Andrew Hillis

Determination of optimal parameters for a hydraulic power take-off unit of a wave energy converter in regular waves

Wave energy has the potential to be a major provider of renewable energy, especially in the UK. However, there is the major problem of producing efficient devices for a wide variety of sites with different operating conditions. This article addresses the time domain modelling of a heaving point absorber connected to a hydraulic power take-off (PTO) unit in regular waves. Two cases for the hydraulic PTO unit are considered: an ideal model and a model containing losses. Component losses are included to give a more accurate prediction of the maximum power production and to discover if the parameters to optimize the device change when losses are included. The findings show that both cases are optimized by varying the size of the hydraulic motor and the optimal size is only dependent on wave period and the trend is the same for both cases. Results also showed that to maximize the power produced for both cases, there is an optimal force that the unit produces, which can be derived from theory. Finally, power reduction as a result of the hydraulic losses is also observed with efficiencies reducing at larger wave heights.

Optimisation and control of a hydraulic power take-off unit for a wave energy converter in irregular waves

The optimisation of a wave energy converter hydraulic power take-off for sea states of varying wave amplitude, direction and frequency is a significant problem. Sub-optimal configuration can result in very inefficient energy conversion, so understanding the design trade-offs is key to the success of the technology. This work focuses on a generic point absorber type wave energy converter. Previous work by the authors has considered the optimisation of this device for regular waves to gain an understanding of the fundamental issues. This work extends the analysis to the more realistic case of irregular waves. Simulations are performed using an irregular wave input to predict how the power take-off will operate in real sea conditions. Work is also presented on a motor speed control strategy to maintain the maximum flow of electrical power to the grid, assuming the use of a doubly fed induction generator. Finally, the sizing of key components in the power take-off is considered in an attempt to maximise power take-off efficiency and generated power.

Theoretical and experimental studies of a switched inertance hydraulic system

A switched inertance hydraulic system uses a fast switching valve to control flow or pressure and is potentially very efficient as it does not rely on dissipation of power by throttling. This article studies its performance using an analytical method which efficiently describes the system in the time domain and frequency domain. A lumped parameter model and a distributed parameter model have been used for investigation using different parameters and conditions. The analytical models have been validated in experiments and the results on a prototype device show a very promising performance. The proposed analytical models are effective for understanding, analysing and optimizing the characteristics and performance of a switched inertance hydraulic system.

Active motion control of fixed offshore platforms using an extended state observer

Abstract This paper describes an investigation into the application of an active control strategy for reducing the motion of offshore platforms in waves. The simulated structure is augmented with an active mass damper with a passive component tuned to the natural frequency of the platform. An actuator force under feedback control is used to improve the performance of the device. Simulations with realistic wave loadings are conducted and the performance is compared with that achieved using a passive tuned mass damper. A robust output feedback control strategy is utilized, which includes an extended observer to simultaneously estimate the system states and disturbance force. It is shown that significant performance improvements can be achieved when compared with passive control devices, and that the application is feasible within practical constraints, at least for smaller platforms.

Numerical study of roll motion of a 2-D floating structure in viscous flow

In the present study, an open source CFD tool, OpenFOAM has been extended and applied to investigate roll motion of a 2-D rectangular barge induced by nonlinear regular waves in viscous flow. Comparisons of the present OpenFOAM results with published potential-flow solutions and experimental data have indicated that the newly extended OpenFOAM model is very capable of accurate modelling of wave interaction with freely rolling structures. The wave-induced roll motions, hydrodynamic forces on the barge, velocities and vorticity fields in the vicinity of the structure in the presence of waves have been investigated to reveal the real physics involved in the wave induced roll motion of a 2-D floating structure. Parametric analysis has been carried out to examine the effect of structure dimension and body draft on the roll motion.

Experimental Investigation of a Switched Inertance Hydraulic System With a High-Speed Rotary Valve

This paper reports on experimental investigations of a switched inertance hydraulic system (SIHS), which is designed to control the flow and pressure of a hydraulic supply. The switched system basically consists of a switching element, an inductance (inertance), and a capacitance. Two basic modes, a flow booster and a pressure booster, can be configured in a three-port SIHS. It is capable of boosting the pressure or flow with a corresponding drop in flow or pressure, respectively. This technique makes use of the inherent reactive behavior of hydraulic components. A high-speed rotary valve is used to provide sufficiently high switching frequency and to minimize the pressure and flow loss at the valve orifice, and a small diameter tube is used to provide an inductive effect. In this paper, a flow booster is introduced as the switched system for investigation. The measured steady-state and dynamic characteristics of the rotary valve are presented, and the dynamics characteristics of the flow booster are investigated in terms of pressure loss, flow loss, and system efficiency. The speed of sound is measured by analysis of the measured dynamic pressures in the inertance tube. A detailed analytical model of an SIHS is applied to analyze the experimental results. Experimental results on a flow booster rig show a very promising performance for the SIHS.

Active Control of Pressure Pulsation in a Switched Inertance Hydraulic System

The nature of digital hydraulic systems may cause severe pressure pulsation problems. For example, switched inertance hydraulic systems can be used to adjust or control flow and pressure by a means that does not rely on dissipation of power, but they have noise problems because of the pulsed nature of the flow. An effective method to reduce the noise is needed that does not impair the system performance and efficiency. This article reports on an initial investigation of an active attenuator for pressure pulsation cancellation in a switched inertance hydraulic system. Using the designed noise attenuator, the pressure pulsation can be decreased effectively by superimposing an anti-phase control signal. A high-performance piezoelectric valve was selected and used as the secondary path actuator in terms of its fast response and wide bandwidth. Adaptive notch filters with the filtered-X least mean square algorithm were applied for pressure pulsation attenuation, while a frequency-domain least mean square filter was used for secondary path identification. A ‘switched inertance hydraulic system’ in a flow booster configuration was used as the test rig. Experimental results show that excellent cancellation was achieved using the proposed method, which has several advantages over passive noise control systems, being effective for a wide range of frequencies without impairing the system’s dynamic response. The method is a very promising solution for pressure pulsation cancellation in hydraulic systems with severe noise or vibration problems.

The Control of an Active Seat with Vehicle Suspension Preview Information

This paper presents a novel, simple and reliable control strategy for an active seat suspension, intended for use in a vehicle, which attenuates the harmful low-frequency vertical vibration at the driver’s seat. An advantage of this strategy is that it uses measurable preview information from the vehicle suspension. The control force is calculated from this preview information and controller gains obtained by optimising an objective function using a genetic algorithm (GA) approach. The objective function optimises ride comfort in terms of the Seat Effective Amplitude Transmissibility factor, taking into account constraints on both the allowable seat suspension stroke and actuator force capacity. This new controller is evaluated using both simulation and experimental tests in both the frequency and time domains. The simulation model is based upon a linear quarter vehicle model and a single degree of freedom seat suspension. Experimental tests are performed using a multi-axis simulation table and an active seat suspension. Finally, the performance of the active seat suspension is analysed and compared to a passive system, demonstrating significant acceleration attenuation of more than 10 dB across a broad frequency range. Consequently, this has the potential to improve ride comfort and hence reduce the driver’s fatigue using a reliable and cost-effective control method.

Theoretical and experimental studies of a switched inertance hydraulic system including switching transition dynamics, non-linearity and leakage

This article reports on theoretical and experimental investigations of a switched inertance device, which is designed to control the flow and pressure of a hydraulic supply. The device basically consists of a switching element, an inductance and a capacitance. It is able to boost the pressure or flow with a corresponding drop in flow or pressure, respectively, analogous to a hydraulic transformer. In this article, an enhanced analytical distributed parameter model in the frequency domain, which includes the effect of switching transition, non-linearity and leakage of the valve, is proposed and validated by simulation and experiments. A flow booster test rig is studied as a typical system. Simulated and experimental results show good performance, and accurate estimation of system pressure and dynamic flowrate can be obtained using the enhanced analytical model. The model is very effective for understanding, analysing and optimising the characteristics and performance of a switched inertance device. It can also be used to aid in the design of a switched inertance hydraulic system.

Discrete control of an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter

The effectiveness of two discrete control strategies, Latching and Declutching, has been examined for an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter using numerical simulations. A simplified hydrodynamic model of a submerged oscillating plate and a simple damper PTO were used to model the forces acting on the device. As expected from looking at the available literature, both Latching and Declutching control returned a significant increase in power in the appropriate frequency regions with an unlimited PTO stroke length. However, when realistic position limitations and damping ratios were introduced, no significant practical advantage could be found in implementing either control strategy for this particular device configuration.