Digital Twin Modelling of Ship Power and Propulsion Systems: Application of the Open Simulation Platform (OSP)

Abstract

Today, modelling and simulation technologies are extensively used in the maritime industry. As a reaction to changing market demands and environmental challenges, maritime systems are becoming more complex and coupled. Digital approaches such as digital twins and co-simulation are coping these challenges and offer new opportunities throughout the lifecycle of a vessel. In this work, we present the digital twin modelling and the co-simulation of a typical AC ship power and propulsion system including the power stage, relevant local controllers and a high-level controller. The power and control components are modelled individually and exported as Functional Mock-up Units (FMUs). To perform a co-simulation of the ship electric power system, the Open Simulation Platform (OSP) is utilized. This co-simulation environment connects the individual FMUs and routes the data between the sub-simulators of the digital twin. A typical test scenario is carried out to demonstrate the correct functioning of the ship power and propulsion system as well as the OSP environment.