Dynamic Modeling and Lyapunov-Based Heading Tracking Control of Slaloming Tethered Riverine and Marine Surface Wings

Slaloming Tethered RiverinE And Marine Surface (STREAMS) Wings are a novel technology where a vertical underwater wing, rudder, and marine turbine are suspended beneath a tethered, streamlined surface hull in a water current. The STREAMS wing is controlled to slalom back and forth across the current at velocities higher than the current itself to generate electric power. The motion of the system is commanded by the angular position of the underwater wing and rudder to generate sufficient hydrodynamic loading, enabling the system to slalom across the current velocity field. The motion induced on the system drives a turbine mounted on board from which energy is collected. To ensure adequate energy production, the control signals for the wing and rudder must be appropriately commanded. Therefore, a Lyapunov-Based stability analysis is conducted to assess input-output stability (IOS) and to provide a baseline backstepping closed-loop framework for controlling the STREAMS heading angle. Simulation results are included as an additional assessment tool to evaluate the system’s behavior and characteristics.