A critical comparison of model-predictive and pseudospectral control for wave energy devices

Model predictive control (MPC) and pseudospectral optimal control (PSC) have been proposed over the past decade to maximise energy capture for wave energy devices. Both philosophies share a similar cost function and both can deal with constraints on system (displacement, velocity)and control (force) variables. Recently, a receding horizon version of the PSC method (RHPSC) has been developed, permitting a direct comparison between MPC and RHPSC formulations. This paper demonstrates that while the control objectives are very similar, the numerical properties of both algorithms are quite different, having implications for practical use, both in terms of performance and implementation issues