AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide the students with advanced tools for the state of art design of complex propulsion systems, both from a technical and regulatory point of view. At the end of the module, the students will be able to independently evaluate different design solutions, and propose new ones with an awareness of the physical principles that drive the dynamics of marine propulsion.

Upon completion of the course, the student should:

- have acquired adequate knowledge regarding the study of the dynamics of complex propulsion systems;

- be able to apply the acquired knowledge on real design challenges;

- master the technical language;

- have developed self-learning skills that will enable them to independently investigate technologies on the frontier of the state of the art.

TEACHING METHODS

Classroom lectures and exercises, Industry expert workshops and educational visits.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1. Controllable pitch propellers. Introduction. Open water diagrams. Four quadrants propeller model. Engine- CPP Matching. Blade moving mechanism and hydraulic system. Combinator tables.
2. Off-design conditions. Freewheel propeller. Locked propeller. Flexible operating profiles. Navigation in rough sea.
3. Simulation techniques. Classification. Marine engineering applications. Hardware in the loop.  
4. Surge motion equation. Fundamental equation. Examples.
5. Shaftline equation. Fundamental equation. Examples.
6. Dynamics of controllable pitch propellers. Principle of actuation. Fundamental equations.
7. Dynamics of the diesel engine. Fundamental equations. Dynamics of the turbocharger. Response surfaces.
8. Dynamics of the gas turbine. Fundamental equations. Turbine dynamics. Response surfaces.
9. Dynamics of the gearbox. Fundamental equations. Efficiency. Modeling and simulation.
10. Propulsion Plant modeling. Hull-propeller-engine dynamic interactions. Coupling dynamic equations. Analysis of the dynamic response of the system in open and closed loop.
11. On-board sensors. Introduction. Classification. Principles of operation.
12. PID controller. Theory. Coefficients assessment. Examples.
13. Propulsion control. Architecture of the propulsion control system. RPM control. Speed control. Torque control. Protections.
14. Dynamics of combined propulsion plant. Change over logic. Dynamic load sharing.
15. Introduction to autonomous navigation. Rationale, regulatory framework, GNC system architecture, examples.
16. Assignments. Numerical exercises regarding the module topics.

The program may be modified during the course.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Course notes taken in class and material provided by the teacher
2. Marine Engineering - SNAME (ME)
3. RINA Rules for the classification of ships, RINA
4. J.Klein Woud, D. Stapersma, Design of Propulsion and Electric Power Generation Systems, IMarEST, London, 2002
5. Martelli M. (2015): “Marine Propulsion Simulation: Methods and Results”, Publisher: De Gruyter Open, Collection: engineering, pp. 1-104 
6. Fossen, Thor I. Handbook of marine craft hydrodynamics and motion control. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MASSIMO FIGARI (President)

RAPHAEL ZACCONE

MICHELE MARTELLI (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

In accordance with the University teaching timetable.

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral dissertation, during which open questions will be asked to the student. Online registration for exams is required, the exam calendar is available on www.unige.it. There are no extraordinary exam appeals.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will verify the effective understanding of the discussed topics. The quality of the exposure, the correct use of the specialized vocabulary and the capacity of critical reasoning will be evaluated.

Exam schedule