Co-Design of Marine Energy Convertors for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking and Recharging
Sponsor: US Department Energy
Project leads: Geoff Hollinger (OSU), Bryson Robertson (OSU), Pat Cross (HNEI), and Dana Manalang (UW-APL)
This project performs foundational research and testing to accelerate the sector-wide development and deployment of marine energy converters to provide Power-At-Sea. Specifically, we seek to overcome known challenges and knowledge gaps for the successful co-design of coupled Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) systems; systems designed and tested for WEC array system health and environmental monitoring applications. We are filling these key research gaps by providing fundamental technological and algorithmic research and testing, using a co-design approach, where the design of each component informs the overall design and capability of the joint WEC-AUV system. The developed numerical techniques are being rigorously physically tested in the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab at OSU with the goals of validating system hydrodynamics, testing WEC-AUV system control strategies, and increasing the feasibility of successful autonomous docking and inspection from a quiescent sea state to those regularly encountered at DOE-supported WEC test sites, such as PacWave in Oregon, the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii, and the emerging Kilo Nalu nursery site. The project team includes the diverse and necessary expertise from Oregon State University, the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa to ensure broad applicability of the proposed approaches.
Publications and Presentations
2023
M. Chen, R. Vivekanandan, C. J. Rusch, D. Okushemiya, D. Manalang, B. Robertson, and G. A. Hollinger. “A unified simulation framework for wave energy powered underwater vehicle docking and charging,” Applied Energy, 2023.
R. Vivekanandan, D. Chang, and G. Hollinger, “Autonomous underwater docking using flow state estimation and model predictive control,” in Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, London, UK, May 2023.
2022
M. Chen, R. Vivekanandan, C. Rusch, B. Robertson, G. Hollinger, “A framework for wave-to-wire simulation of wave energy converters for autonomous underwater vehicle recharging,” in Proc. University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) Conference, Portland, OR, September 2022.
R. Vivekanandan, D. Chang, and G. Hollinger, “Flow state estimation and optimal control for autonomous underwater docking,” in Proc. University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) Conference, Portland, OR, September 2022.
D. Manalang, B. Waters, C. Smith, P. LaMothe, M. Carlson, and K. Yan, “Adaptive Wireless Power for Subsea Vehicles,” Marine Technology Society Journal, October 14; 56(5):36-44, 2022.
Vivekanandan, C. Rusch, B. Robertson, G. Hollinger, M. Chen, D. Chang, D. Okushemiya, “Co-Design of Marine Energy Converters for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking and Recharging – Software and Data,” Marine Hydrokinetic Data Repository, 2022.
2021
M. Leary, C. Rusch, Z. Zhang, Z., B. Robertson, “Comparison and validation of hydrodynamic theories for wave energy converter modelling,” Energies, 14, 3959, 2021.
M. Leary, S. Zou, S., C. Rusch, C., B. Robertson, “Wave-to-ROV: simulation of a free-floating WEC powering a remotely operated vehicle,” Proceedings the 14th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, EWTEC2021, September 5th 2021, Plymouth, UK and online.