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MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2

Life Prediction and Health Monitoring of Marine Propulsion System under Ice Impact

Alternative title: Prediksjon av levetid og tilstandsovervåking av marine fremdriftssystemer under kollisjoner med is

Awarded: NOK 4.8 mill.

The main goal of HealthProp is to develop a digital twin platform - by combining intelligent sensors, data acquisition systems and fault detection algorithms through physical and data-driven models in the cloud - towards monitoring the propulsion system and drive line of ships in Arctic and Antarctic operations, with the aim to improve the system reliability and increase the operational safety in harsh environmental conditions. The six partners of the project bring all the expertise needed to build such a digital twin: modelling, measurement and testing and digital twin development. The project started in August 2020 with three professors, seven PhD students, five senior engineers and several master students from six partners in three countries (Norway, Germany, South Africa) involved in the project. In 2020 the modelling part of digital twin system was the focus. The initial measurements from earlier voyage of research vessel SA Agulhas II in South Africa was used to validate the models needed for the digital twin including ice model, electro-mechanical model, and bearing model. Test benches were also built for model validation. The first version of the digital twin platform was also developed including integration of models on a digital twin platform and reduced order models for external loading.

Benefits of HealthProp 1. An near real time digital twin can provide a rapid diagnosis of propulsion faults (for emergency information where time is of essence). 2. Operational intelligence can be provided to inform the ship master when the vessel is operated close to propulsion system limits in ice, with the help of AI and data driven methods. 3. Intelligent management of machinery with costly repairs. 4. Better future designs for propulsion systems and related components. 5. Digital twins are set to be a key differentiator of future business success in the maritime industry.

The main goal of HealthProp is to develop a digital twin platform - by combining intelligent sensors, data acquisition systems and fault detection algorithms through physical and data-driven models in the cloud - towards monitoring the propulsion system and drive line of ships in Arctic and Antarctic operations, with the aim to improve the system reliability and increase the operational safety in harsh environmental conditions. There is a rapid increase in shipping activities, traffic and operations in Arctic and Antarctic waters, in particular, tourist activities are growing rapidly owing to increased traffic from cruise ships. A de-coupled approach is proposed to model the load and load effects on the drive line system, including power generation, power transmission and propeller during ice impact. The models, developed and verified by the project partners through real data measurements from the research vessel SA Agulhas II in South Africa, will be used in a virtual model (Digital Twin) of the propulsion system for life prediction and fault detection and strong decision support during ice navigation. The developed digital twin will be tested on SA Agulhas II to estimate the remaining useful life of her propulsion machinery and -components and to predict failure due to ice impact. The outcomes of the project will be disseminated through scientific articles in reputed journals and presentations in relevant conferences. The data and findings are relevant to the inform and further the development of new codes and guidelines for Arctic and Antarctic operation. Finally, the operational digital twin model wil remain as a working asset to benefit operations and decisions on the SA Agulhas II.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2