[1E5] Towards a digital twin of a proprietary hydraulic system: energy consumption optimisation
M Munko¹, F Cuthill¹, W Rampen¹, S Lopez Dubon¹ and C Ó Brádaigh²
¹University of Edinburgh, UK
²University of Sheffield, UK
FastBlade is a facility featuring a proprietary hydraulic system, capable of recovering energy in fatigue tests of tidal turbine blades. However, both the energy consumption and the output quality greatly rely on the loading frequency, due to the system’s parasitic losses, energy recovery and flow rate limitations. Therefore, the aim of this work is to propose a digital twin (DT) model leveraging real-time system monitoring to assure: high-accuracy, repeatable actuation parameters; and optimised energy consumption. Therefore, fatigue tests at different frequencies are carried out, where process capability indices (PCIs) are used as an indication of the output quality, and the energy consumption is evaluated. PCI values show that increasing test frequency results in poorer output adherence to the desired values. The energy consumption analysis shows that adjusting frequency can result in energy savings exceeding 90%. The results are used to design a DT, where the maintenance of satisfactory PCI values is prioritised through closed-loop frequency control. Provided that satisfactory outputs are delivered, frequency is adjusted to minimise energy consumption. A mathematical model is developed based on historic energy consumption data and is used to provide an estimate of the projected energy usage at all stages of a test. Extending the range of tested parameters, as well as using actual energy measurements to update the model online, is presented as future work.
