Thermal Analysis of a Sea Wave Generator

Abstract: Wave power has been increasing the interest of many researchers looking for alternative sustainable energy sources since the reserves have proved to be capable of satisfying a considerable percentage of the world´s energy demands. This option has not been adopted as a sustainable source since there are some challenges in the process of designing a low cost device that converts the kinetic energy of the waves into electric energy and that could still be efficient enough to be competitive against other options. A new proposal from Anders Hagnestål looks like a very promising way of moving forward in this field. The structure of this newly proposed generator includes neodymium magnets that at temperatures over 60°C might suffer irreversible demagnetization, compromising the normal functioning of the machine. Because of the electrical losses in iron components, overheating is a possibility that must be studied. The aim of this study is to find the temperature distribution of the components that are subject to changing magnetic fields (where the losses will occur). This will be done for a variety of cases regarding environmental and working conditions with the purpose of determining if the generator will need a cooling technique to avoid damage to the magnets. The studied structure consists of a stator and a translator conformed by iron, FR4, glass fiber and, of course, the magnets. The task at hand was carried out first through a one-dimensional analytical model, then through a two-dimensional analytical model and finally by means of simulations on Comsol Multiphysics (Computer-Aided-Engineering software). All of the aforementioned methods implicate assumptions that deviate from reality, but are still useful for the task at hand. Results from the 1D calculation turned out to be unreliable due to the numerous approximations but helped to prove and understand the effect of each of the environmental conditions on the temperature distribution. On the other hand, the 2D calculations and the simulations had a very good agreement which provides some reliability. Furthermore, said results showed that the components might even reach temperatures as high as 380°C under certain conditions. As this number is clearly over the safe limit of the magnets, it was concluded that cooling techniques are needed to ensure the safety of the generator. After some discussion with Hagnestål, cooling methods were proposed. In addition to this, the seemingly most appropriate option was pointed out with the intention of achieving a low-enough temperature and keeping the costs as low as possible. This alternative was a combination of modifying geometric parameters (which would ultimately reduce heat generation) and inducing a low velocity air flow.