Advanced heave control of a hydrofoil-based autonomous surface vehicle: CFD modeling with integrated variable propeller revolution control

An innovative control strategy employing the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) algorithm is proposed to address the heave stability challenges in the in-house developed hydrofoil-based Autonomous Surface Vehicle (HASV). This method regulates the HASV's heave motion by adjusting the propeller's revolution speed. After confirming that the aerodynamic load on the superstructure contributes less than 2% compared to the hydrodynamic load, a detailed numerical simulation study and recirculating water tunnel test were conducted to validate the reliability of the established Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) CFD model for the HASV substructure. The integration of the PD controller for propeller revolutions into the CFD free-running model, which incorporates fully nonlinear and viscous effects, was achieved using the ‘Region-Moving’ method for the background domain and the Body Force Method (BFM) for the propeller domain. By analyzing the impact of various PD coefficients on heave control, optimal settings for the HASV were determined. Subsequent studies examined the vehicle's capability in draft correction and draft maintenance under wave conditions. The results of direct CFD-PD simulations demonstrate that the proposed heave control method effectively stabilizes the HASV under complex nonlinear environmental conditions, offering valuable insights for addressing similar heave control challenges in hydrofoil-based vehicles. • A novel concept utilizing propeller revolution to regulate the heave motion of the HASV was proposed. • The hydrodynamic performance of the scaled HASV's substructure was tested in a recirculating water tunnel. • The propeller revolution PD controller, is integrated into CFD scheme for heave control. • Heave control capability of the proposed approach in calm water and waves were.