Behavior/Application Of Supercapacitors Integrated With A Ships Power Management System During Varying Load Conditions
Abstract
The goal of this research is to study the implementation of supercapacitors (SCs) into the energy storage system of an electric propulsion system (EPS) on a hybrid-powered vessel. A commercial ship EPS can be designed in a similar fashion as the drive system of a hybrid vehicle. The first commercial hybrid vessels are just now coming online, with a traditional hybrid propulsion system (HPS) consisting of only a battery bank and diesel-electric propulsion. This study looks at adding a bank of supercapacitors to work with the EPS. The addition of supercapacitors to an HPS is advantageous in many ways. SCs can be discharged thousands of times more than a high energy density battery, thus extending the life of the SC bank. One unique characteristic of SCs is their ability to discharge a large amount of energy very quickly, making this trait very useful for vessel operationsfor example, during the power take-off and the starting of heavy electrical machinery, which draws an enormous load during the first seconds of start-up. However, the main focus of this study is the EPS during normal sea conditions where a vessel will spend the majority of its lifetime. Computer simulations (using MATLAB and Simulink) confirmed that, with the appropriate control and management, SCs reduce the strain on batteries. Also, the fuel efficiency was shown to be improved when comparing a hybrid propulsion system to a non-hybrid propulsion system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1080377
Entities
People
- Kevin Ralson
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School