Optimal Power Analysis of a Wave Energy Converter with a Controllable Power Takeoff based on Active Motion Rectification

This paper investigates the power generation performance of a power takeoff (PTO) system based on a newly developed active mechanical motion rectifier (AMMR), which is controllable and allows unidirectional generator rotation. The model of the PTO with a wave energy converter (WEC) is presented. A control scheme for the AMMR PTO is proposed for regular wave excitations and a semi-analytical method is developed to optimize the control parameters for maximizing generated power. The results show that more power is achieved by the AMMR PTO than a conventional PTO across a wide excitation spectrum. And the optimal control brings the motion of the WEC in phase with the excitation force.