Performing heavy lift operations from floating vessels for offshore wind

Project aim

This project studies advanced control methods to increase the viability of heavy lifts from floating vessels through a simulation approach using Simulink.

Project background

As offshore wind farms become larger and further from the shore, there are a strong climate and economic incentives to perform lifts required during O&M from floating vessels rather than expensive and slow jack-up rigs. However, successful transfers of heavy and sensitive equipment (in all but benign sea/wind conditions) are heavily dependent on 6 degrees-of-freedom high-performance control.