DYPIC - Dynamic Positioning in Ice: Second Phase of Model Testing

DYPIC - Dynamic Positioning in Ice is a European research and development project where the main goal is to customize a dynamic positioning (DP) system for model testing in an ice model basin. To achieve this objective numerous ice model tests are performed. Overall they are divided into two main phases — DYPIC Phase I in 2011 and DYPIC Phase II in 2012. The first phase is documented and presented in [1]. This paper addresses the description of the second phase and the presentation of a selection of results. As the main goal of Phase II is to test the DP system developed in Phase I the trials of the second phase are mainly performed in DP mode, while very few tests that serve separate sub goals within the project are performed in the so called fixed mode where the model is towed through the tank. For the DP mode different configurations of the test setup itself are tested. In order to simulate station keeping the vessel travels either in front or behind the main carriage trying to hold its position relatively to the carriage. The relative motion is captured by optical cameras on the carriage and markers on the vessel. In addition real station keeping tests are performed while the model stayed in the middle of the ice basin and different ice field types are pushed along. The ice features tested in DYPIC Phase II include managed ice fields of different kinds and level ice.