Offshore floating wind turbine technology is growing rapidly and has the potential to become one of the main sources of affordable renewable energy. However, this technology is still immature owing in part to complications from the integrated design of wind turbines and floating platforms, aero-hydro-servo-elastic responses, grid integrations, and offshore wind resource assessments. This research focuses on developing methodologies to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of a wide range of floating offshore wind turbine support structures. To achieve this goal, interdisciplinary interactions among hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, structure and control subject to constraints on stresses/loads, displacements/rotations, and costs need to be considered. Therefore, a multidisciplinary design optimization approach for minimum levelized cost of energy executed using parameterization schemes for floating support structures as well as a frequency domain dynamic model for the entire coupled system. This approach was based on a tractable framework and models (i.e. not too computationally expensive) to explore the design space, but retaining required fidelity/accuracy. In this dissertation, a new frequency domain approach for a coupled wind turbine, floating platform, and mooring system was developed using a unique combination of the validated numerical tools FAST and WAMIT. Irregular wave and turbulent wind loads were incorporated using wave and wind power spectral densities, JONSWAP and Kaimal. The system submodels are coupled to yield a simple frequency domain model of the system with a flexible moored support structure. Although the model framework has the capability of incorporating tower and blade structural DOF, these components were considered as rigid bodies for further simplicity here. A collective blade pitch controller was also defined for the frequency domain dynamic model to increase the platform restoring moments. To validate the proposed framework, predicted wind turbine, floating platform and mooring system responses to the turbulent wind and irregular wave loads were compared with the FAST time domain model. By incorporating the design parameterization scheme and the frequency domain modeling the overall system responses of tension leg platforms, spar buoy platforms, and semisubmersibles to combined turbulent wind and irregular wave loads were determined. To calculate the system costs, a set of cost scaling tools for an offshore wind turbine was used to estimate the levelized cost of energy. Evaluation and comparison of different classes of floating platforms was performed using a Kriging-Bat optimization method to find the minimum levelized cost of energy of a 5 MW NREL offshore wind turbine across standard operational environmental conditions. To show the potential of the method, three baseline platforms including the OC3-Hywind spar buoy, the MIT/NREL TLP, and the OC4-DeepCwind semisubmersible were compared with the results of design optimization. Results for the tension leg and spar buoy case studies showed 5.2% and 3.1% decrease in the levelized cost of energy of the optimal design candidates in comparison to the MIT/NREL TLP and the OC3-Hywind respectively. Optimization results for the semisubmersible case study indicated that the levelized cost of energy decreased by 1.5% for the optimal design in comparison to the OC4-DeepCwind. / Graduate

Docking maneuvers are a relevant part of the modern space mission, requiring precision and safety to ensure the success of the overall mission. This thesis proposes using a non-linear Model Predictive Control (MPC) as a controller with various constraints to ensure safe docking maneuvers for a satellite. This was done in MATLAB using as a model for the satellite the Sliders used by the Robotics Lab at Luleå University of Technology (LTU). The controller was tested first on the MATLAB model and then briefly on hardware.The main objective of this thesis is to develop and implement an MPC-based control strategy to achieve safe docking maneuvers between two satellites. Great attention has been paid to implementing constraints, such as collision avoidance, and hardware constraints, such as thrust limits, to ensure the safety and reliability of the process.Through the MATLAB simulations, it was possible to indicate that the introduced constraints contribute significantly to the safe execution of docking maneuvers, preventing collisions, andoptimizing fuel usage. The controller successfully adapts to unforeseen disturbances and uncertainties in real-time, showcasing its robustness and reliability in dynamic space environments.The hardware simulations have shown that the controller operates as expected but needs further tuning to adapt to the hardware uncertainties.In conclusion, this thesis comprehensively explores MPC-based control strategies with constraints for space docking maneuvers. The positive results underscore this approach’s potential to ensure the safety and reliability of future space missions, opening avenues for further research and application in autonomous space systems.