Mission-oriented Modular Control of Retrofittable Marine Power Plants

Abstract

Dear reader,This thesis is the last step towards completing my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology in Delft. It has been quite the journey, which started with the track Multi-Machine Engineering. During the second year of my masters, I did a literature study under the supervision of Vasso Reppa and Nikos Kougiatsos, where I reviewed the state-of-the-art of the propulsion control in marine vessels. I found that, although there is a great variety in propulsion control systems, no literature considered modular use of the equipment in the power plant. To this end, in collaboration with Vasso, Nikos, and Royal IHC, the main idea for this thesis was proposed.Soon after the initial proposal the main course of the thesis was set, and after the approval of Rudy Negenborn, the journey began. In this work, you may find information about different missions of ships, how these missions dictate the required power, and also how this affects the power plants and the control systems found in various marine vessels. It is shown how this leads to a mission-oriented design of the control system, where equipment can be added, replaced, or removed. Although I did not specialize in control engineering, my skills with MATLAB, developed during the master, greatly helped to resolve most problems, and I am proud to present you my work.I want to start by thanking Vasso and Nikos for their daily supervision and assistance. Nikos is a PhD researcher, and his field of work is very closely related to the topic of this thesis, so he was always able to provide insightful comments and detailed explanations when I found some obstacles. Vasso's input was aimed more towards the presentation and design of the control systems, and was also very helpful with maintaining the right course, and keeping track of the main goal of the thesis. Also, I want to thank Rudy, who was able to provide good feedback during meetings, as he knows a great deal about this topic, and a lot of his work is used in this thesis.Finally, I want to thank my parents, friends and my girlfriend for their support, motivation, and guidance, not only during this thesis, but also during my entire studies at the TU Delft. This journey would not have been the same without you. I wish you a pleasant reading,