Permanent Magnet Linear Generator Design for Surface Riding Wave Energy Converters

• Published in: 2021 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE) pp. 4369 - 4375
• Main Authors: Naghavi, Farid, Sheshaprasad, Shrikesh, Gardner, Matthew, Meduri, Aghamarshana, Kang, HeonYong, Toliyat, Hamid
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 10-10-2021
• Subjects: Energy capture; Force; Generators; linear generator; permanent magnet; Permanent magnets; power takeoff; Sea state; Sea surface; slotless; Surface waves; tubular generator; wave energy converter
• ISSN: 2329-3748
• DOI: 10.1109/ECCE47101.2021.9595591

This paper describes the detailed analysis for the design of a linear generator developed for a Surface Riding Wave Energy Converter (SR-WEC), which was designed to improve energy capture over a wider range of sea states. The study starts with an analysis of the power take-off (PTO) control strategy to harness the maximum output power from given sea states. Passive, reactive, and discrete PTO control are explored. For the random wave excitation and limited sliding distance of the generator, the discrete strategy provides the highest average power output. The paper discusses the sizing requirement for the linear generator. Based on the force and power rating of the system and the application requirements, a slotless permanent magnet tubular generator is designed for the wave energy converter.