Reactive control and phase and amplitude control applied to the Archimedes Wave Swing

Abstract

This paper addresses control strategies for the Archimedes Wave Swing (AWS), an off-shore, fully-submerged wave energy converter (WEC). Only optimising its behaviour will it compete with other already proven technologies, a great deal of research being yet necessary. Reactive (or complex conjugate) control and phase and amplitude control are two optimum control strategies for WECs; since they are both non-causal, approximations have to be introduced, making them sub-optimum. Simulations with linear and non-linear models of the AWS are presented; energy absorption increases (compared with the situation without control) from 48 % to 494 %.