Control Parameters Optimization of Accumulator in Hydraulic Power Take-Off System for Eccentric Rotating Wave Energy Converter

Abstract

To improve the efficiency and stability of an eccentric rotating wave energy converter (ERWEC), the adaptive hydraulic power-take-off (PTO) system with an accumulator is designed and developed. Experiments are performed to analyze the effects of trigger pressure, delay time, and open state duration on average output power and power fluctuation index. The results show that the effects of those three control parameters of accumulator on output power are strongly coupled. The experimental examples are designed based on the optimal Latin hypercube sampling (OLHS) method, and the nonparameterized agent models of control parameters to output power indices are established based on the Gaussian process regression (GPR) method. With the help of sensitivity analysis, it is found that the coupled effect of delay time and open state duration on the power fluctuation index is greater than that on the average output power. Furthermore, the optimal combination of control parameters is obtained by non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-III (NSGA-III), which improves the amount and stability of output power from a hydraulic PTO system. This paper is of important significance for parameter setting of hydraulic PTO systems with an accumulator for wave energy converter, and provides the basis for the real-time adjustment of control parameters under complex sea conditions.