Measurement System for Wave Energy Converter: Design and Implementation

Abstract

A Wave Energy Converter (WEC) measurement system has been constructed and installed with the purpose to measure, log and evaluate the WEC’s performance during operation at sea. The WEC is to be deployed at Uppsala University’s wave power research site in Lysekil on the west coast of Sweden. In designing such a system the key research objectives has been (1) to study the risk of overheating due to high currents in the stator windings, (2) to evaluate how the WEC’s outer structure withstands drag and bending forces from the buoy line and (3) to construct a detection system which indicates if water leaks into the generator. The measurement system was designed to collect data essential to study these key objectives. Transducers were used to measure: buoy line force, translator position, phase currents, bending and tensile strain on the generator hull, water level inside generator and the temperature at multiple places inside the generator. The measurement system has been installed and calibrated in the WEC. Furthermore, the design has been evaluated in lab experiments in order to verify the function and accuracy of the different measurements. This paper presents the underlying research objectives for developing the WEC generator measurement system, together with a description of the technical implementation.