A Digital Twin of the Research Vessel Gunnerus for Lifecycle Services: Outlining Key Technologies

Abstract

Digitalization has become a key aspect of making the maritime industries more innovative, efficient and fit for future operations. One of the most attractive aspects is the concept of digital twins, which refers to a digital replica of physical assets, processes and systems that can be used as advanced tools for design, operation, and maintenance. This paper introduces the development of the digital twin of the research vessel Gunnerus in Norway, which will be a significant scientific and operational achievement for the maritime industry, making efficient and safe offshore operations possible. It enables data exchange safely and easily between different sub-systems, modules, and various applications. Thus, the twin ship can provide an integrated view of the ship's various physical and behavioral aspects in different stages, and allow simultaneous optimization of functional performance requirements. In addition, it enables advanced control and optimization, e.g., creating more reliable prediction for flexible objectives (time, output, emissions, fuel consumption), and executing day-ahead and long-term planning for operations. Several related applications are presented in the end to confirm the effectiveness of the digital twin ship system.

Simulation Method in Automotive, Aviation and Maritime Industries for Digital Twin: A Brief Survey

“…For example, hydrodynamic seakeeping model, full-ship finite element analysis (FEA) model, spectral fatigue analysis model, and Monte Carlo fatigue prognosis model are used to study fatigue damage monitoring and prediction for specific ships [19]. On the other hand, data-driven approaches such as Qlearning [20], Bayesian neural networks (BNN) [21], ANN [22], and LTSM [5] are applied for fault detection of marine engine, speed loss estimation, etc.…”

“…Currently, DT has been studied in a range of fields in recent years. Among them, the automotive [3], aviation [4] and maritime [5] industries share many common features in many aspects, including design, manufacturing, assembly, operation, test and maintenance, and can benefit from each other if the differences and similarities between these three industries are systematically studied. For example, the use of similation methods in the study of the three industries.…”

Four Degree-of-Freedom Hydrodynamic Maneuvering Model of a Small Azipod-Actuated Ship With Application to Onboard Decision Support Systems

“…Additionally, a first order model of the actuator dynamics is included, using the desired propeller revolutions and azimuth angles as inputs. The actuator model parameters are calibrated towards a functional mockup unit (FMU) model provided by the thruster supplier Kongsberg Maritime [11].…”

“…Originally, RVG had a length overall of 31.25 meters, but in 2019 she was elongated by adding a five meter section midship. The main parameters of RVG post-elongation are provided in Table 1; see also [11]. A three degree-of-freedom maneuvering model of RVG prior to elongation is provided in [12], and [13].…”

Interaction-Aware Short-Term Marine Vessel Trajectory Prediction With Deep Generative Models

“…O VER the past few decades, intelligent marine transportation systems have received increasing attention from the maritime industry. The development of digital twin [1], remotely operated, and autonomous ships is within such a context. They are expected to increase the efficiency of maritime transport while reducing fuel consumption and extending the operating window [2].…”