Wave energy conversion has an essential difference from other renewable energies since the dependence between the devices design and the energy resource is stronger. Dimensioning is therefore considered a key stage when a design project of Wave Energy Converters (WEC) is undertaken. Location, WEC concept, Power Take-Off (PTO) type, control strategy and hydrodynamic resonance considerations are some of the critical aspects to take into account to achieve a good performance. The paper proposes an automatic dimensioning methodology to be accomplished at the initial design project stages and the following elements are described to carry out the study: an optimization design algorithm, its objective functions and restrictions, a PTO model, as well as a procedure to evaluate the WEC energy production. After that, a parametric analysis is included considering different combinations of the key parameters previously introduced. A variety of study cases are analysed from the point of view of energy production for different design-parameters and all of them are compared with a reference case. Finally, a discussion is presented based on the results obtained, and some recommendations to face the WEC design stage are given.

In electric vehicles, passengers sit very close to an electric system of significant power. The high currents achieved in these vehicles mean that the passengers could be exposed to significant magnetic fields (MFs). One of the electric devices present in the power train are the batteries. In this paper, a methodology to evaluate the MF created by these batteries is presented. First, the MF generated by a single battery is analyzed using finite-elements simulations. Results are compared with laboratory measurements, which are taken from a real battery, to validate the model. After this, the MF created by a complete battery pack is estimated, and results are discussed.

In hybrid and electric vehicles, passengers sit very close to an electric system of significant power, which means that they may be subjected to high electromagnetic fields. The hazards of long-term exposure to these fields must be taken into account when designing electric vehicles and their components. Among all the electric devices present in the power train, the electronic converter is the most difficult to analyze, given that it works with different frequencies. In this paper, a methodology to evaluate the magnetic field created by a power electronics converter is proposed. After a brief overview of the recommendations of electromagnetic fields exposure, the magnetic field produced by an inverter is analyzed using finite element techniques. The results obtained are compared to laboratory measurements, taken from a real inverter, in order to validate the model. Finally, results are used to draw some conclusions regarding vehicle design criteria and magnetic shielding efficiency.

Passenger Exposure to Magnetic Fields in Electric Vehicles | InTechOpen, Published on: 2016-10-05. Authors: Pablo Moreno‐Torres, Marcos Lafoz, Marcos Blanco, et

One of the main issues of wave energy nowadays is the oscillation of the generated power, which is due to the oscillating nature of the waves. These power fluctuations may have an important undesired impact on the electrical grid. This paper proposes a system that compensates power oscillations in wave energy applications by means of a supercapacitor-based energy storage system. A laboratory test bench is used to emulate wave power oscillations and to partially suppress them. The paper describes the control strategy implemented in the test bench and includes experimental results for regular waves.

Switched Reluctance Drives with Degraded Mode for Electric Vehicles | InTechOpen, Published on: 2016-10-05. Authors: Pablo Moreno-Torres, Marcos Lafoz, Marcos Blanco, et