Model predictive control of a wave-to-wire wave energy converter system with non-linear dynamics and non-linear constraints using a tailored pseudo-spectral method

A novel pseudo-spectral method is proposed to tackle the non-linear control problem of a wave energy converter (WEC) integrated with an all-electrical power-take-off (PTO). The WEC hydrodynamic model is constructed using linear wave theory together with a non-linear viscous damping term. The PTO model encompasses a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) whose local field weakening mechanism imposes non-linear operational constraints on the WEC’s motion and PTO torque. The energy-maximizing control problem of this wave-to-wire model is non-linear and has not been investigated before. In comparison to pseudo-spectral methods previously studied, the proposed pseudo-spectral method is exempt from the assumption of ideal incoming wave prediction. This is made possible by the introduction of a novel mapping function to convert the finite control horizon onto the Gaussian quadrature interval. This mapping function increases more slowly with time at the beginning of the control horizon where wave prediction attains greater precision. As a result, the collocation points are utilized to the advantage of the better approximation of the objective function, thus better overall control performance.