Author: carrieann_barry

Control-inspired design involves leveraging control theory principles to enhance engineering systems. By using feedback control, we can create systems that adapt and self-correct to changing conditions. This innovative approach, known as Control Co-Design (CCD), focuses on redesigning dynamics and subsystem interactions for improved performance, reduced design time and cost, and increased reliability. In our recent paper, by Josefredo Gadelha da Silva, Matheus Golz, Thalita Nazaré, Marcio J. Lacerda and Erivelton Nepomuceno, and part-funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and Maynooth University's John and Pat Hume Scholarship, we reviewed 197 articles on CCD, highlighting its applications in renewable energy, vehicular and aircraft control systems, and communication systems. Our review offers a comprehensive introduction to CCD, summarizing key developments and discussing current trends and benefits. We also present a theoretical example of CCD in a Hybrid Wind-Wave Platform (HWWP), exploring the intricate interplay between aerodynamic and hydrodynamic design domains and their control challenges. We'd love to hear your feedback! https://lnkd.in/e3DQV3mq...

If you are interested in the project described below, apply before 31st May 2024 here. (job reference number 028461). The SHY Project (Seawater HYdraulic PTO using dynamic passive controller for wave energy converters), The EU Horizon SHY project is set to play a pivotal role in unlocking the potential of wave energy converters by developing key components of a seawater hydraulic power-take-off (PTO) system, coupled with an advanced control strategy, for a novel Danish wave energy converter. This dual focus aims to reduce the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) while concurrently minimising the environmental impact. The contribution from COER/MU is on the hydrodynamic modelling and control side. The SHY project consortium partners include: Technical University of Denmark (DK), OEMs FibronPipe (AT) and Leser (DE), specialist SMEs Julia F. Chozas (DK), Applied Renewables Research (UK) and Marine Systems Modelling (NL), the offshore test site Consorcio Para El Diseño, Construcción, Equipamiento y Explotación de la Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN) (ES), and wave energy technology developer Wavepiston (DK & ES). This post presents significant...

We wanted to thank Damien Fay from HPE for presenting at our 2024 Seminar Series yesterday. Demian gave an interesting presentation: "A self-organizing eigenspace map for time series clustering" His talk focused on a time series clustering technique they developed as well as the underlying time series analysis techniques used which can handle non-stationary chaotic and semi-seasonal time series. He spent some time during the talk giving a tutorial on this before launching into the research which extends the theory substantially (see abstract below). This paper presents a novel time series clustering method, the self- organising eigenspace map (SOEM), based on a generalisation of the well-known self-organising feature map (SOFM). The SOEM operates on the eigenspaces of the embedded covariance structures of time series which are related directly to modes in those time series. Approximate joint diagonalisation acts as a pseudo-metric across these spaces allowing us to generalise the SOFM to a neural network with matrix input. The technique is empirically validated against three sets...

Research.com have unveiled its highly anticipated 2024 Ranking of Best Scientists in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. Among the esteemed names listed is our own Prof. John Ringwood. Securing a third place ranking in Ireland and a global ranking of #2605, Prof. Ringwood has also been honored with the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Leader Award for 2024, in recognition of his achievements in the field. The methodology employed by Research.com relies on the D-index (Discipline H-index) metric, a measure that accounts for both the productivity and impact of a scientist's publications within the domain of Electronics and Electrical Engineering. This metric considers factors such as citations, publication output, and research influence. The full ranking for Ireland showcases the diverse expertise  being pursued within the country. Such rankings not only celebrate individual achievements but also serve as a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge exchange within the scientific community....

We were delighted to welcome Wentao Shi (vice dean), Bingyong Guo, Siya Jin, Fantai Meng, and Dingnan Li from The Ocean Institute at North Western Polytechnic University in Shiaanxi, China. Who came to exchange ideas on the most recent developments in wave energy control and gave a presentation on their latest work....

The 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) will be held in Milan, Italy, from December 16th to 19th, 2024. COER Research Fellow Siyuan Zhan is co-organising a special session on 'Unconventional Control Problems in Net-Zero Carbon Systems' together with Yao Zhang, Wen-Hua Chen, and John Ringwood. To submit your paper, please visit https://lnkd.in/e2HskK8t and select 'Invited Session Paper'. Don't forget to quote the code: 872uw for the invited session. #ieeeconference #controlsystems #netzero With increasing global concerns about climate change and energy security, recent decades have witnessed substantial growth in the development of net-zero carbon systems. Control can play a critical role in enhancing functionality and/or increasing economic performance. Nevertheless, many unconventional control problems arise from net-zero carbon systems, where the primary task is not to regulate to a setpoint or track a reference signal, but to optimize high-level goals such as productivity, energy production, and energy consumption. This creates new challenges for the control community. Motivated by the above facts, this invited session is devoted to control...

John Ringwood, Professor Electronic Engineering and Director of the Centre for Ocean Energy Research at Maynooth University, has been elevated to Fellow of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is the 17th IEEE Fellow in Ireland and the first within the domain of control systems, nominated within the IEEE Control Systems Society, for his work on the development of energy-maximising control techniques for wave energy systems. Elevation to IEEE Fellow is a significant distinction, with a maximum of 0.1% of the total IEEE membership elevated in any one year. There is no application process – prospective Fellows must be independently nominated by another Fellow and supported by another 5 Fellows, distributed internationally. From the nominations, only around 30% are elevated. At the recent IEEE Conference on Decision and Control held in Singapore, John, along with co-authors from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy and Imperial College, London, was awarded the 2023 Outstanding Paper Prize for the IEEE Transactions on Control...

€22,000 stipend p.a. (tax free) + PhD fees + research expenses + travel The Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER) at Maynooth University, Ireland has further opportunities for well-qualified applicants interested in PhD level research on the control of wave energy systems as part of 2 prestigious new projects under the supervision of Prof. John Ringwood FIEEE: Economic wave energy through technical innovation (SeaChange) MaxRotorWEC – a new control strategy for cyclorotor-based wave energy converters SeaChange Project Despite the vast global wave energy potential, and the need to diversify the range of renewable energy sources to provide dispatchable carbon-free energy, the current cost of wave energy makes it relatively uneconomic in relation to other renewable, and non-renewable, energy forms. This project proposes a combination of strategic technological improvements, with both broad applicability as well as specific device improvements, to effect a significant impact on the economic performance of wave energy systems and produce the step change needed to accelerate the technical and commercial development of...

From the 6th to 8th November, the Argentine Network of Marine Energies (REMA), in collaboration with the Center for Ocean Energy Research (COER), Maynooth University, Ireland, and the Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab (MOREnergy Lab), Politecnico di Torino, Italy, hosted the 8th Wave Energy Workshop in conjunction with the 2023 Argentine Meeting on Marine Energies (ENAEM 2023). This three-day event featured presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics related to ocean energy, with a focus on hydrodynamic modeling, control, resource assessment, and wave energy technology enhancement. The scope also included topics such as environmental impact, structural mechanics, and the economic, legal, and political aspects of ocean energy. Additionally, the workshop covered the latest developments in high-fidelity simulations and advanced numerical methods used in the field....

We were delighted to welcome Johannes Palm from Sigma Energy Marine and Claes Eskilsson from Research Institutes Sweden, who visited COER to give a workshop to introduce the simulation tool MoodyMarine, developed to help meet some of the demands for early stage development of MRE devices. MoodyMarine extends the previously released mooring module MoodyCore (Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Elements) with linear radiation-diffraction bodies, integrated pre-processing workflows and a graphical user interface. It is a C++ implementation of finite element mooring dynamics and Cummins equations for floating bodies with weak nonlinear corrections....