Permanent Magnet Linear Generator Design for Surface Riding Wave Energy Converters

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed design and analysis of a slotless permanent magnet linear generator optimized for surface riding wave energy converters, focusing on control strategies and sizing for maximum power capture.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design of a slotless permanent magnet linear generator tailored for wave energy conversion and evaluates control strategies for optimal power output.

Findings

Discrete PTO control yields highest average power.

Slotless permanent magnet generator suitable for wave energy.

Design parameters optimized for maximum energy capture.

Abstract

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.