TSB Newsletter - Summer 2023

TSB Newsletter

SUMMER 2023

MEBC 2023

We return to Monaco for our sixth participation in Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

NJORD 2023

The team ventured to Norway in SP01’s first competition

2023 COMPETITIONS

MONACO BOUND

This was our sixth time competing in Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, so we were more than aware of what needed to be prepared, logistically speaking, for us to get to Monaco. Transporting our prototypes has always been an issue; in the past, we’ve gone through different options, including driving our trailer the near 2000 kilometre trip each way, which isn’t ideal as there are a lot of variables to take into consideration which could at best delay us and at worst keep us from competing entirely. Thankfully though, in 2022

we were fortunate to count on Transmaia, a leading Portuguese road transport company, to transport our trailer, prototypes and equipment from Lisbon to Monaco. Transmaia supported us again this year and for that we are incredibly grateful. Additionally, this year we were able to count on Flexicar to supply us with a car to take additional equipment to Monaco that wasn’t ready in time to travel with our prototypes, which was extremely important for our participation in Monaco Energy Boat Challenge.

Applying a Flexicar decal on the car supplied to TSB.

Loading our trailer into a lorry to be transported by Transmaia.

Unloading our trailer in Monaco

GEARING

GEARING UP

This edition of Monaco Energy Boat Challenge started the same way it has since 2021, when we first competed in both the Energy and Solar classes: assembling São Miguel 01 and São Rafael 03. As per competition guidelines, the catamaran structure used in the Energy Class is supplied by Yacht Club de Monaco, and each team is responsible for building the boat’s hull and developing its systems (in our case, both electrical and hydrogen systems), therefore there’s still a lot of work to be done when we arrive in Monaco.

The first days of MEBC are spent getting the boats ready for the technical inspections, which the teams have to pass in order to compete. Last year, a series of issues with our electrical and hydrogen systems in SM01 made it so that the boat wasn’t ready in time for the technical inspections, barring us from competing in the Energy Class, so we had worked hard throughout the year to avoid this, redesigning the systems and testing them several times in order to simplify the assembly process.

Assembling São Miguel 01 in the MEBC paddock.

Unusually, issues arised in assembling SR03. While testing the new battery enclosure, we had pumped water throughout the cooling plates placed between the battery cells, to check if the cooling was working properly. Unbeknownst to us, some water had stayed in the channels, staying that way through the week-long trip to Monaco. This caused the cooling plates to swell up, applying pressure to the cells, which meant that by the time we opened up the battery enclosure, some of the cells had died. This was quite a serious issue, as it could mean that the battery was

unusable and therefore there was no chance of us competing. However, our Electrical Systems department managed to salvage some of the damaged cells, which meant that we were able to compete, albeit with a lower battery capacity. This effectively meant that we wouldn’t be competitive, as the Endurance Race, worth the most points in the competition, is based on keeping the battery charged and completing the maximum number of laps in a given period of time. With a diminished battery capacity, there was no chance of us getting a good result.

São Rafael 03’s battery.

ONE

The first day of the Monaco Energy Challenge programme included a parade between all classes, qualifying laps to decide the placements for the last, knockout-style races, and tech talks. Tech talks are presentations given by every team describing their boat’s systems and innovations, as well as introducing the team and showcasing their goals. Since we’re competing in two classes with two different boats, we have to give two presentations, one on São Miguel 01 and the other on São Rafael 03. This year,

SM01’s tech talk was awarded with the “Best Tech Talk” prize, having enticed both the audience and the jury, who were not short on questions about the innovative additions to our previous system. As for the qualifying laps, SM01 wasn’t ready in time for the trial and thus was defaulted to last place. However, SR03 performed a great lap and finished in 4th place, giving us a good starting point for the Championship Race in the last day.

Tech Talk on SM01

Qualifying Laps

ONE

TWO

After all of the work done since MEBC 2022 to simplify the assembly process for São Miguel 01, we still encountered a plethora of issues this year whcih kept us from taking part in the parade and qualifying laps on the first day. Electronics issues, water leaks and much more kept our team working non-stop to get the boat ready for the technical inspections before the

deadline, which was July 7. Finally, we finally passed the technical inspections and SM01 was cleared to compete for the first time since 2021. This was an incredible moment for our team, especially our Hydrogen Systems and Electrical Systems departments, who had spent the better part of two years working on SM01.

Our team celebrating after SM01 passed its techical inspections

SR03 started the Endurance Race pretty well, achieving some pretty stable flights using its hydrofoils, but as mentioned earlier, the decreased battery capacity from the salvaged cells meant that we couldn’t perform nearly as many laps as we did in previous years, as we had to stop more frequently to charge the battery using our solar panels. Additionally, due to the adverse weather conditions, the boat ended up running into a lot of waves, allowing for some salt water to infiltrate the compartment for the NEMA motors, which meant that we lost our front hydrofoil control. The Endurance Race ended earlier than scheduled due to the dangerous weather conditions for the Solar class boats and SR03 finished in 9th place.

Endurance Race

9th

São Mguel 01 completed its technical inspections earlier that day, but it wasn’t fully ready for the water until after the Endurance Race had already begun. For the Energy Class, the Endurance Race lasted the whole 4 hours, as the catamaran structure is heavier and more stable than the Solar class boats, allowing us to complete a few laps around the 3 nautical mile circuit in the remaining time, ending up with a 9th place finish as well.

Endurance Race

9th

The third and last day of Monaco Energy Boat Challenge started with the Slalom Race, in which the boats must complete a lap on an obstacle course, making tight turns to avoid the obstacles while attempting to get the best time possible. São Rafael 03, even without the use of hydrofoils, is quite agile and thus finished in a respectable sixth place in the Solar Class. As for São Miguel 01, since its hull is quite heavy and the motor is pretty under-powered when compared to the rest of the teams, completed the course slowly, finishing in 11th place in the Energy Class.

Slalom Race

6th 11th

The final trial in Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is the Championship Race, in which teams go headto-head in a knockout-style tournament to determine an overall winner in which the opponents are seeded according to the Qualifying Laps done on the first day. SR03, having finished 4th in the Qualifying Laps, had a favourable opponent, but unfortunately, to add to the numerous issues faced this year, the cable used in our steering system snapped just before the final stretch of the race, therefore we were eliminated

in the first round. As for São Miguel 01, the sensors used to detect hydrogen leaks in the system weren’t working properly and shut the boat off repeatedly, therefore we couldn’t compete in the Energy Class. This was disappointing as it was the last chance for us to improve our overall placement in the competition, but it just wasn’t to be. This marked the end of the competition, but we still had the closing ceremony, which we didn’t leave empty-handed.

Championship Race

Best Tech Talk

New Generation

In the summer of 2021 the team decided to venture into artificial intelligence, taking part in the then brand new NJORD Autonomous Ship Challenge, at the time only a remote competition organized by a team of students from NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. Between optimizing our hydrofoil control in São Rafael 03 and figuring out how to work with the hydrogen propulsion system in São Miguel 01, our Electrical Systems department managed to develop an algorithm to compete in this new and exciting competition, achieving an impressive second place finish. The competition was to take place in Trondheim the following year, so logically our next step was to begin the development of a smaller and thus less resource-hungry solar-powered autonomous prototype. To the credit of our Design & Composites

department, the hull was designed and completed in record time, as the construction phase itself only took about three months. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints and the inability to get some required components, the systems couldn’t be completed in time for the in-person competition that summer, and thus we were only able to compete remotely in the 2022 edition, which we ended up winning. This only motivated us more and we were determined to complete the development of the prototype last season, which we did, revealing São Pedro 01 as our latest prototype in March 2023. Monaco had been disappointing in terms of our performance in the water, so we were excited to head to Norway and find out how SP01 would do against its opponents in NJORD Autonomous Ship Challenge.

São Pedro 01, our newest prototype, in the water in Trondheim, Norway.

15 AUGUST DAY ONE

On our first day of competition, we faced a unique set of challenges. The day’s task involved complex maneuvering and navigation. We tackled three subtasks, with the first and last tasks focusing on precise buoy navigation – where SP01 had to adhere to specific rules, such as passing to the right of green buoys.

However, we encountered unexpected obstacles in the form of sunlight reflecting off the water, hampering our camera’s ability to identify buoys. Despite this, we triumphed in the last two subtasks, which involved a mid-course loop with our boat, and the last which had two buoys as shown below.

SP01 completing its first tasks

AUGUST DAY TWO

On the second day, we encountered an interesting challenge - parking. This challenge was divided into two distinct subtasks, each presenting its own set of difficulties. The first subtask required us to execute a perpendicular parking maneuver at the crowded dock, following a designated GPS point. We successfully accomplished this task with precision, showcasing our ability to navigate in tight spaces. However,

the second subtask, which involved parallel parking, proved to be a bit more challenging. We encountered difficulties with the provided GPS waypoints, leading us to suspect interference from a nearby massive iron ship. This interference disrupted our GPS signals, making the parallel parking task more complicated than it should have been.

17 AUGUST DAY THREE

On the final day of our challenge, we focused on the task of obstacle avoidance, which consisted of three subtasks, all centered around a Njord boat acting as an obstacle. In the first subtask, the Njord boat remained stationary, allowing us to navigate around it successfully. We executed this task with precision, demonstrating our ability to maneuver effectively. The difficulty level increased in the subsequent subtasks as the Njord boat started to move at 90 and 45-degree angles relative to our path. Despite these

added challenges, we managed to navigate around the moving obstacle effectively, showcasing our adaptability and control in dynamic situations. However, during the last subtask, an unexpected issue arose. Drifting buoys deviated from their expected positions, obstructing our path and preventing us from passing through the final gate to complete the subtask. This unforeseen complication highlighted the importance of adaptability and problem-solving in this competition.

The NJORD vessel which SP01 and its competition had to avoid.

In summary, our participation in this competition proved to be a valuable experience. Throughout the competition, we had the opportunity to showcase our strengths while also identifying areas for improvement in our software development, with a particular focus on enhancing the reliability of our camera detection system. As we look ahead to the upcoming year, we are fully committed to addressing these challenges head-on. Our determination is unwavering, and we are eager to learn from our experiences, make necessary improvements, and return to the competition even stronger. Our goal is clear: to

secure that coveted first place in the future, and we are ready to put in the hard work required to achieve it. A second place finish for SP01 in its first outing was incredible for the team, and the work we had done on the hull being recognized with the “best ship design” award was the cherry on top. This concluded our 2023 competitions. There were a lot of positives and negatives to take from our performances over the summer, but we’ve got our work cut out for us in the 2023/2024 season, not only on our current prototypes, but as we embark on what will be the biggest ever adventure for Técnico Solar Boat. Stay tuned.

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