Energy efficient propulsion system for dynamic positioning application: design and assessment

Dynamic positioning systems are most commonly used in offshore operations. They provide an automated controlling of position and heading of the vessel using its own thrusters to compensate environmental disturbances. The allocation of total required force over the available actuators is a complex task, as DP-systems are over-actuated. Therefore, one of the main challenges faced by the industry is constantly seeking to improve the systems efficiency for both sustainability and economic reasons. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate the performance of a DP vessel under critical conditions. In this paper, the authors aim to compare different thrust allocation logics based on the optimisation of different objective functions. Using a simple validation tool, the authors were able to investigate the overall efficiency of a dynamic positioning propulsion system and its ability to operate when a failure occurs.