RTI welcomes new team members

Our team hydrodynamics and simulation (H&S) group (Toby Dewhurst, Michael Macnicoll, and Dick Ackers) continue to calibrate, refine and crunch our RTI F2 QD models to provide design inputs for our 1/20 model to our mechanical design and fabrication (M&F) group (Sean Lewis and John Rohrer). The M&F group is finalizing shop drawings and has started working with local fabrication shops on Float, Frame, and Drive components.

With our 1/20 scale RTI F2 QD we are attempting a more complex and ambitious PTO control system which should pay dividends in even higher wave energy capture efficiencies than those obtained in our 1/50 scale official Wave Energy Prize wave tank testing. Our Electronics and Controls (E&C) group has, therefore, been expanded. Dr. Nathan Weise, Asst. Prof. of ECE at Marquette has joined us (in spite of the fact that my undergraduate Alma Mata, Villanova, dominated Marquette and Big East basketball this year and went on to win their 2nd National Championship title in March). Nathan previously headed up the Power Electronics group at U. of Maine, where he and several students successfully developed the rotary electric generator PTO for our prior generation RTI F1 WEC. Also joining our team is Dr. Siavash Pakdelian, Asst. Prof. of ECE at U. Mass, Lowell. While previously at Texas A&M he worked on MHK PTOs including those using magnetic gearing. Welcome back to wave energy and thank you for assisting us in selecting our 1/20 scale generators. Our third E&C group addition is Dr. Mahshid Amirabadi, Asst. Prof. of ECE at Northeastern, where she is part of a strong power electronics department. Diane Liskey and Rick Sparold welcome the new E&C group help.

Check out the April 3rd story on RTI: http://www.fosters.com/article/20160403/NEWS/160409904