COMSOL-Based Model Reference and Adaptive Depth Control of Underwater Vehicle

Although autonomous underwater vehicles are crucial for maritime applications, a major challenge is that they perform poorly in dynamic, unpredictable underwater environments. The main causes of these systems' instability are complex hydrodynamic behaviors and unanticipated outside factors. A data-driven adaptive model reference control architecture is presented in this paper. To investigate important hydrodynamic model parameters, such as drag effects, a high-fidelity fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model is first constructed in COMSOL Multiphysics, and a reduced-order FSI model reference focused on buoyancy-driven vertical motion across a range of environmental conditions is designed. Next, a framework for adaptive feedback linearization is developed to modify the AUV's drag coefficient in response to environmental changes, including variations in water density and flow patterns induced by shipping operations. MATLAB simulations demonstrate that the controller performs effectively and maintains precise reference tracking across a variety of challenging scenarios. The proposed COMSOLbased control strategy shows a dynamic, physicsconsistent approach, ensuring that AUVs perform optimally in actual ocean environments.