Marine Dynamic Positioning System

A comprehensive implementation of a Dynamic Positioning (DP) system for marine vessels, developed as part of the TMR4240 Marine Control Systems course at NTNU. This project demonstrates advanced control system design and implementation using MATLAB/Simulink and the Marine Systems Simulator (MSS) Toolbox.

Project Overview

The system enables precise vessel position and heading control under various environmental conditions through a sophisticated combination of observers, controllers, and thrust allocation algorithms. The implementation includes real-time simulation capabilities and comprehensive environmental force modeling.

Core Components

1. Observer Design

• Extended Kalman Filter (EKF)

  • State estimation and noise reduction
  • Nonlinear system handling through linearization
  • Adaptive gain computation

• Nonlinear Passive Observer (NPO)

  • Global convergence guarantees
  • Enhanced wave filtering capabilities
  • Improved robustness in extreme conditions

2. Control System

• PID Controller Implementation

  • Position and heading control
  • Reference model integration
  • Smooth trajectory generation

• Thrust Allocation

  • Quadratic programming optimization
  • Handling of actuator constraints
  • Fault tolerance for thruster failures

3. Environmental Modeling

• Wave Model: ITTC spectrum implementation
• Wind Model: Direction-dependent force computation
• Current Model: Surface current simulation

System Features

• Real-time position and heading tracking
• Wave filtering and state estimation
• Environmental force compensation
• Thruster failure handling
• Reference trajectory generation
• Performance monitoring and validation

Simulation Scenarios

Part 1: Basic Functionality

1. Environmental force response (current/wind)
2. Dynamic current adaptation
3. Reference model impact analysis
4. 4-corner positioning test

Part 2: Advanced Testing

1. Environmental load analysis
2. Thrust allocation verification
3. Observer performance comparison
4. Capability plot generation
5. Observer robustness testing
6. System functionality validation

Performance Highlights

• Position maintenance within ±3 meters under normal conditions
• Heading control accuracy within ±0.2 radians
• Robust performance under severe wave conditions (H_s = 8m)
• Successful fault tolerance with multiple thruster failures

Implementation Requirements

Prerequisites

• MATLAB R2021a or newer
• Simulink
• Marine Systems Simulator (MSS) Toolbox
• Optimization Toolbox

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Marine-DP-System.git