Particle swarm and Box׳s complex optimization methods to design linear tubular switched reluctance generators for wave energy conversion

•We propose two new algorithms to optimize linear switched reluctance generators.•We apply PSO and Box׳s Optimization to search for optimum generator parameters.•We propose a quality parameter to classify the ability of energy generation.•We analyse two optimized generator structural topologies and compare them.•We obtain structures with superior generation capabilities.

This paper addresses the optimization of the linear switched reluctance generator with tubular topology to be applied in a sea wave energy conversion system. Two new algorithms to optimize the geometry of the generators are proposed. The algorithms are based on both particle swarm and Box´s complex optimization methods. The optimization procedures consist of a multidimensional optimal value search. First the initial variable vectors are specified throughout the feasible search space. Then, an iterative procedure is applied with the goal of finding the variable values that minimize the objective function. The proposed algorithms are suitable for the optimization problem considered since the objective function is highly nonlinear and not analytically defined, as evaluated using a finite element analysis based software, and show very good performance. A factor that characterizes the generation capabilities is also defined and the obtained optimized generators are compared.