Optimisation of a Diesel-Electric Ship Propulsion and Power Generation System Using a Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

In recent decades, the design of ship propulsion systems has been focusing on energy efficiency and low pollutant emissions. In this framework, diesel–electric propulsion has become a standard for many ship types and has proven its worth for flexible propulsion design and management. This paper presents an approach to the optimal design of diesel–electric propulsion systems, minimising the fuel consumption while meeting the power and speed requirements. A genetic algorithm performs the optimisation, used to determine the number and type of engines installed on-board and the engines’ design speed and power, selecting within a dataset of four-stroke diesel engines. The same algorithm is then adapted and applied to determine the optimal load sharing strategy in off-design conditions, taking advantage of the high flexibility of the diesel–electric propulsion plants. In order to apply the algorithm, the propulsion layout design is formulated as an optimisation problem, translating the system requirements into a cost function and a set of linear and non-linear constraints. Eventually, the method is applied to a case study vessel: first, the optimal diesel–electric propulsion plants are determined, then the optimal off-design load sharing and working conditions are computed. AC and DC network solutions are compared and critically discussed in both design and off-design conditions.

Energy Optimization of a Series Hybrid Electric Ship Propulsion System

“…* Corresponding author between the power generation source and the propulsion shaft is advantageous [1]. An example of hybrid solution of such drives can be ships with two sources of electric energy for propulsion -Diesel -Generator and energy storage system [2 -4].…”

“…where: Investigation of this system requires the use of vector diagrams to study energy properties of the "PMSG-AR" system. When constructing the vector diagram according to equation (1), it should be taken into account that the AR is controlled by the rotor position sensor (RPS). Therefore, electromagnetic processes in the generator are rigidly related to the rotational coordinates (d, q), which (in turn) are determined by the generator's structure.…”

Untitled

“…1). The FPP solution, already employed in others analogues propulsion plants [11,14,17], is acceptable in a small ship with diesel-electric propulsion, thanks to the possibility of varying the propellers speed independently to the diesel-generators one, allowing (together with the bow-thruster, not shown in the plant layouts of Fig. 2) adequate ship control in the maneuvers of departure-arrival in port.…”

“…In the shipping the themes of fuel costs and polluting emissions reduction, required by the IMO [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], are held in high regard. To improve the marine engines efficiency and as consequence reduce the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, the use of electric propulsion is now the norm for cruise ships [8], and more and more often also in other ship types (ie: ferries and cruise ferries, yachts, naval ships) [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Technical and economical comparison of optimized diesel-electric propulsion systems for a pleasure craft

“…The increasing use of this yacht propulsion system type is due to the greater environmental awareness [8], greater comfort that the diesel-electric plants entail (noise and vibrations decreasing during navigation [9]) and their potential for fuel saving [10]. Based on a bibliographic survey, in a previous article [11] the author presented an extensive analysis and comparison concerning yachts and pleasure crafts with traditional (mechanical) and diesel-electric propulsion systems, these last with both constant or variable speed electric generators.…”