Dynamic Modeling of Flow Induced Vibration Power-Plants

Based on experimental data from the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory (MRELab) at the University of Michigan, a data model is developed in order to permit dynamical analysis and controller synthesis for power-plants based on Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV) for power generation and energy production. For the particular experimental settings used at the MRELab, data series of various kinematic, dynamic and energetic variables were recorded through the use of one to two cylinders as bluff bodies in a cross-flow. In the present research, these data series are analyzed in order to produce a dynamical model in an appropriate phase space. The process of model derivation is entirely data-driven in the sense that the number of degrees of freedom, or state variables, reflects the dimension of the phase space for the process. The outcome is a model which allows the identification of regime-dependent features such as attractors, basins of attraction, separatrices, etc., which can occur in the basic system dynamics.