Design a hydrokinetic turbine in Simulink.

I would like to design a hydrokinetic turbine in Simulink. I have real electrical and mechanical data (from a hydrokinetic test site) on the excel sheet. I need to use this mechanical data (like torque and speed) from excel sheet to Simulink directly. As I am a begginer in the simulink, I have some questions regarding this task.

1. What are the basic requirements and knowledge I should have to construct a hydrokinetic turbine?
2. What approches should I follow for this purpose?
3. I have some basic MATLAB & simulink knowledge (not too much). Is there any specific coding, program or calculations that I have to know prior to this task?

Anyone please give me some initial ideas or approaches that I can gradually follow to commence and finish this task.

Answer 1

[Kautuk Raj]

Hi Kawsar,

I understand that you are aiming to design a hydrokinetic turbine in Simulink using real mechanical data from an Excel sheet. Here are some concise steps to get you started:

Basic Requirements and Knowledge

• Fundamental Understanding of Hydrokinetic Turbines: Know how they operate, including basic fluid dynamics and mechanical principles.
• Data Handling Skills: Learn to import and process Excel data in MATLAB using functions like “readtable” or “xlsread” and use it within Simulink. More about using MATLAB with Excel can be gathered from this page: https://www.mathworks.com/discovery/matlab-excel.html.

Approaches to Follow

• Start with a Literature Review: Gain insights into modelling and simulation practices for hydrokinetic turbines.
• Build Your Model Incrementally: Begin with a simple Simulink model and gradually add complexity.
• Integrate Real Data: Import mechanical data (torque and speed) from Excel into Simulink, using MATLAB functions and Simulink blocks like "From Workspace".

Specific Skills to Develop

• Simulink Modelling Skills: Understand how to use relevant Simulink blocks for mechanical and, if applicable, electrical systems modelling.
• Simulation Knowledge: Learn about different solvers in Simulink to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of your simulations.

You can also refer to this paper which deals with designing such a system: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9874411.

By focusing on these key areas and steps, I hope you will be well-equipped to design a hydrokinetic turbine in Simulink using your real-world data.

[Kawsar]

Hi Raj, Thank you so much for your detailed response. I'll ovbiously follow your instructions and let you know if I need further assistance.