Active Noise and Vibration Control of Power Generators on Luxury Yachts

"We used NI hardware and software to design and

develop a highly customisable control system that
runs with microsecond real-time responses. The
system can be fully configurable, which makes it
easily applicable to other uses. "
- Jack Hedges, TBG Solutions (http://www.tbg-solutions.com/)

The Challenge:
Developing an active control system to suppress noise and vibration transmitted from secondary power generators running in luxury yachts. Read the Full
Case Study
The Solution:
Creating a two-part system with a mechanical interface and an FPGA-powered active control system to reduce the transmission of vibrations through
the four mounting points of a secondary generator using LabVIEW FPGA and CompactRIO.
Author(s):
Jack Hedges - TBG Solutions (http://www.tbg-solutions.com/)
Machine induced noise and vibration is a common cause of annoyance, health concerns, and material damage. Considerable effort is expended to reduce
noise and vibration levels in the home, the workplace, and in transportation, normally in the form of passive damping and screening in which the vibration
is absorbed and dissipated.
In some circumstances it is difficult to reduce the noise and vibration to an acceptably low level using passive methods, particularly if available space or a
weight restriction limits the amount of passive damping that can be applied. In these cases, active vibration and noise control can be applied to selectively
tune out troublesome vibrations and noises from the machine, whether it is a diesel engine/generator, an air conditioning plant, or any other type of
powered system.
TBG solutions set out to develop an active noise and vibration control system, in conjunction with Princess Yachts International plc, one of the world’s
leading yacht manufacturers, for installation into various yacht models. We first installed this system for testing in a Princess 52.

Figure 1. Princess 52
Luxury yachts require a secondary generator to power electrical devices, such as air conditioning and refrigerators, when the yacht is moored and the
engine is not running. The secondary generator can produce structure-borne noise and vibration throughout the vessel, which could cause an annoyance
in the cabins. Figure 2 shows the positions of the generator and the master cabin. The cabin is directly in front of the engine room and generator. We
created a method to ensure significantly less disturbance.

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Figure 2. Location of Generator in Relation to Master Suite
The System
In conjunction with Princess Yachts, we developed an active control syst em using NI hardware and software to monitor and reduce the vibrations through
a two-part system.
For the first part, we installed a mounting raft between the secondary generator and the original mounting points of the generator. This section acts as a
platform onto which we can apply the second part, the active system. The raft uses marine-grade passive antivibration mounts and has been designed to
be as safe as the original method of mounting. Figure 4 shows this method of mounting, which is directly mounting the generator to the raft that is then
installed into the original mounting holes.

Figure 3. Generator and Mounting Raft

The second part of the system uses a CompactRIO controller to interface with multiple vibration sensors and actuators, which we use to measure and
actively reduce vibration levels.

Figure 4. Example of Sensor and Actuator to Be Coupled With the System

The system uses an active control algorithm, which we developed from work carried out by the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton
University. We took it from a mathematical model to a fully implemented working system based on NI hardware.

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Figure 5. High-Level Active System Diagram
We used LabVIEW and CompactRIO with high-speed FPGA to fully develop this system and deliver an integrated solution with real-time microsecond
response times.

Figure 6. CompactRIO Controller

We used the CompactRIO with an incorporated FPGA to create a custom routine that could run with a nanosecond clock. The algorithm can perform 480
calculations within 20 µs by using the ease of parallel programming within the LabVIEW FPGA environment. The variety of analogue I/O modules enabled
the use of various sensors and integrated multiple different analogue instruments into a single chassis.
The option to have a real-time interface with the CompactRIO system empowered us to easily create a standalone embedded system that can be
accessed for configuration and calibration purposes as well as monitoring or custom control. This helped us design a fully configurable system to be
customised and set up to individual environments, allowing selectable cancellation frequencies determined at installation.
The real-time interface has made it possible to carry out lower priority tasks and send information back to the FPGA. For example, when the secondary
generator is under load, the vibration frequencies shift in relation to the engine speed (rpm) of the generator. We designed the system to track the
variation in load on the secondary generator so that it can respond in real time to the shifting vibration frequencies. The system can monitor and
individually cancel up to eight discrete vibration frequencies. The range of frequencies that can be cancelled varies with the interfaced sensors and
actuators.
Results
Through research and development, we developed a system that has been tested in conjunction with Princess Yachts, one of the world’s leading yacht
manufacturers, and shows the potential to significantly reduce the noise and vibration transmitted through the structure of the yacht.
Conclusion
We used NI hardware and software to design and develop a highly customisable control system that runs with microsecond real-time responses. The
system can be fully configurable, which makes it easily applicable to other uses. These could range from testing or vibration monitoring to further
cancellation projects from an air conditioning plant on building structures to automotive transport.
Acknowledgement
TBG Solutions Ltd acknowledges the grant funding from Innovate UK that contributed to this work.
Author Information:
Jack Hedges
TBG Solutions (http://www.tbg-solutions.com/)
TBG Solutions, 3A Midland Court, Barlborough Links
Chesterfield S43 4UL
United Kingdom
jack.hedges@tbg-solutions.com (mailto:jack.hedges@tbg-solutions.com)

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