Modelica driven development of the thermal management control system for a zero emission yacht

Abstract

This paper describes the use of a Modelica system model tosupport the development of a heat management control systemfor a fossil-free sailing yacht.Due to tight project timelines, the control system wasdeveloped and tested virtually, avoiding delays associatedwith waiting for the physical system to become available.The system model covers key functions such as heat recoveryand heat dumping, enabling automated testing of variousoperational scenarios.This approach not only accelerates development but alsoreveals early insights into interactions between thecontrol logic and system dynamics.The model is designed to be seamlessly replaced by the realsystem once it is built.Future comparisons between simulated and real-worldperformance will guide refinements to improve modelaccuracy and support model-based tuning of the controlsystem.