Modeling and Real-Time Simulation of Ocean Current Turbines for Grid Integration

The large potential for electricity generation powered by ocean currents has gained attention as a viable renewable energy source that can be harnessed by ocean current turbines (OCTs). In this paper, the modeling of an OCT is presented and simulations are executed in the OPAL-RT environment to observe the real-time performance of a 20m rotor diameter OCT under three cases. First, the turbine mechanical torque output is evaluated while operating in realistic conditions simulated using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) readings that were collected in the Gulf Stream. The second and third cases involve a microgrid-connected OCT system that undergoes a water flow speed change at the turbine input and a load change at the main load respectively. Results exhibit power and frequency stability in grid operations and contribute to demonstrating the effectiveness of the OPAL-RT in marine energy with microgrid simulation.