Underwater Wireless Power Transfer System

by Jin Zhao, Jianzhong Zu, Zuomin Sun

With the global exploitation of marine resources by nations worldwide, the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has been extensively adopted as a critical tool in marine environmental monitoring, seabed resource exploration, and underwater search operations. However, the AUV suffers from limited cruising range and insufficient endurance due to constraints in battery capacity. Underwater Wireless Power Transfer (UWPT) technology, which eliminates wired connections and electrical leakage risks, offers a promising solution to address the endurance challenges of the AUV. Nevertheless, disturbances caused by ocean currents lead to misalignment between the transmitter and receiver of the UWPT magnetic coupling mechanism, degrading the resonant performance and transfer stability of the system. Additionally, the subsea environment impedes high-quality real-time communication between charging stations and the AUV, making rapid and precise calibration of UWPT power transmission challenging. To resolve these dual issues, this study proposes an encircling-type magnetic coupling mechanism and a secondary-side single-stage power control scheme tailored for underwater conditions.