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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Techno-Economic Implications of Electrical Machine Scaling for Wave Energy Converters

The sizing of an electrical machine for a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can have a substantial impact on the overall sizing, cost, and rating of the device. An electrical generator is typically part of the power take-off (PTO) system, which is the mechanism by which the energy absorbed by the prime mover is transformed into useable electrical. For practically all WECs, the rate of change of actuation is predominantly determined by the wave resource (i.e., the wave height and frequency) and devices will see a sinusoidally varying velocity according to the wave conditions. The same can then be said for both directly and indirectly coupled PTOs with electrical generators. This techno-economic study investigates electrical machine scaling and associated cost implications through core machine design theory, manufacturer data, supporting literature, and the DOE sponsored Reference Model Project (RMP). The RMP was a partnered effort to develop open-source marine energy (ME) point designs as reference models (RMs) to benchmark ME technology performance and costs, methods for design and analysis of ME technologies, estimations for capital costs, operational costs, and levelized costs of energy (LCOE). The results from this study show torque is directly related to (1) the physical size of the machine required to increase the airgap sheer stresses, (2) the amount of active material, (3) the support structure, (4) bearing size and rating, and (5) offshore cable rating, all of which have a significant effect on overall system costs in terms of both CAPEX and OPEX. This paper aims to be a critical benchmark in helping determine an “optimal” nameplate rating for wave energy devices and their associated PTO. With an optimized rating and sizing process, WEC costs can be reduced, and overall performance can be improved.

cables↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wire arc additive manufactured A36 steel performance for marine renewable energy systems

Additive manufacturing has established itself to be advantageous beyond small-scale prototyping, now supporting full-scale production of components for a variety of applications. Despite its integration across industries, marine renewable energy technology is one largely untapped application with potential to bolster clean energy production on the global scale. Wave energy converters (WEC) are one specific facet within this realm that could benefit from AM. As such, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has been identified as a practical method to produce larger scale marine energy components by leveraging cost-effective and readily available A36 steel feedstock material. The flexibility associated with WAAM can benefit production of WEC by producing more complex structural geometries that are challenging to produce traditionally. Additionally, for large components where fine details are less critical, the high deposition rate of WAAM in comparison to traditional wrought techniques could reduce build times by an order of magnitude. In this context of building and supporting WEC, which experience harsh marine environments, an understanding of performance under large loads and corrosive environments must be understood. Hence, WAAM and wrought A36 steel tensile samples were manufactured, and mechanical properties compared under both dry and corroded conditions. Here, the unique microstructure created via the WAAM process was found to directly correlate to the increased ultimate tensile and yield strength compared to the wrought condition. Static corrosion testing in a simulated saltwater environment in parallel with electrochemical testing highlighted an outperformance of corroded WAAM A36 steel than wrought, despite having a slighter higher corrosion rate. Ultimately, this study shows how marine energy systems may benefit from additive manufacturing components and provides a foundation for future applications of WAAM A36 steel.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

CFD Simulation of Floating Body Motion with Mooring Dynamics: Coupling MoorDyn with OpenFOAM

It is increasingly popular to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to study floating structures subjected to ocean waves, especially when it comes to applications of floating offshore wind turbines and Wave Energy Converters (WECs). Mooring dynamics are currently lacking in most of these applications. This paper presents a coupled simulation study of moored floating body motion by coupling two open-source libraries: a finite volume CFD toolbox, OpenFOAM, and a lumped-mass mooring model, MoorDyn. The instantaneous floating body position and velocity are passed from the body motion solver in the CFD model to the mooring model to calculate the fairlead kinematics. The mooring reaction forces, which are calculated by MoorDyn after updating the mooring system states, are then returned to the body motion solver to update the floating body motion. Both mesh deformation and overset mesh methods are used as the mesh motion solver in the CFD model to account for the floating body motion. The coupled model was validated against experimental measurements for a floating box moored with four catenary lines under the action of regular waves, which came from a preliminary test campaign for WECs. Apart from the lumped-mass mooring model, the present work also coupled a quasi-static mooring model and a finite element model with the floating body motion solver in OpenFOAM. The mooring line tensions predicted by these models were compared. The coupled model equipped with three mooring line codes may be further used to carry out survivability studies of FOWTs and WECs subject to severe sea states.

floating body↗
DOE OSTI2023

The wave energy converter control competition (WECCCOMP): Wave energy control algorithms compared in both simulation and tank testing

The wave energy control competition established a benchmark problem which was offered as an open challenge to the wave energy system control community. The competition had two stages: In the first stage, competitors used a standard wave energy simulation platform (WEC-Sim) to evaluate their controllers while, in the second stage, competitors were invited to test their controllers in a real-time implementation on a prototype system in a wave tank. The performance function used was based on converted energy across a range of standard sea states, but also included aspects related to economic performance, such as peak/average power, peak force, etc. This paper compares simulated and experimental results and, in particular, examines if the results obtained in a linear system simulation are borne out in reality. Overall, within the scope of the device tested, the range of sea states employed, and the performance metric used, the conclusion is that high-performance WEC controllers work well in practice, with good carry-over from simulation to experimentation. However, the availability of a good WEC mathematical model is deemed to be crucial.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2021

The effect of electrical current on premature failures and microstructural degradation in bearing steel

Premature failures associated with microstructural degradation, i.e. white etching cracks (WECS), are becoming commonplace as applications are requiring tribological components to operate under extreme conditions. Although the specific drivers of WECs are still debated, the failures are often found in applications where cyclic loading is combined with added energy from stressors such as slip, impacts, or stray current. The aim of the current work is to elucidate effect that variable current has on premature failure. Numerous commercially available lubricants were tested, and both lubricant base oil type and additive package were found to have an effect on WEC failure time.

Bearing failure↗
DOE OSTI2019

Experimental and numerical investigations of a two-body floating-point absorber wave energy converter in regular waves

This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the hydrodynamics of a two-body floating-point absorber (FPA) wave energy converter (WEC) under both extreme and operational wave conditions. In this study, the responses of the WEC in heave, surge, and pitch were evaluated for various regular wave conditions. For extreme condition analysis, we assume the FPA system has a survival mode that locks the power-take-off (PTO) mechanism in extreme waves, and the WEC moves as a single body in this scenario. A series of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations was performed for the survival condition analysis, and the results were validated with the measurements from experimental wave tank tests. For the FPA system in operational conditions, both a boundary element method (BEM) and the RANS simulations were used to analyze the motion response and power absorption performance. Additional viscous damping, primarily induced by flow separation and vortex shedding, is included in the BEM simulation as a quadratic drag force proportional to the square of body velocity. The inclusion of viscous drag improves the accuracy of BEM's prediction of the heave response and the power absorption performance of the FPA system, which agrees well with experimental data and the RANS simulation results over a broad range of incident wave periods, except near resonance in large wave height scenarios. Overall, the experimental and numerical results suggest that nonlinear effects, caused by viscous damping and interaction between waves and the FPA, significantly influence the system response and power absorption performance. Nonlinear effects were found to be particularly significant when the wave height was large and the period was near or shorter than the resonant period of the FPA system. The study is expected to be helpful for understanding the nonlinear interaction between waves and the FPA system so that the structure of the FPA can be adequately designed.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2019

Figure the impact of steel microstructure and heat treatment on the formation of white etching cracks

White etching crack (WECs) associated macro-pitting is a dominant mode of damage within wind turbine gearbox bearings. This damage is characterized by broadly branching crack networks surrounded by local regions of microstructural alterations. The definitive cause of WECs in the field is unknown; therefore, the implementation of effective mitigation techniques has proven difficult. The current work utilized an accelerated benchtop testing technique in order to quantify differences in performance between through-hardened AISI 52100 steel and carburized AISI 3310 steel. It was found that the carburized AISI 3310 steel demonstrated a more than twofold increase in the time elapsed until WEC macro-pitting damage occurred compared to the through-hardened AISI 52100 steel samples.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of Mechanical Deformation on the Dielectric Electric Field in Dynamic Umbilical Cables

Wave energy converter (WEC) systems have unique umbilical cable design requirements compared to conventional marine designs. Due to their dynamic nature, WEC umbilical cables are required to handle increased loads and larger motions over longer deployment scenarios. However, the life expectancy of dynamic umbilical cables is predominantly analyzed for mechanical fatigue, with little consideration given to the effect of mechanical stress on the response of the dielectric as it has been previously assumed that the non-polymeric components will fail prior to the polymeric components. In this work, we explore the effects of mechanical bending on the concentration of the electric field in the insulation of a conceptual three-core dynamic umbilical cable to determine the limiting requirements for life expectancy. A conceptual industrial schematic of a medium voltage dynamic umbilical cable was used as the basis for the WEC system under study. Simulations on the dynamic umbilical cable were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics®. Mechanical loads up to the calculated limit (2.64 m minimum bend radius or 388 kN transverse load) were applied to the dynamic umbilical in a step-wise fashion with one end of the umbilical cable fixed. One-way coupling in three-dimensions was conducted by first determining the engineering strains, then using the engineering strains as the initial condition for determination of the Green-Lagrange strains, and lastly calculating the electric field in the deformed dielectric. Based upon the input load, deformation of the dielectric at the minimum bend radius produced an increase in the electric field of more than 12% when compared to the undeformed umbilical cable, which may lead to dielectric breakdown of the insulation prior to mechanical failure of the umbilical cable.

Spencer, Mychal P.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impedance Emulation Control of Wave Energy Converters

Modeling and control of wave energy conversion (WEC) systems for maximum power extraction is challenging due to complex multiphysics that include fluids, mechanics, and machine drives. To uncover an intuitive model that clearly depicts WEC system operation, we utilize a force-current equivalent circuit framework which then enables us to design an impedance emulation control strategy. To provide context for our framework, we focus on a standard reference model-3 (RM3) point absorber device coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator. After the proposed extremum seeking controller is computed, we experimentally validate its performance on a platform that consists of two back-to-back connected inverters that emulate the WEC system.

wave energy conversion, impedance emulation, machi↗
DOE OSTI2021

Economic Comparison Between Battery and Supercapacitor for Hourly Dispatching Wave Energy Converter Power

This paper demonstrates a dispatching scheme of slider-crank wave energy converter (WEC) power generation using two different kinds of energy storage components, namely, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery and Supercapacitors (SC). The performance of the two energy storage components has been compared in order to develop the most economical energy storage system for WEC hourly dispatching scheme. The cost optimization of the energy storage system considering both cycling and calendar aging expenses is made based on its usage of depth of discharge. In this study, extensive simulation is conducted in MATLAB/Simulink platform, and it is found that SC is a better solution than Li-ion battery in terms of economic assessment for hourly dispatching WEC power.

50 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Water (EE-4↗
DOE OSTI2021

Revisiting Theoretical Limits for One Degree-of-Freedom Wave Energy Converters

This work revisits the theoretical limits of one degree-of-freedom wave energy converters (WECs). This work considers the floating sphere used in the OES Task 10 WEC modeling and verification effort for analysis. Analytical equations are derived to determine bounds on displacement amplitude, time-averaged power (TAP), and power-take-off (PTO) force. A unique result found shows that the TAP absorbed by a WEC can be defined solely by the inertial properties and radiation hydrodynamic coefficients. In addition, a unique expression for the PTO force was derived that provides lower and upper bounds when resistive control is used to maximize power generation. For complex conjugate control, this same expression only provides a lower bound, as there is theoretically no upper bound. These bounds assist in comparing the performance of the floating sphere if it were to extract energy using surge or heave motion. The analysis shows because of differences in hydrodynamic coefficients for each oscillating mode, there are different frequency ranges that provide better power capture efficiency. The influence of a motion constraint on TAP while utilizing a nonideal power take-off is examined and found to reduce the losses associated with bidirectional energy flow. The expression to calculate TAP with a nonideal PTO is modified by the electrical conversion efficiency and the ratio of the PTO spring and damping coefficients. Furthermore, the PTO spring and damping coefficients were separated in the expression, allowing for limits to be set on the PTO coefficients to ensure net power generation.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2017

MECHANICAL MOTION RECTIFIER BASED EFFICIENT POWER TAKEOFF FOR OCEAN WAVE ENERGY HARVESTING

This paper proposes a novel mechanical-motion-rectifier (MMR) based power-takeoff (PTO) for ocean wave energy harvesting. The proposed PTO directly converts irregular oscillatory wave motion into regular unidirectional rotation of the generator. It is mainly composed of two ball screws, three bevel gears, two one-way clutches, and a generator. The two one-way clutches and the bevel gears change the bi-directional rotation of the two ball screws into unidirectional ration of the generator. The MMR rectifies the irregular reciprocating motion into unidirectional rotation; similar to the way the electric voltage rectifier regulates an AC voltage. The proposed PTO can be integrated into a heaving point wave energy converter (WEC). The dynamics and modelling of the PTO are presented. The frequency-domain dynamics of the WEC are then formulated for operating condition and control. The power generation capability of the proposed WEC has been evaluated in MATLAB and WAMIT. The simulation results demonstrate that the power generation capability can be improved by using the MMR method.

Yin, Xiuxing↗
DOE OSTI2013

Wave-actuated power take-off device for electricity generation

Since 2008, Resolute Marine Energy, Inc. (RME) has been engaged in the development of a rigidly moored shallow-water point absorber wave energy converter, the "3D-WEC". RME anticipated that the 3D-WEC configuration with a fully buoyant point absorber buoy coupled to three power take off (PTO) units by a tripod array of tethers would achieve higher power capture than a more conventional 1-D configuration with a single tether and PTO. The investigation conducted under this program and documented herein addressed the following principal research question regarding RME's power take off (PTO) concept for its 3D-WEC: Is RME's winch-driven generator PTO concept, previously implemented at sub-scale and tested at the Ohmsett wave tank facility, scalable in a cost-effective manner to significant power levels e.g., 10 to 100kW?

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigation of Wave Energy Converter Effects on the Nearshore Environment: A Month-Long Study in Monterey Bay CA.

A modified version of an indust ry standard wave modeling tool, SNL - SWAN, was used to perform model simulations for hourly initial wave conditio ns measured during the month of October 2009. The model was run with an array of 50 wave energy converters (WECs) and compared with model runs without WECs. Maximum changes in H s were found in the lee of the WEC array along the angles of incident wave dire ction and minimal changes were found along the western side of the model domain due to wave shadowing by land. The largest wave height reductions occurred during observed typhoon conditions and resulted in 14% decreases in H s along the Santa Cruz shoreline . Shoreline reductions in H s were 5% during s outh swell wave conditions and negligible during average monthly wave conditions.

Roberts, Jesse D.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extreme Conditions Modeling Workshop Report

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosted the Wave Energy Converter (WEC) Extreme Conditions Modeling (ECM) Workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 13–14, 2014. The objective of the workshop was to review the current state of knowledge on how to numerically and experimentally model WECs in extreme conditions (e.g. large ocean storms) and to suggest how national laboratory resources could be used to improve ECM methods for the benefit of the wave energy industry. More than 30 U.S. and European WEC experts from industry, academia, and national research institutes attended the workshop, which consisted of presentations from W EC developers, invited keynote presentations from subject matter experts, breakout sessions, and a final plenary session .

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structural Optimization (Final Technical Report V.2.0)

The overall Project (Project) objective is to materially decrease the leveled cost of energy (LCOE) of the Columbia Power (CPwr) StingRAY utility-scale wave energy converter (WEC). This will be achieved by reducing structural material and manufacturing costs and increasing energy output. In this Project, improving the overall Power-to-Weight ratio (PWR) is accomplished through lowering design margins - allowing for weight reduction and more efficient, cost-effective WEC manufacturing and assembly - and by optimizing mass-related WEC performance parameters, such as center of gravity and system inertia. A mixed materials approach to further structural optimization was developed under this Project and validated with extensive laboratory structural testing. This approach substitutes fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) for steel where appropriate. The benefits of steel are maintained where most useful, for instance at structural joints where the stiffness of steel is required, and the complex geometry is more readily fabricated with steel. However, there are structural spans whose simple shapes are readily fabricated with mandrel-wound FRP and where significant cost and weight savings can be found. An adhesive, double lap shear joint is used to join the FRP and steel subcomponents.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2020

Lessons Learned Based on SNL Experience in Reviews of SPA Controls Awardees

This report summarizes the key contributions and lessons learned from SNL experience in technical reviews of Controls awardees in the DOE SPA program from 2013 - 2020. The purpose of this report is to provide observations and technical suggestions that are likely to be beneficial to the WEC industry as a whole. Over the course of the SPA FOA program, SNL has engaged in technical review for a total of 5 different Controls awardees. The awardees represent a diversity of WEC devices and the application of different control design approaches. The report begins with a summary of key performance metrics results reported by the 5 Controls awardees. This is followed by a summary of observations and lessons learned distilled from the technical reviews of the awardees . The report concludes with a list of general technical suggestions for future WEC controls projects.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗