Unscented Kalman filtering for wave energy converters system identification

Abstract

A model for a oscillating flap wave energy converter (WEC) is as a single degree of freedom system with a non-linear term to allow for the drag of the device through the water, known as the Morison term. The focus of this system identification is on estimating the dynamic state of the system and estimating the non-linear parameter from observations of the wave elevation and the vertical displacement of the device. It is assumed that the mass, stiffness and damping of the system, without the Morison term, are known from the physical characteristics of the device. The Kalman Filter (KF) can be used to estimate the states of a linear system, however, it is not directly applicable to a non-linear system. Various adaptations have been proposed for non-linear systems. One of the first was the extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which relied on a linearization about the current state values. However, an alternative approach, known as the unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) has been found to give a better performance and is easier to implement. We apply the UKF to estimate the dynamic states of the system together with the non-linear parameter. The fitted model can be used to predict the performance of the device in different wave environments. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.