An Approach to Optimize the Efficiency of an Air Turbine of an Oscillating Water Column Based on Adaptive Model Predictive Control

Abstract

Wave energy, as a vast renewable resource, remains underutilized despite its high potential. The oscillating water column (OWC) is one of the most efficient way to harvest wave energy. Due to the randomness of ocean wave excitation, a control strategy is needed to keep the conversion efficiency of OWC at a certain level. In this paper, an adaptive model predictive control (AMPC) method is proposed to optimize the efficiency of the air turbine and improve the overall efficiency of the OWC. Experiments were conducted in a wave flume to obtain realistic wave data, which were fed into the AMPC model for simulations. Results indicate that AMPC-optimized turbine efficiency exhibits improved performance under regular wave conditions and significantly enhances efficiency within certain intervals under short-period irregular waves. However, as the wave period increases, optimization becomes less stable. Overall, the study concludes that the adaptive MPC model effectively optimizes turbine efficiency under most conditions, highlighting its potential for enhancing OWC performance.