Power System Optimisation for Naval Vessels

Optimisation of engineering systems has proven to be a useful tool in the design of complex systems, and is widely used in the aerospace and automotive industries.
This project seeks to apply these methods to the optimisation of power systems within the next generation of naval vessel.

Motivation

Due to increasing demands on power requirements in modern naval vessels, and the ever-present necessity for stealth, low operating signature and improved tactical endurance and survivability, an all-electric naval vessel is envisaged. Combined with the flexibility of replacing solid drive shafts with electrical wiring and motors and the ability for a modular design architecture, an all-electric vessel has the potential to be easier to maintain, cheaper to own and more effective at war^[1].
Through the use of optimisation methods, it is hoped that the design of the drive systems within such a naval vessel will be realised.

Objectives

• To model the drive systems of naval ships or submarines within software packages such as VTB (Virtual Test Bed) and Matlab.
• Integrate these models within the optimisation process.
• Assess the design’s practicality and select an aspect of the design to optimise.

Progress