Mavi Mi1 Hydrokinetic Turbine Power Converter and Controller Design Review and Field Test

Mavi Innovations is pursuing a prototype demonstration of its 20kW hydrokinetic turbine for generating electricity from river and tidal currents in Fall 2013. Demonstration of this new system includes the development of a control system to govern turbine operation, and of the power electronics to manage generated power and provide electricity to the grid. The Mitacs intern will assist with the design and specification of the commercial off-the-shelf power electronics, and of the control method. The system will be modeled using the MATLAB SIMULINK dynamic modeling software package. The control method will be implemented on a microcontroller to control the speed of the turbine, allowing the collection of turbine performance data such as efficiency and power output. Field test data will be used to validate the SIMULINK model and investigate optimal power converters and control methodologies.

Faculty Supervisor:

William Dunford

Student:

Partner:

Mavi Innovations Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: