STTR Phase I: Performance Optimization Toolbox for Wave Energy Conversion Devices

该小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目名为？波能转换设备性能优化工具箱？先进的波浪预报和对现有波能转换(WEC)装置运行参数(如液压系统压力和发电机负载)的并行在线调整，有可能使其功率提取效率比目前使用的方法提高至少200%。然而，到目前为止，这种先进控制理论的应用还没有被工业界实施。这在很大程度上是由于两个主要问题：(1)很难提前20-40秒预测WEC系统遇到的波，这是有效实施在线调整策略所必需的；(2)在给定各种非线性系统行为和约束的情况下，与优化控制系统相关的挑战。该项目的研究目标是解决这一多学科问题中的关键问题，并开发一个工具箱，使WEC设备开发商能够优化他们的设备性能，从而实现WEC设备性能和经济可行性的变革性改进。在第一阶段，将开发和测试一套软件，利用先进的模拟、估计和控制工具，使现有WEC设备的性能得到显著改善。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是为波浪能提供一条有效的降低成本的途径。根据美国能源部最近发布的一项研究，仅在美国，波浪发电就可以提供高达630TWh/年的电力，相当于2011年美国电力需求的15%。以目前8美分/千瓦时的市场费率计算，这意味着每年500亿美元的市场机会，并将为美国经济增加超过15万个就业机会。遗憾的是，当前的WEC方法需要达到显著的成本降低和/或性能改进水平，才能与其他发电方法竞争。先进的控制和快速的调整将实现一条降低成本的途径，使波能能够与其他发电方法竞争。准确预测波浪场的能力(在某些情况下，使用先进的控制理论采取纠正措施，将负荷降至最低，提高性能和/或操作安全性)在其他领域有许多应用，包括海啸预测、海上作业和近海油气。虽然目前不会探索这些应用，但本研究奠定的基础可以很容易地扩展到这些相关领域。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is titled ?Performance Optimization Toolbox for Wave Energy Conversion Devices?. Advanced wave prediction and concurrent online adjustment of the operating parameters (such as hydraulic system pressure and generator load) of existing wave energy conversion (WEC) devices have the potential to increase their power extraction efficiency by at least 200% over presently used approaches. However, application of such advanced control-theories have not been implemented by industry Todate. This is largely due to two major issues: (1) the difficulty of predicting the waves encountered by a WEC system 20-40 seconds in advance, which is required to effectively implement online tuning strategies, and (2) the challenges associated with optimizing the control system, given various nonlinear system behaviors and constraints. The research objectives of this project are to resolve the key issues in this multi-disciplinary problem and develop a toolbox that allows WEC device developers to optimize their device performance and therefore enable transformative improvements in WEC device performance and their economic viability. During phase I, a software suite will be developed and tested, leveraging advanced simulation, estimation, and control tools, which will enable remarkable performance improvements for existing WEC devices. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to enable an effective cost-reduction pathway for wave energy. According to a recent study released by the US Department of Energy, wave power could provide up to 630TWh/year in the US alone, which corresponds to 15% of the US electrical demand in 2011. At the current market rate of 8 cents/kWh, this represents a market opportunity of $50 billion per year and would add more than 150,000 jobs to the US economy. Unfortunately, current WEC methods need to attain a significant level of cost reduction and/or performance improvement to compete with other power generation methods. Advanced controls and rapid tuning will enable a cost-reduction pathway that will allow wave energy to become competitive with other power generation methods. The ability to accurately predict wave fields (and, in certain cases, to use advanced control theory to take corrective actions to minimize loads and improve performance and/or operational safety) has numerous applications in other areas, including tsunami prediction, maritime operations, and offshore oil & gas. Though these applications will not be explored in the present effort, the foundation laid with the present research could easily be extended to these related fields.