PhD Position Sensor Fusion for Wave State and Vessel Response Estimation

This PhD position combines the fields of sensor fusion, automatic control, and marine dynamics to optimize sensor systems onboard vessels for improved estimation of wave state and vessel response. The combination of these fields, along with considering the effects of combined loading and non-linearities, facilitates an improved understanding of how the vessel responds to ocean excitation and the resulting structural response.

This position fits within a larger project, FUSION: Smart Sensing for Informed Maintenance and Optimized Naval Design. This PhD position will develop vessel state-space models, then design and test sensor systems and algorithms for estimating the experienced wave excitation and the resulting vessel response. The overall project aim is to potentially extend the vessel safe service life and give insight into when structural maintenance should be performed. Further, by optimizing sensor systems onboard to better inform maintenance decisions, future vessel designs can be lighter and leaner.

This interdisciplinary PhD position is a collaboration between the Delft Center for Systems and Control (DCSC) and the Maritime & Transport Technology (MTT) department within the Faculty of 3mE at TU Delft. The position targets fundamental, technical research relating to sensor fusion applied to the practical problem of sensing for marine systems. Therefore, working closely with advisors from DCSC and MTT, you will further develop vessel state-space models, design sensor systems and algorithms for estimating wave energy spectrum and vessel structural response, and then validate this system based on model tests. The findings from this work will complement other parts of the FUSION project to improve estimates of the vessel fatigue life and allow operators to make informed decisions on structural maintenance.