Novel Sea Wave Measurement Methods from Mono and Stereo Aerial Photography, Developed in a Photorealistic Virtual Environment

Topic description

One of the biggest unresolved challenges in offshore wind farm maintenance is the real-time prediction of wave-induced motions and forces, enabling repair vessels to approach turbines safely. Even in sea states normally beyond the wind turbine accessibility limits, there are often quiescent periods lasting tens of seconds, during which the approach is possible. The end goal of this project is to develop a method for the immediate and accurate prediction of these quiescent periods, based on optical images acquired by drones. More generally, the processing of drone-based optical images will offer potential for cost-effective, high-resolution wave field measurements over unprecedented scales.

At IFP Energies nouvelles, innovative methods are being developed to measure and forecast ocean surface waves across a wide range of spatiotemporal scales [0], with applications in marine renewable energies and oceanography. In this PhD project, new t...