The Marine Vessel’s Electrical Power System: From its Birth to Present Day

Abstract

Abstract-The evolution of the use of electricity in marine vessels is presented and discussed in this article in a historical perspective. The historical account starts with its first commercial use in the form of light bulbs in the SS Columbia in 1880 for illumination purposes, going through the use in hybrid propulsion systems with steam turbines and diesel engines and transitioning to our days with the first case of electric marine vessel entirely based on the use of batteries in 2015. Electricity use is discussed not only in the light of its many benefits but also of the challenges introduced after the emergence of the marine vessel electrical power system. The impact of new conversion technologies like power electronics, battery energy storage and the dc power system on the trajectory of this development is thoroughly discussed. The article guides the reader through the different stages of this development influenced by the different forms electricity took in the marine vessel, with emphasis on how electricity was used has impacted the marine vessel power system development.

Review of Ship Microgrids: System Architectures, Storage Technologies and Power Quality Aspects

“…The IPS architecture is considered to be first used in the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII). The QEII ocean liner consisted of steam-turbine-driven alternators which were fitted with diesel generator sets at a later stage [9]. The distribution system of QEII operated at 10 kV.…”

“…This IPS architecture continued with modifications such as separate high voltage and low voltage busses for port-side and starboard-side. As the IPS architecture allows more flexibility in ship design, reduction in number of prime movers and increase in the overall efficiency, it has become the popular choice, especially in cruise ships, ferries and large vessels [1,9]. modifications such as separate high voltage and low voltage busses for port-side and starboard-side.…”

“…In the event of a fault, it can be isolated by opening appropriate switches and thereby potential blackouts can be modifications such as separate high voltage and low voltage busses for port-side and starboard-side. As the IPS architecture allows more flexibility in ship design, reduction in number of prime movers and increase in the overall efficiency, it has become the popular choice, especially in cruise ships, ferries and large vessels [1,9]. As the propulsion loads and service loads are connected to the the same power system, power quality issues have become more significant with the IPS architecture.…”

“…Under such conditions, power distribution to any of the other loads can be continued via redundant paths with minimal impact on the power disruption to the other loads. ZED systems require comprehensive understanding of load profiles and complex communication and coordination strategies [9][10][11][12]. Moreover, advanced fault detection, identification and isolation algorithms are essential for the successful implementation of ZED systems in ship microgrids.…”

Power management optimization of hybrid power systems in electric ferries

“…For example, MV Hallaig, the first hybrid electric ferry with battery storage, started operation in 2013 recording significant fuel savings and emission reductions [32]. Following the same trend in fuel and emissions reduction, Ampere ferry, the first battery powered ferry in the world, started operation in 2015 and reported a significant fuel savings with zero emission operation [17,21,33]. This trend is continuing as more ferries are being built with hybrid and fully battery powered systems owing to their advantage of emission reductions, especially as most ferries operate close to human habitation areas [11,21,32,33].…”