Integrated Modeling and Control Design for Dynamic Positioning of Surface Vessels: Thrust Allocation and Disturbance Compensation

This paper presents a numerical model for marine vehicles, developed primarily to perform a validation of automatic Dynamic Positioning (DP) verification methods. The primary focus of this work is to develop and test a DP system that can be applied across a specific real vessel. It is equipped with five thrusters, including two bow tunnel thrusters, a single fixed thruster positioned along the center line of the vessel responsible for forward and reverse propulsion, and two azimuth thrusters for enhanced maneuverability. The DP system plays a critical role in managing the actuators to achieve optimal positioning performance, whether the vessel is stationary or executing path-following operations under moderate weather conditions. To verify the control and thrust allocation logic, a comprehensive numerical model has been developed using MATLAB/Simulink<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">™</sup> software. This model integrates multiple subsystems, including ship dynamics, propulsion systems, thrust allocation, control systems, and environmental disturbances, all linked through suitable mathematical models to accurately capture their interactions and effects on the vessel’s performance. Eventually, simulation results are shown to evaluate the vessel model’s coherence and performance of the overall DP system.