Oil hydraulic PTO dry testing

Provider of Dry Testing Services for Wave Energy Converters (WECs) Using a Hybrid Simulation Platform

This initiative offers specialized dry testing services for Power Take-Off (PTO) systems used in Wave Energy Converters (WECs). The core of the setup is a hybrid simulation platform, combining physical and virtual components to replicate real ocean conditions in a controlled laboratory environment. This allows for efficient and repeatable testing without the need for costly and logistically complex sea trials.

At the heart of the platform is a 5 kW oil-hydraulic PTO bench, which physically replicates the energy conversion mechanisms typical of many WEC technologies. This physical system is coupled to a real-time simulation machine, which emulates the dynamic forces and motions of ocean waves. The real-time controller imposes these wave profiles onto the PTO hardware, allowing developers to test how their system would behave under a wide variety of realistic sea conditions.

This approach is especially valuable for:

• Early-stage prototyping, where virtual testing saves cost and time;

• Design optimization, by enabling parameter tuning across many scenarios;

• Fault identification and reliability testing, in a safe and controlled setting;

• Performance benchmarking, using standardized wave inputs for reproducibility.