Optimization study of a hybrid powertrain: Optimization of the system components and energy management of a zero-emission hydrogen powered boat

The company H2 Marine Solutions has designed a zero-emission hydrogen powered boat. This boat is compared to its fossil fuel counterpart more than twice as heavy. The reason for this is that the system components that are used in the hybrid powertrain of the hydrogen powered boat are heavier. The main question of this research is: How can we...

Model predictive control for optimum integration of active and passive energy sources

The primary objective of this research is to develop an energy management system for the Co-creation center (CCC) that maximizes the use of passive energy sources while maintaining indoor thermal comfort. Passive energy sources have the potential to significantly reduce the energy consumption of the building. However, to achieve optimal energy...

Optimization of controlled motion systems using robustness response surfaces

The absolute and relative stability are critical aspects of designing Controlled Motion Systems (CMS). The maximum attainable CMS performance depends highly on the design of the structural part and the actuator and sensor configuration, as mechanical vibrations can endanger stability. This thesis presents a method for designing CMS's using...

A Convex Economic Model Predictive Control Framework for Hydraulic-Drivetrain Wind Turbines and Farms

In the mission to slow down global warming, the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy resources is key. A tipping point in the adoption of renewable energy resources is notable, as they are becoming economically more viable. Offshore wind energy is considered essential in realizing the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. However...

Orbital Averaging and Control Parametrization for Many-Revolution Low-Thrust Transfer Trajectory Optimization: With an Application to Active Debris Removal

With the increase in the use of Solar Electric Propulsion for Earth-centered applications, comes an additional challenge in the field of low-thrust spacecraft trajectory optimization. This MSc project implements a hybrid optimization approach, using control parametrization to reduce the number of optimization parameters and orbital averaging to...

Fast Dynamic Programming: A Numerical Method for Solving Dynamic Programming Problems

A well-established method for finding the optimal control policy for a given dynamical system is to solve the problem iteratively going from its terminal state "backwards" in time, known as Dynamic Programming Algorithm. For a generic problem with discrete state/action space, the algorithm has computational complexity of <i>O(NM)</i> for <i>N</i...

An optimization based approach to autonomous drifting: A scaled implementation feasibility study

Development of the autonomous vehicle has been a trending topic over the last few years. The automotive industry is continuously developing Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) that partially take over the driver’s workload. This has resulted in an increase in vehicle safety and a decrease in fatal crashes [1]. Full vehicle autonomy has not...

Pumping when the wind blows: Demand response in the Dutch delta

This thesis investigates the potential of a large pumping station in IJmuiden, the Nether-lands, for participating in Demand Response. Due to climate change, renewable energy is onthe rise. The intermittency of energy, together with its unpredictable supply, are a big hurdlefor the energy transition. Two methods are promising solutions to this...

Evaluation and optimization of the control system of the Symphony Wave Power Device

Raising environmental concerns have stimulated the development of renewable energy, including energy from the oceans, which contain a huge potential. In this thesis, particular emphasis is given to wave energy, which can deliver up to 2 TW on a global scale. The aim of this thesis is to optimize the control system of the Symphony Wave Power...

Fast MPC Solvers for Systems with Hard Real-Time Constraints

Model predictive control (MPC) is an advanced control technique that offers an elegant framework to solve a wide range of control problems (regulation, tracking, supervision, etc) and handle constraints on the plant. The control objectives and constraints are usually formulated as an optimization problem that the MPC controller has to solve ...

A Computational Intelligence Approach to Voltage and Power Control in HV-MTDC Grids

An ever increasing interest in renewable energy sources (RES) in order to reduce global carbon emissions and alleviate problems posed by climate changes has lead to dramatic increase particularly in offshore wind energy projects. Several different projects are currently being executed and so many are being planned for the future. The location of...