Hydrodynamic Control of Wave Energy Devices

Description

With this self-contained and comprehensive text, students and researchers will gain a detailed understanding of the fundamental aspects of the hydrodynamic control of wave energy converters. Such control is necessary to maximise energy capture for a given device configuration and plays a major role in efforts to make wave energy economic. Covering a wide range of disciplines, the reader is taken from the mathematical and technical fundamentals, through the main pillars of wave energy hydrodynamic control, right through to state-of-the-art algorithms for hydrodynamic control. The various operating principles of wave energy converters are exposed and the unique aspects of the hydrodynamic control problem highlighted, with a variety of potential solutions discussed. Supporting material on wave forecasting and the interaction of the hydrodynamic control problem with other aspects of wave energy device optimisation, such as device geometry optimisation and optimal device array layout, is also provided.

Umesh Korde is the Richard and Elizabeth Henes Chair Professor in Wave Energy at Michigan Technological University. He is the author of numerous research publications and teaches graduate courses focusing on the hydrodynamics and control of wave energy devices. Korde also works on research in smart structures and acoustics. A focal area of his current research has been new techniques for modeling and control, including novel ways to utilize existing approaches. He is an associate editor for the journal Ocean Engineering and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). John Ringwood is a professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is on the editorial board of Energies and a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Chartered Engineer.

'... the object of the book is a natural marriage between wave energy and control engineering. As a whole, the book can provide those involved in the development of wave energy converters, especially in tasks related to hydrodynamic modelling and power take-off, with the background required to use the tools of control engineering to improve the design and performance of the converter. Conversely, the book gives the control engineer the hydrodynamics and related fundamentals to move forward in his wave energy conversion studies. Boxes and numerical examples can be found along the text for better understanding of the theory. The book is highly recommended for all professionals and researchers involved in the design and control of wave energy converters. It is also suitable as a textbook for postgraduate studies in this field.' Antonio F. O. Falcao, Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy