ABSTRACT DPCap analysis can assist in determining the maximum environmental forces the DP system can counteract for a given heading. DPCap analysis results are highly affected by the thrust forces provided by the thrust system which consists of several kinds of thrusters. The thrust forces and moment are determined by the maximum thrust of the thrusters as well as the thruster configuration. In this paper, a novel local optimization of thruster configuration based on a synthesized positioning capability criterion is proposed. The combination of the discrete locations of the thrusters forms the thruster configuration and is the input, and the synthesized positioning capability is the output. The quantified synthesized positioning capability of the corresponding thruster configuration can be generated as the output. The optimal thruster configuration is the one which makes the vessel has the best positioning capability. A software program was developed based on the present study. A local optimization of thruster configuration for a supply vessel was performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the program. Even though the program cannot find the global optimal thruster configuration, its high efficiency makes it essentially practical in an engineering point. It may be used as a marine research tool and give guidance to the designer of the thrust system.
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