Abstract
Employing codesign approaches to WEC optimization relies on the simultaneous and coordinated specification of hydrodynamic, power-take-off, and controller design parameters. In doing so, dynamically significant parameters like inertia, torque constant, and rated torque/speeds of generators are frequently assumed to be independent, when in fact they are non-trivially coupled through device physics. Some arbitrary combinations of these parameters are not realistically attained. However, this is a distinct subset of combinations that are not found in commercially available generators. Power-take-offs specifically developed for wave energy converters that increase power performance while balancing cost may be physically realizable. This study explores the potential design space of generators designed for WECs, comparing LCOE optimal configurations to commercially available off-the-shelf generator options in terms of dynamics and cost. To achieve this, we create and deploy an analytical generator model that defines the generator morphology and restricts it to physically realizable configurations. We then tune this model with existing catalog data and conduct a parametric search that defines the bounds for a feasible set of idealized generators. These results will enable us to perform a cost-informed co-design optimization study to find LCOE optimal generators, identifying potential areas for novel component development.
The presentation for this paper at UMERC+ METS 2024 can be found here.