Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing
Published on: February 13, 2018
Stochastic control of inertial sea wave energy converter
Mattia Raffero1, Michele Martini2, Biagio Passione1
1Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy.
Abstract:
The ISWEC (inertial sea wave energy converter) is presented, its control problems are stated, and an optimal control strategy is introduced. As the aim of the device is energy conversion, the mean absorbed power by ISWEC is calculated for a plane 2D irregular sea state. The response of the WEC (wave energy converter) is driven by the sea-surface elevation, which is modeled by a stationary and homogeneous zero mean Gaussian stochastic process. System equations are linearized thus simplifying the numerical model of the device. The resulting response is obtained as the output of the coupled mechanic-hydrodynamic model of the device. A stochastic suboptimal controller, derived from optimal control theory, is defined and applied to ISWEC. Results of this approach have been compared with the ones obtained with a linear spring-damper controller, highlighting the capability to obtain a higher value of mean extracted power despite higher power peaks.
Related Concept Videos
Conservation of Energy in Control Volume
For steady flow systems, the time derivative of the stored energy becomes zero since there is no energy accumulation within the control volume. This simplifies the energy equation to:
Problem Solving: Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion
Consider the spring in a shock absorber of a car. The spring attached to the wheel executes simple harmonic motion while the car is moving on a bumpy road. The force on the...
Simple Harmonic Motion
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...
The Swing Equation
In a steady-state operation, the mechanical torque (Τm) supplied to the generator is balanced by the electrical torque...
Kinetic and Potential Energy of a Wave
In mechanical waves, the amount of energy is related to their amplitude and frequency. In the context of the above examples, large-amplitude earthquakes produce large...

