DSP-based marine current turbine emulator using a 3-phase inverter

This paper introduces a novel DSP-based emulator that employs a 3-phase current controlled inverter to reproduce the dynamic behavior of marine current turbines. The proposed marine current emulator provides a flexible platform to modify the resource conditions, test different combinations of the turbine´s parameters, and supervise the system variables in real time. These characteristics allow the emulation of steady and transient electrical behavior of turbines under various operating conditions and scenarios. The emulator is, therefore, a valuable R&D tool for this emerging and promising power generation technology. The elimination of mechanical parts and the simplicity of the design, two innovative aspects of the proposed architecture, introduce several advantages: low cost, free-maintenance, portability, and safety (characteristics often required in laboratory settings). Experimental results of the marine current emulator are presented to validate the system and illustrate the operation of the high-bandwidth inverter employed to drive its output. The emulator can be used for sizing analysis, site evaluation, testing power converter topologies, and evaluating control strategies.