The SR2 project: A Switched Reluctance Generator in an OWC-type Ocean Wave Energy Converter System: Part 1 Modelling and Simulation

The SR2 project investigated the possible use of a novel type of generator, known as a switched reluctance generator (SRG), in ocean wave power harvesting applications. As part of the project, a lab-scale SRG prototype (5kW, about 70kg) was designed and commissioned along with a programmable test rig, on the TU Dublin Blanchardstown Campus, which would mimic in miniature the behaviour of a large SRG (200 kW, enough power for about 60 homes) that could be installed as part of a wave energy converter device on the ocean. The prototype was developed to TRL4 (Technology validated in lab).
A modelling and simulation software suite was also implemented in MATLAB/Simulink to help design and validate the lab-scale SRG. This document describes the MATLAB/Simulink subsystems for the full-scale wave energy converter, SRG and power electronics converter, and the techniques that enable the full-scale subsystems to be used in a lab-scale test rig setup.