spar. A power take off (PTO) is configured to convert the relative motion between the float and the spar to electrical energy. A controller (114) reactively controls operation of the PTO based upon a sensed condition pertaining to the WEC and a nonlinear model of the WEC. The controller causes the PTO to exert a force on the float or the spar. The nonlinear model has a hamiltonian model with nonlinear terms.
Filed: 10/7/2013
Application Number: US14047700A
Tech ID: SD 12858.0
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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