Wave tank and bench-top control testing of a wave energy converter

An increasing number of experiments are being conducted to study the design and performance of wave energy converters. Often in these tests, a real-time realization of prospective control algorithms is applied in order to assess and optimize energy absorption as well as other factors. This paper details the design and execution of an experiment for evaluating the capability of a model-scale WEC to execute basic control algorithms. Model-scale hardware, system, and experimental design are considered, with a focus on providing an experimental setup capable of meeting the dynamic requirements of a control system. To more efficiently execute such tests, a dry bench testing method is proposed and utilized to allow for controller tuning and to give an initial assessment of controller performance; this is followed by wave tank testing. The trends from the dry bench test and wave tank test results show good agreement with theory and confirm the ability of a relatively simple feedback controller to substantially improve energy absorption. Additionally, the dry bench testing approach is shown to be an effective and efficient means of designing and testing both controllers and actuator systems for wave energy converters.     

基于ARM7的嵌入式三维电阻率采集子站的设计研究

提出了一种基于ARM7的嵌入式三维电阻率采集子站设计方法,采用24位A/D转换器（ADS1258）和ARM7微处理器（LPC2378）,使三维电阻率法数据采集系统具有体积小、功耗低、成本低、精度高等特点,同时实现μC/OSⅡ操作系统在ARM的移植,为数据采集的实时性提供可能。     

Performance investigation of a two-raft-type wave energy converter with hydraulic power take-off unit

Raft-type wave energy converter (WEC) is a multi-mode wave energy conversion device, using the relative pitch motion to drive its hydraulic power take-off (PTO) units for capturing energy from the ocean waves. The hydraulic PTO unit as its energy conversion module plays a significant role in storing large qualities of energy and making the output power smooth. However, most of the previous investigations on the raft-type WECs treat the hydraulic PTO unit as a linear PTO unit and do not consider the dynamics of the hydraulic circuit and components in their investigations. This paper is related to a two-raft-type WEC consisting of two hinged rafts and a hydraulic PTO unit. The aim of this paper is to make an understanding of the dynamics of the hydraulic PTO unit and how these affect the performance of the two-raft-type WEC. Therefore, a combined hydrodynamic and hydraulic PTO unit model is proposed to investigate and optimize the performance of the two-raft-type WEC; and based on the simulation of the combined model, the relationships between the optimal power capture ability, the optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force and the wave states are numerically revealed. Results show that an approximately square wave type hydraulic PTO force is produced by the hydraulic PTO unit, which causes the performance of the two-raft-type WEC not to be sinusoidal and the energy capturing manner different from that of the device using a linear PTO unit; moreover, there is an optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force for obtaining an optimal power capture ability, which can be achieved by adjusting the parameters of the hydraulic PTO unit; in regular waves, the optimal power capture ability as well as the optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force normalized by the wave height presents little relationship with the wave height, mainly depends on the wave period; in irregular waves, the trends of the optimal power capture ability and the normalized optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force against the peak wave periods at different significant wave heights are generally identical and show a good correlation. All means that the hydraulic PTO unit of the two-raft-type WEC can be tuned to the wave states, and these would provide a valuable guidance for the optimal design of its hydraulic PTO unit.     

一种程控宽频带多波形信号发生器的研制

针对目前专门的函数信号发生器IC功能简单、精度不高、调节方式不灵活等缺点和DDS芯片外围电路设计复杂、成本较高等问题,设计研制了一种程控宽频带多波形信号发生器。该信号发生器采用单片机STC89C52控制专用函数发生器MAX038实现,通过键盘设置输出波形类型、频率、占空比和幅度等各种参数,采用闭环控制方法对输出频率自动反馈控制以提高频率精度,并由八位LED显示器实时显示状态信息。实际运行结果表明:该系统可以产生频率范围在1Hz~20MHz、幅度在2~10V(VPP)连续可调、占空比在10%~90%变化的三角波、锯齿波、方波、正弦波和PWM波,输出频率精度小于0.01%。该仪器具有电路结构简单、性能优良、成本低廉、功能多样、使用方便等优点,在生产实践和科技研究领域中具有广泛的应用前景。     

LC元件参数的数字测量方法与设计

本文着重说明如何将LC元件的諸参数转换为相应的数字量,以适应数字測量的要求。本文采用的方法与设计,具有电路结构简单,易于实现的特点。     

Extracting energy while reducing hydroelastic responses of VLFS using a modular raft wec-type attachment

This paper presents the use of a modular raft Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-type attachment at the fore edge of a rectangular Very Large Floating Structure (VLFS) for extracting wave energy while reducing hydroelastic responses of the VLFS under wave action. The proposed modular attachment comprises multiple independent auxiliary pontoons (i.e. modules) that are connected to the fore edge of the VLFS with hinges and linear Power Take-Off (PTO) systems. For the hydroelastic analysis, the auxiliary pontoons and the VLFS are modelled by using the Mindlin plate theory while the linear wave theory is used for modelling the fluid motion. The analysis is performed in the frequency domain using the hybrid Finite Element-Boundary Element (FE-BE) method. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of pontoon length, PTO damping coefficient, gap between auxiliary pontoons, and incident wave angle on the power capture factor as well as reductions in the hydroelastic responses of the VLFS with the modular attachment. It is found that in oblique waves, the modular attachment comprising multiple narrow pontoons outperforms the corresponding rigid attachment that consists of a single wide pontoon with respect to the power capture factor and the reduction in the deflection of the VLFS. In addition, it is possible to have a considerable gap between pontoons without significantly compromising the effectiveness of the modular attachment.     

风机节能技术应用与经济性对比

主要针对300MW级循环流化床锅炉一、二次离心风机的几种调速节能方式进行比较,针对电厂普遍采用的变频器和液力耦合器调速的经济性进行了探讨、对比。     

模数转换器对导航信号的影响分析及最优量化参数选择方法设计

结合导航信号的具体物理模型,从信息量和信噪比两个角度入手,对ADC前后导航信号所含有效信息量及信噪比变化规律进行推导计算。从理论上证明2~3 bit量化已能满足一般接收机正常工作的需要,在此基础上归纳不同的量化门限选择对信号信噪比的不同影响,发现在特定的干扰下,合理地选取量化门限反而会增加信号的信噪比这一反常规现象。最后提出一种合理选取量化门限的方法,以获得最优的信噪比增益,并进行了试验仿真的验证,对接收机前端设计具有一定的启发意义。     

An Experimental Study on A Trapezoidal Pendulum Wave Energy Converter in Regular Waves

Experimental studies were conducted on a trapezoidal pendulum wave energy converter in regular waves. To obtain the incident wave height, the analytical method (AM) was used to separate the incident and reflected waves propagating in a wave flume by analysing wave records measured at two locations. The response amplitude operator (RAO), primary conversion efficiency and the total conversion efficiency of the wave energy converter were studied; furthermore, the power take-off damping coefficients corresponding to the load resistances in the experiment were also obtained. The findings demonstrate that the natural period for a pendulum wave energy converter is relatively large. A lower load resistance gives rise to a larger damping coefficient. The model shows relatively higher wave energy conversion efficiency in the range of 1.0?1.2 s for the incident wave period. The maximum primary conversion efficiency achieved was 55.5%, and the maximum overall conversion efficiency was 39.4%.     

垂荡式波浪能装置运动模型数值分析

垂荡式波浪能装置在海洋可再生能源开发中被广泛应用,通过浮子与摇杆在垂荡方向的相对运动吸收波浪能。在以往相关的运动预报数值分析中,通常基于微幅波假设,仅考虑浮子与摇杆在垂荡方向的运动,忽略摇杆其他自由度运动。建立并求解了垂荡式波浪能装置的非线性联合运动方程组,分析垂荡式波浪能装置的波浪载荷、浮子与平台连接处的受力情况。数值计算系统的运动响应,并将计算结果与已有的试验数据进行比较验证,结果表明数值模拟的垂荡式波能装置的运动响应与试验结果相符合。最后,应用本计算方法分析PTO(power take-off)参数对波能装置发电性能的影响。