Mavi Mi1 Hydrokinetic Turbine Power Converter & Controller Design Review & 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. The expected outcome of this project will be validated test data from the demonstrated turbine system that can be used to refine the design of the power electronics and controller, and identify potential improvements for power converter selection and controller design.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. William G. Dunford

Student:

Mofei Liu

Partner:

Mavi Innovations Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of British Columbia