Modélisation et commande d’un système de type KITE sous-marin pour la conversion d’énergie marine

Details

Supervisors

De Jaeger, Emmanuel

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil électromécanicien

Abstract

enAt a time when the use of fossil fuels is increasingly contested, it is becoming essential to study the possibilities offered by renewable energies. In this master’s thesis, we focus on the particular case of the supply of electric energy from the energy contained in the sea, also called marine energy and more particularly on an innovative and promising system : the technology of the underwater kite. This technology is developed by Minesto via its Deep Green 500 model and is also being studied within the European PowerKite project. Underwater kite technology consists of a turbine attached via a nacelle to a marine wing. The movement of the currents through the marine wing creates a lift that pushes the kite towards the surface or the seabed. By combining a control of the tension exerted in the struts with a control of the path via a rudder, the underwater kite can follow a predefined trajectory allowing the maximum recovery of energy : that of a figure eight. Once the mechanical energy is converted into electricity by an alternator incorporated into the nacelle, the electrical energy is transmitted into the struts and finally brought to the shore or to a floating structure via a submarine cable. We start by analyzing the main existing marine energy converters. We list their advantages and disadvantages and finally compare them on 4 criteria : the level of maturity, the energy potential, the level of quality of the energy produced and the environmental impact. We continue on the same pattern by comparing the main types of tidal power technology. Finally, we explain why we consider the underwater kite technology the most relevant and promising. After analyzing these different technologies, we focus on the modeling of Minesto’s Deep Green 500. We start with a mechanical analysis of the conversion of the energy contained in the marine current to a mechanical torque produced by the turbine. Once this torque has been transferred into an electromechanical torque, we analyse each individual element of the energy conversion chain : synchronous motor, converter, DC bus and transformer. We then model a filter LCL at the converter output. We end with an analysis of different possibilities for the injection of this energy into the electrical grid. Finally, we control and regulate the Deep Green 500 by controlling five critical electrical state variables. For each of these variables, we develop an appropriate controller and check its good characteristics. This control and regulation allows us to ensure that all the energy produced by the Deep Green alternator is correctly transmitted to the grid. Once our model is finalized, we run a few simulations in rated and sinusoidal regime. We conclude this master’s thesis by discussing some power quality issues.

Citations

• APA

Sanchez Zarza, F. (2018). Modélisation et commande d’un système de type KITE sous-marin pour la conversion d’énergie marine.