ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: In this study a Kuroshio Generator System (KGS) was designed to apply to the Keelung Sill, which is near the Taiwan maritime environment. The KGS combined a reliable cable and anchor subsystem and an adjustable flap that could smoothly operate at sea, and could ignore the motion changes of the rotation axes in yaw and roll via a proper rudder design. An intuitive simulation method was adopted in the MapleSim software to create a rigid body structure modeling of the KGS. The KGS stable requirements of the dynamic equilibrium, motion behavior, and the reliable cable included a combination of Y-shaped elastic polyester ropes; a rigid chain was analyzed and achieved. In addition, the KGS has advantages of altitude control in routine inspection or avoidance affected by the severe weather (e.g., typhoons or storms). The flap lift in the KGS could be adjusted by flap angles for altitude control. An optimal proportional-integral-derivative control law with Ziegler-Nichols tuning method was applied in the KGS to control the altitudes from 22.3 m to 16.5 m, and the rise time, settling time, and maximum overshoot of time response characteristics are 3.3 s, 9.7 s, and 3.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the estimated output power of the dual generators in the KGS has approached to 110 KW.
