Underwater and In-Air IPT-CPT Wireless Power Transfer Performance Comparison: A Simulation Study

In this study, an inductive-capacitive coupling wireless power transmission (IC-UWPT) system in the seawater environment is discussed. It is revealed that the conductive characteristic of seawater medium will change the eddy current flow as compared to the air medium, and in higher frequency ranges, will increase power dissipation and affect the total efficiency and ultimately the system's performance. A new equivalent circuit is provided to precisely model the seawater WPT, where the eddy current losses are referred to as an additional term coil's parameter in the circuit model. Using Ansys Electronics, simulation studies are carried out in both air and water environment. The eddy current and electrostatic solutions are adopted for IPT and CPT system analysis. Moreover, Ansys Simplorer is utilized to couple the proposed IPT-CPT combined system. The simulation results validate the introduced model for the underwater IPT -CPT system and its performance.