System optimisation and stress testing in co-simulations

In the OptiStress project, we will research new methods for ship design optimisation and stress testing, to help make future ships safer, greener, and more capable. A modern ship is a complex and sophisticated piece of engineering. Whether it is doing millimeter-precision installations at thousand-meter depths or high lifts in high seas, the ship's performance is the result of an interplay between a wide range of components – from heavy machinery to precise instruments and advanced control systems. The design and building of such a ship is a major challenge, especially considering the fact that many ships are custom made, one-off products. In other words, there are no prototypes available for testing. There are also organisational challenges due to the large number of companies involved in delivering different components, each of which is a complex system in its own right. Co-simulation has gained traction in the industry in recent years as a method to deal with these issues. It allows the actors involved in a ship design to collaborate on building a simulated representation of it – a virtual prototype. In OptiStress, we will study how co-simulation can be used in conjunction with numerical optimisation methods in order to automatically suggest good design choices. For example, one could use it to determine which combination of power and propulsion machinery will allow a ship to perform certain operations with the lowest emissions. We will also investigate co-simulation-based methods for automatic stress testing of proposed ship designs. Here, the idea is to simulate ship operations in extreme or unusual conditions to identify weaknesses and safety violations. The project results are expected to contribute to safer and more environmentally friendly ships, better and more efficient ship design methods, improved collaboration in the industry, and, as a result, cost reductions in the ship design and shipbuilding process.

Norway has long been a world leader in maritime technology, but the world is changing fast, and major challenges threaten this position. Rapid innovation, new opportunities, and smarter and safer systems with higher efficiencies are needed, as the MAROFF work programme asserts. This necessitates a shift from a component perspective to a functionality perspective, which requires coordinated and unified action from a wide range of research and industry partners. And it requires a new set of tools to meet the increasingly stricter regulations and technological demands. During the last years, the maritime industry has started using co-simulation successfully to boost digital collaboration and innovation based on existing investments and knowledge. Yet, several technical challenges remain standing in our way and collaboration is inhibited by a lack of tools and methodologies for efficiently evaluating and improving the entire system, early, in the design process. With this project, we aim to tackle these inhibitors of rapid digital innovation head on by drawing on the knowledge and the skills acquired over the past decade. We seek to develop methods and tools for performing system optimisation and stress testing with entire systems and specific operations based on co-simulations. To ensure high interactivity and value creation, several key partners from academia and the industry are committed and eager to contribute.