Modelling and distributed control of mobile offshore bases

Distributed modelling and control of mobile offshore base systems are considered in this paper. Specifically, a spatial array system paradigm is used with a particular structure in spatial and temporal dimensions. For the purpose of linearization, a suitable coordinate transformation is applied to the model. Comparisons between centralized and distributed control strategies for the robust control of the system are made. The distributed modelling approach results in lower order models than the centralized approach, thus making the control design both easier and faster, with no apparent degradation in performance.