A Linear-Generator-Based Wave Power Plant Model Using Reliable Multilevel Inverter

Abstract

The huge untapped energy from ocean waves is one of the ideal solutions for world energy crisis. This paper proposes a linear-generator-based direct power conversion plant model to generate the electrical energy from ocean waves. The linear generator output is of variable magnitude and variable frequency in nature. In this paper, this variable output is converted to fixed dc voltage by using a diode bridge rectifier and a dc-link capacitor. The linear generator along with a diode bridge and a capacitor forms a wave power unit. These wave power units can be connected in series and parallel to meet the power ratings. A reliable multilevel inverter is fed from the wave power units to ensure uninterrupted tapping of power from this abundant renewable energy source. The reliable inverter operation is analyzed under open- and short-circuit faults in switches by reconfiguring the carrier waves of sine pulsewidth modulation during fault conditions. A fault detection algorithm using a single sensor at the output is also proposed to detect the faults in the switches of the proposed reliable inverter. The proposed plant model with a linear generator and a reliable inverter is simulated using ANSYS MAXWELL and MATLAB/Simulink. The plant model is tested using a programmable ac source for emulating the linear generator and the developed prototype of the diode bridge rectifier and the reliable multilevel inverter.