| Abstract | The primary objective of a Dynamic Positioning (DP) controller is to maintain vessel position under varying environmental disturbances, while minimizing thruster usage. This work presents the development of an innovative energy-efficient DP controller, named Green NMPC (GNMPC), which minimizes thruster demand while upholding position constraints. Inspired from the structure of the economic nonlinear model predictive controller (ENMPC), GNMPC aligns with ”green” objectives and performance metrics, notably thruster energy efficiency. Extensive DP tests were conducted across a spectrum of wave conditions, including head seas, oblique angles, and large position set-point changes, to validate the efficacy of the GNMPC approach and evaluate the dynamic positioning system’s effectiveness in diverse challenging situations. The results demonstrated that the proposed controller is energy efficient compared to a benchmark NMPC and proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. It successfully reduced thruster demand in the sway direction compared to NMPC while preserving the vessel’s positioning objectives. |
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