MU-EDRIVE
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
This project will use two niche applications to bridge the gap between academic excellence and industrial progress in the development of efficient pure electric power take off in wave energy converters. Compared to electrical machines in other industrial sectors, wave energy converters are slow which has led to a range of novel generators being developed, yet comparatively few have been demonstrated at full scale with developers instead preferring to use conventional generators connected via device specific mechanical linkages. Pure electric drive train concepts are known to be efficient and mechanically simple but must now be proved feasible and advantageous at a meaningful device scale. If the electrical generator is allowed to run flooded with sea water, there will be no requirement for sealing and therefore a much reduced requirement for maintenance. The concept must be demonstrated at sea whilst the performance is monitored. Investor confidence must be gained in the technology by accruing many hours of operational data. Long term operational issues of corrosion, biofouling, reliability and condition monitoring must be tackled.
Newcastle and Edinburgh Universities have been at the forefront of UK academic work in electric drives and wave energy converters for decades, and this collaborative team will now deliver two niche application prototypes to demonstrate all electric drive trains for wave energy converters. The project will design and demonstrate direct drive power take off for subsea communication networks and also powering subsea equipment for the oil and gas industry. A full scale electrical machine will be demonstrated using experience provided by an industrial partner. In addition, submerged electric generators will be demonstrated at sea for 12 months using Newcastle's USMART acoustic network gateway buoy. Corrosion protection and antifouling techniques specifically for the electrical generator will be demonstrated first in the laboratory before being used in the ocean.
Newcastle and Edinburgh Universities have been at the forefront of UK academic work in electric drives and wave energy converters for decades, and this collaborative team will now deliver two niche application prototypes to demonstrate all electric drive trains for wave energy converters. The project will design and demonstrate direct drive power take off for subsea communication networks and also powering subsea equipment for the oil and gas industry. A full scale electrical machine will be demonstrated using experience provided by an industrial partner. In addition, submerged electric generators will be demonstrated at sea for 12 months using Newcastle's USMART acoustic network gateway buoy. Corrosion protection and antifouling techniques specifically for the electrical generator will be demonstrated first in the laboratory before being used in the ocean.
Publications
Mahmouditabar F
(2023)
A Review on the Effect of Electrical Steel Manufacturing Processes on the Performance of Electric Machines
in Energies
Farahani E
(2023)
An Innovative H-Type Flux Switching Permanent Magnet Linear Generator for Thrust Force Enhancement
in Energies
Amirkhani M
(2025)
Analysis of a Flux-concentrated V-type Biased-Flux Slot Motor
in IEEE Access
Afrank M
(2024)
Analysis of a New Asymmetric Biased-Flux Operation for an Inter-Modular Permanent Magnet Motor
in Energies
Asker F
(2024)
Analysis of the effect of friction on the efficiency calculations of an electric machine for a wave energy converter
in IET Conference Proceedings
Skarmoutsos G
(2023)
Analytical modelling for surface-inset permanent-magnet machines accounting demagnetization effects
in IET Conference Proceedings
Skarmoutsos G
(2022)
Analytical Prediction of the MCSA Signatures Under Dynamic Eccentricity in PM Machines With Concentrated Non-Overlapping Windings
in IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion
Baker N
(2023)
Biofilm prevention in the generator of a direct drive wave energy converter
in Proceedings of the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference
Asker F
(2023)
Comparison of optimisation methods for power take off design in a wave energy converter
in IET Conference Proceedings
| Description | This work has removed some of the barriers to the economic deployment of wave energy in deep water. We have proved that it is possible to develop and deploy electrical machines for power take off in wave energy machines, and we have proved that magentic gears can be built at the right torque level. These two project achievements align with two technology areas: Magnetic gearing and marinization of electric machines for use in the marine environment. Magnetic gearing:- We have have designed and built a contactless magnetic gear transmission system rated at 1000Nm to replace mechanical gearboxes. This 1kN is the torque requirement of our industrial partner, so is full scale. By transforming speed and torque by magnetic means rather than through meshing of gear teeth, magnetic gearboxes are more reliable, providing a more robust power take off solution for wave energy. The magnetic gear is being tested in Electrical Machines lab at the University of Edinburgh. Marinization of electric machines:- We have proposed, analysed and designed a direct drive wave energy converter with an integrated electrical machine. The Wave Energy converter consists of a 2m diameter buoy coupled to a 3m long submerged tube. This has been built by a local North East fabrication company and protected from the marine environment. It is presently installed at tyne Subsea, which is a Newcastle University owned facility on the banks of the River Tyne In order to protect the electrical machines from the marine environment it is necessary to encapsulate coils and instigate fouling protection. The encapsulation requires a large magnetic gap, which is quite an unusual constraint in the electrical machines community as it reduces the efficiency of the magnetic. We have proved that a particular type of electrical machine, called a flux switching type, is capable of delivering high force despite the large magnetic gap. We have performed multi-objective optimisation to design a machine which has been fabricated at demonstrator scale (2kW). We have also demonstrated a number of coil protection techniques and investigated their thermal characteristics in the laboratory. A small lab model of the full electrical machine operating in water has been demonstrated and used to validate the motion characteristics. We have also demonstrated three configurations of UV biofouling protection in a representative environment at the full electrical machine scale. Field tests were carried out in a marina to validate the installation technique and prove efficiency of the technique at the 2kW scale. We have secured funding to fully integrate the electric machine into the buoy and deploy in the sea -albeit after the end date of this project. A lasting legacy of this project is a full scale wet test rig to prove out the technology operating long term when fully submerged. Both the magnetic gear and the linear generator are being deployed as part of further funding. The linear generator is central to a Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition, and is due to be installed in the River Tyne in April 2024. |
| Exploitation Route | We have removed some of the key risks of deploying generators at sea. We anticipate this will de-risk investment in the development of bespoke power take off. We also anticipate that the main demonstrator of the project will be used by other research groups to investigate the antifouling techniques and also power take off control. The results are based around renewable energy, but are applicable to the wider marine comunity. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Energy |
| Description | This award has proved technology at device scale and in real conditions. It has therefore supported the development of wave energy, and the UKs potential role in this industry. The results have led directly to a number of other projects. Specifically, the linear generator being developed is going to be deployed in a marina in South Shields as part of a CMDC - Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. programme of work. The magnetic gear is being further developed as part of a Horizon Europe funding stream. Both of these projects are led by industries wishing to capitalise on this technology |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | Policy and Innovation Group Report 2024: UK Ocean Energy Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.policyandinnovationedinburgh.org/uploads/3/1/4/1/31417803/policy_and_innovation_group_uk... |
| Description | FASA - A Flexible, Automated Stator Assembly Platform for Lightweight Electric Motors |
| Amount | £691,874 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10009813 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | Institute of Electrification and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (IESAM) -Building Talent for Growth of North East PEMD Supply Chain |
| Amount | £999,980 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10034501 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Modular Electrical Generator Power Take Off System for Wave Energy (MEGA WAVE PTO) |
| Amount | € 4,000,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 101147321 |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 04/2024 |
| End | 04/2028 |
| Description | Net-Zero Enabling Electrical Engineering (N-ZEEE) Network |
| Amount | £392,503 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/Z533117/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Description | Smart Renewable Energy Generation, Recharging and Maintenance Technology (SMARTGEN) |
| Amount | £638,311 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10130562 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | MU-EDRIVE - Marinisation and Upscaling of Electric Drive Trains for Marine Energy |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PI Contribution | University of Edinburgh contribution: As part of MU-EDRIVE we are developing a magnetic gear system for the Blue-X wave device, as a follow-on from the EDRIVE project. In this project we will use design tools developed in EDRIVE and new analytical design tools to design, build and test a magnetic gear to replace the mechanical gear in Mocean Energy's Blue-X wave device. Our contribution to the project started in September 2022. Analytical design tools are in the process of being verified using the finite element model based tools developed in EDRIVE. The analytical tools will enable rapid designs to be undertaken for sizing purposes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Mocean Energy is providing engineering data for the design of the magnetic gearbox, and will also take part in design review. Newcastle University is leading the project, under PI Dr. Nick Baker. With his team he is working on marinisation and biofouling of electrical plant in wave energy devices. |
| Impact | No outputs yet, but papers are being prepared. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Key Note Speech PEMD 2024 - Emerging Electric machines |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was an invited keynote speech on "Emerging Electric Machines". PEMD is the IETs flagship international conference around power electronics machines and drives. The presentation was to the entire conference on the opening day. It was recorded and the video is available to IET members. There was about 150 people in the audience, with around 20 mins of questions at the end |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Keynote Speech, PEMD 2023, Brussels |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was an invited keynote speech on electrical machines designed for use in wave energy converters. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | SupergenORE Wave Energy Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Organised by the University of Plymouth, this was an academic workshop describing the outputs and impacts of EPSRC funded research on wave energy. I was able to present results on recently finished EPSRC MU-EDRIVE research, but also gather support for the N ZEEE collaboration. Day consisted of 10 minuite talks with questions, followed by group working and feeding back to representatives from EPSRC. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | UK MagSoc conference Linear and Rotating Machines 2024 (Keynote Speech) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presented a keynote speech on electrical engineering technology developed for renewable energy. Offshore wind is now well established with GW of installed capacity. Wave energy is an alternative form of marine energy which also has the potential to contribute to sustainable electricity generation. This comparatively immature technology operates at linear speeds at least an order of magnitude lower than that found in other sectors, posing unique challenges to the electrical power train. In this talk I introduced the electrical challenges in the area of linear power take off in marine renewable energy and discussed some recent progress in linear machines developed in academia and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://ukmagsoc.org/events/larm-linear-and-rotating-machines/ |