Propulsion and Control of long endurance unmanned marine vehicles

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Objective The overarching objective of this program is to enable unmanned marine vehicles to conduct long endurance missions that are currently impossible, due to constraints in available power and relatively poor propulsion system efficiency. More specifically this research program will focus on the development of (a) A new generation of highly efficient propulsion systems for small and medium scale surface and underwater vehicles (<1,000kg displacement) (b) Advanced design and control strategies that take advantage of environmental conditions, such as winds and currents, to significantly enhance the endurance of relatively small unmanned marine vehicles. Scientific Approach The approach to be taken for the propulsion system is to combine laboratory experiments, commercially available numerical tools and field evaluations into a closed loop performance optimization system. This approach allows covering a large design space with the necessary confidence in the results, which is being established through a limited but representative series of laboratory and field experiments. Similarly on a larger scale the usage of existing numerical ocean prediction tools as well as locally sensed environmental factors, i.e. winds and currents, will be used as an input into a control and navigation system for unmanned vehicles in order to compute (a) a feasible and possibly (b) an optimal trajectory to a desired target location or area. Novelty and Significance Canada, bordering three oceans, the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, has the world's longest coastline. Arctic sovereignty, resource development in the Arctic and Climate change are major issues for Canada, its government, its natural resource sector and to ocean scientists. The ability to efficiently explore, map and monitor our oceans is limited by the available resources. Unmanned and automated systems will play a major role in these tasks. A key to do this is to have systems available that can be easily transported into remote areas and can operate for extended periods of time without the necessity of significant infrastructure. The proposed research program leverages my experiences and successes of my research with underwater gliders. Gliders have an endurance of up to 6 months and can cover distances exceeding 1000km. However this comes at the cost of very limited sensor packages and slow speed. Learning from the commercial and scientific successes of ocean gliders and their significant limitations, one realizes that propulsion is the major power drain of these types vehicles and therefore has a significant impact on overall endurance and range. This holds true for most if not all electrically powered vehicles. By developing a more efficient propulsion system, smaller vehicles, for the surface and underwater, will become more capable and will be able to stay out longer to explore, map or monitor remote areas. Combining the efficient design with control strategies that take currents and winds into account will further improve the endurance and will help to establish a more sustainable remote presence in these harsh environments.