Postdoctoral researcher position

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
A senior postdoctoral position is now available in the Centre for Ocean Energy Research in Maynooth University’s Electronic Engineering Department on a strategic U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership: ‘LEAP-HI – Control co-design for ocean wave energy conversion.’ This project develops methodologies for an integrated design of wave energy devices using a novel control co-design approach. It optimizes power take-off and wave capture structures with active motion rectification and advanced control to boost efficiency, increase power output, and lower the peak-to average power ratio. Experts from Queen’s University Belfast, Virginia Tech, and Maynooth University collaborate on all stages, from concept design to system integration. Maynooth focuses on control strategies. Funded by Research Ireland and the US National Science Foundation, this project unites expertise in wave capture, power take-off, and control systems design. Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER)  is an active international research centre involved in fundamental and applied research. It is funded by a range of external sources including industry, national agencies (Such as Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland etc.) and international agencies including...
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COER @CCTA24

COER @CCTA24

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
COER, with Edinburgh Napier University, hosted an interactive workshop on wave energy converter control today at The 8th IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications (CCTA) 2024 in Newcastle, UK. Speakers included John Ringwood, Chris Guiver, Facundo Mosquera, Pedro Fornaro....
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New paper! Health-sensitive control of wave energy converters: A primer

New paper! Health-sensitive control of wave energy converters: A primer

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
Over the last two decades, researchers have primarily focused on developing control technology to create more effective controllers, designed to manipulate the motion of Wave energy converters (WECs) aggressively, aiming to maximise their energy-harvesting capacity in an effort to minimise levelised cost of energy (LCoE). However, exaggerated WEC motion can, in the harsh ocean environment, lead to significant decreases in maintenance intervals and system reliability, leading to increases in operational costs (OpEx). The essence of the health-sensitive control problem is finding a suitable trade-off between maximising energy and minimising maintenance costs, by modulating the control law, assuming a fixed amount of capital costs (CapEx). This new paper, in Elsevier's Ocean Engineering by Amin Ziaei, Ahsan Said and John Ringwood, and supported by MaREI and the Science Foundation Ireland-funded Seachange Project, aims to define the health-sensitive control problem for WECs by reviewing current advancements in longevity analysis within the wave energy application area, as well as other pertinent areas. The obstacles and opportunities for future...
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Internships at COER 2024

Internships at COER 2024

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
COER enjoys and benefits from welcoming a number of interns each year.  This year, Markel Aristegui from Mondragon University in the Basque Country, where he is working towards his undergraduate engineering degree, joined us for an internship with COER until June 2024. Markel's final year project focuses on the development and control of an all-electric hardware-in-the-loop simulation environment for point absorber wave energy converters.  During his time with COER, as well as developing his final year project, Markel attended a conference and gave two presentations to the COER group. On his return, he gave a presentation to his class and supervisors (rather familiar faces), while sporting some very distinguished attire!...
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Read our latest article on Control Co-Design (CCD)!

Read our latest article on Control Co-Design (CCD)!

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
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...
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2 x senior/postdoc positions available at COER for new EU project SHY

2 x senior/postdoc positions available at COER for new EU project SHY

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
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...
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Damien Fay from HPE visits COER to present at the Seminar Series

Damien Fay from HPE visits COER to present at the Seminar Series

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
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...
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Best electrical and electronic scientist 2024

Best electrical and electronic scientist 2024

By carrieann_barry Comment Closed
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....
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