DC HYBRID MARINE ELECTRICAL

DISTRIBUTION: ITS BENEFITS AND OTHER

TECHNICAL CONDSIDERATIONS
AC AND DC
• Both AC and DC describe types of current flow in a circuit.
• In direct current (DC), the electric charge (current) only flows in one direction, providing a
constant voltage or current.
• Electric charge in alternating current (AC), changes direction periodically. The voltage in
AC circuits also periodically reverses because the current changes direction.
AC V/S DC : THE WAR OF CURRENTS
• The war of the currents was a series of events surrounding the introduction of competing
electric power transmission systems, the AC power distribution and the DC power distribution,
in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
• The Edison system of DC power distribution developed by the Edison Electric Light
Company, was faced with new competition, an alternating current system developed
by George Westinghouse’s company, aided by the Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla.
• As the use of AC spread rapidly, the Edison Electric Light Company claimed that high voltages
used in an alternating current system were hazardous, was inferior to their direct current
system and also launched several smear campaigns to put an end to the commercial AC
distribution business, which ultimately reigned by wiping off commercial DC distribution
systems.
AC AND DC IN MARINE INDUSTRY
• In the marine industry as well, most ships have used the AC system for a long time.
• The first attempt to use the electricity in a ship was made with DC, for lightings of the
steamship “SS Columbia” in 1880.
• The first naval electric ship, “HMS Adventure,” also used DC generators and DC motors
for its propulsion in 1922.

SS Columbia
Edison DC dynamos HMS Adventure
on-board SS Columbia
CONVENTIONAL POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
ONBOARD

Typical On-board AC Power Distribution System

• An AC distribution system is provided from the main switchboard which is itself supplied by the
alternators.
• The voltage at the switchboard is usually 440 volts, but on some large installations it may be as high
as 3300 volts.
• Power is supplied through circuit breakers at the high voltage. Smaller equipments are
supplied via fuses or miniature circuit breakers.
• Lower voltage supplies used are supplied by step down transformers.
• The distribution system will be three-wire with insulated or earthed neutral.
• Miniature circuit breakers are used for currents up to about 100 A and act as a fuse and a
circuit breaker. The device will open on overload and also in the event of a short circuit.
• A large version of this device is known as the 'moulded-case circuit breaker' and can handle
currents in excess of 1000 A.
• Preferential tripping and earth fault indication will also be a part of the AC distribution system.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH AC POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM ON-
BOARD
• Frequency of electrical generators has to be adjusted. The prime mover attached may run
at lower efficiency and produce higher levels of emissions.
• The procedure of synchronization also limits the capability of the generators to take up
excess loads.
• Due to skin effect, the losses are more, the size of conductor required is greater than DC
line for maintaining the same transmission efficiency.
• In AC lines, there is capacitance, so power lost continuously even when the line is on no
load or even when line is left open. Other line losses are due to inductance and resistance.
• Problems aroused in propulsion motors onboard due the harmonic fluctuations produced
by the AC-DC-AC converters.
HYBRID DC POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
ONBOARD
• This new concept of hybrid DC power distribution keeps most of the very well known
components like AC generators, inverter modules, AC motors, etc., but the main AC
switchboard and propulsion transformers are left out.
• All loads connected to the LVDC electrical distribution will have to be modified or adapted
to accommodate DC power transfer.
• The voltage levels have to be coordinated with the voltage levels of AC generators as well
as with those of AC machines, used in large numbers in the ship.
• With a LVDC electrical distribution system, DC protection becomes the main protection
scheme for the complete system.
 VARIOUS PRACTICAL TOPOLOGIES FOR DC POWER DISTRIBUTION ON-BOARD
• Applying the DC grid system does not mean that the entire electric system must be
distributed by only the DC. It implies an AC-DC hybrid system.
• The DC could be used as a main or sub-distribution system as follows:
 Main-bus type (two-split type, zonal type)
 Sub-bus type (radial type, common DC-bus type)
• Main-bus type is further divided into two topologies. They are:
1. Two-Split Type
2. Zonal Type
• Sub-bus type is further divided into two topologies. They are:
1. Radial Type
2. Common DC-Bus Type

1) MAIN-BUS TYPE
a. Two-Split Type
• The two-split type is the most common and simple topology applied onboard.
• It could be divided into two sections depending on the main power sources.

Two-Split Type Main Bus DC Distribution System

b) Zonal Type
• All loads in a compartment receive power from a “zone” of one or both of the buses
directly in that compartment.
• This type ensures survivability as it can prevent the spread of damages via fire or
flooding.
• This complicated power architecture requires much more sophisticated control and
coordination strategies, which needs to be carefully evaluated during early-stage design.

Zonal Type Main Bus DC Distribution System

2) SUB BUS TYPE
a) Radial Type
• The system is preferred for ships that need to control many electric motors for specific purposes.
• Other possible applications would be some special-purpose load parts such as thruster motors, crane motors,
pump motors, etc.

Radial Type Sub-Bus DC Distribution System

b) Common Bus Type
• There is another sub-bus type, which is located between two power converters.
• This type is usually applied to ships equipped with electric propulsion motors or shaft generator/motors.

Common DC-Bus Type Sub-Bus DC Distribution System

 CONFIGURATIONS OF ONBOARD DC GRID
• The concept of onboard DC grid in electrical propulsion ships can be of two configurations, on basis
of where the converter modules are placed.
• The first is a multidrive approach and the second one is a fully distributed system.
1. Multidrive Configuration
• All converter modules are located within the same space layout, which was occupied by the omitted
main AC switchboard.

Multidrive DC Power System Scheme

2. Fully Distributed Configuration
• Each converter component is located as near as possible to the respective power source or load.
• Power cables carry DC current from generators’ rectifiers to the DC bus.
• The inverters are located near AC loads (mounted or in a separate cabinet close by) and power
cables carry DC current from the DC bus to the AC consumers’ inverters.

Fully Distributed DC Power System Scheme

BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DC HYBRID GRIDS
ONBOARD

• Beginning from the mid-20th century, rapid development of modern power electronics is today
paving the road to DC ship power due the realization of its benefits.
• Benefits of the DC-grid system in ships could be explained in two aspects.
• One is the power stability and quality aspect, and the other one is the economic and
environmental aspect.
• The following aspects make the utilization dc hybrid system of power distribution a more lucrative
alternative
I. Improvement of prime mover efficiency and reduction of fuel costs,
II. Weight and space savings,
III. Generators operating with a unity power factor,
IV. Lower transmission losses,
V. Faster and simpler parallel connection of generators,
VI. Simpler implementation of energy storage.
 Improvement Of Prime Mover Efficiency And Reduction Of Fuel Costs

The comparison of Specific Fuel Oil Consumption in respect to the load percentage between fixed
and variable speed diesel engine
• Since the frequency of the main bus is 0 Hz, the speed of the prime movers does not have to be locked to
50/60 Hz.
• The prime movers can run at optimized speed in order to meet the power demand.
• If the prime movers’ speed can be adjusted, the operating window of rated load can be extended down to
50% without any fuel consumption increase.
Weight And Space Savings
• AC network which requires three conductors for power transmission, the DC network requires only
two of them.
• Removing one conductor not only saves weight but in addition it saves space for the corridor
reserved for power distribution.
• In a DC system, the main AC switch- board together with circuit breakers and relays is left out.
• The results showed that the weight of the installed electrical equipment would be reduced from 115
tonnes for an AC system to 85 tonnes for a DC system with a particularly big reduction in the weight
of the propulsion and thruster drives.
Generators Are Operating At A Unity Power Factor
• The generators’ operating power factor can be set to unity (cosφ = 1).
• Their size can be reduced due to the reduction of the excitation system size. However, they will still
supply the same active power for the ship’s network.
Lower Transmission Losses
• The DC cable distribution does not experience skin effect problems like the AC transmission,
because the frequency of the DC grid is 0 Hz.
• Since the generators and the DC network do not transfer the reactive power, their currents
are lower, the Joule losses associated to power cables are also lower.
• Cables operated on the DC current do not have any inductive reactance, since it is equal to
zero at the frequency of 0 hz.
Faster And Simple Parallel Connection Of Generators
• In a DC system, the phase and frequency matching is not needed since all rectifiers convert
the AC generator voltage to the DC main bus voltage, resulting in a faster power generation
response time.
• Shortening of the synchronization time is a very important feature.
Simpler Implementation Of Energy Storage Systems (ESS)
• An ESS is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS), with batteries serving as a backup power
source.
• Some of the ESS technologies are the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), flywheels, the
Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES), the Compressed Air Energy Storage
(CAES), the Super Capacitors, etc.
• One application of the ESS, is the load shaving or peak shaving. By using the ESS to flatten
the vessel’s total load profile, the PMS (Power Management System) would have to perform
fewer operations in terms of starting and stopping the generators.
• Fewer prime movers would have to be online to meet a potentially high and instant power demand,
resulting in greater fuel savings.
• The ESS can be used as a spinning reserve, using the ESS can lower the number of the online
generators using heavy duty operations like manoeuvring. This also cuts fuel costs.
• The power difference during transients can be rapidly compensated by using the ESS, thus
eliminating the need for load shedding.
• The biggest ESS advantage is emission free operation,since using the ESS lowers the emission of
COx, SOx and NOx compounds and the acoustic signature of the engine room.

Peak shaving and load levelling

THE CHALLENGES OF USING A DC POWER SYSTEM
ONBOARD
• Some challenges that need to be addressed:
1) High short-circuit currents
2) DC protection concept
3) Expensive and possibly non-profitable energy storage system solutions
High Short-Circuit Current
• In DC systems, only the (very low) ohmic resistance of the cables limits the short-circuit currents.
• The DC current does not have a natural zero-crossing, result in a situation where it is hard to break
a connection (bus-tie/circuit breaker) or even limit the DC current.
DC Protection Concept
• DC circuit breakers do exists to some extent but are more complex, larger and more expensive than
the comparable AC circuit breakers.
• Proper protection of the DC grid can be achieved by a combination of fuses and controlled turn-off
semiconductor power devices.
• By using a combination of fuses and fully controllable converters, it is claimed that any fault current
can be cleared within maximum 40 ms.
• But more research is to be conducted to find cheaper alternatives.
Expensive And Possibly Non-Profitable Energy Storage System
Solutions
• Many of the available ESS technologies are actually very expensive solutions with a
limited capacity.
• Possible realistic outcome of using the BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) on board
ships is the battery pack death occurring before the installation costs are paid back by the
reduced fuel consumption.
TECHNOLOGY GAPS IN ADVANCEMENT OF ONBOARD DC
POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
There are several technical considerations where studies and researches are to be conducted, so that it
may lead to more advancement in the field of marine DC power distribution systems are as listed below:
1) Fault protection strategy
2) Power balancing strategy
3) Power stability/quality strategy
4) Power source control strategy
5) DC arc flash hazard
Fault Protection Strategy
• DC breakers use complicated mechanisms to extinguish the large fault current and arc safely,
resulting in more expensive and bigger space than the AC ones.
• The hybrid protection system is a combined protection system involving fuses, isolating switches,
disconnectors, and controlled turn-off of semiconductor power devices.
• Electromechanical circuit breakers were mostly used to interrupt current flow by opening an
electromechanical contact and utilizing the relatively high insulation strength of substances such as
air, vacuum, and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). And its current zero-crossing point is generated by an
oscillating current through a passive or an active circuit.
• The solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) which replaces the electromechanical contact with
semiconductor switches has been adopted.It has the required open-circuit disconnecting capability,
high current carrying capacity with the high switching speed.
• The hybrid DC circuit breaker that combines the SSCB and the traditional mechanical switch has been
developed.

(a) Electromechanical circuit breaker (b) Solid-state circuit breaker (c) Hybrid circuit breaker

Simple schematics of the typical DC circuit breakers

Power Balancing Strategy

• In the DC-grid, the active power flow is proportional to the DC voltage (Vdc) and the active power
can be controlled by the DC link voltage as below.

where ΔVdc is a voltage drop over the line resistance (Rdc).

• If load changes, a DC-bus voltage varies, and the droop controller adjusts the output power of each
converter connected to each power source in response to the voltage variation.
 (a) AC-grid system (b) DC-grid system
Different drooping control strategy for active power sharing
• The droop ratio (droop gain) must be determined such that it guarantees the overall stability of the
system.
• A secondary-level power controller might be applied to compensate for any voltage deviations that
are caused by the primary-level controller to improve power quality.

Drooping characteristics of an ESS converter

• If the ESS that has bidirectional power flow (charge or discharge) is integrated into the DC-
grid, it is important to consider the drooping characteristic of its converter which has two
control regions.
Power Stability/Quality Strategy
• The voltage tolerance limitation is ±10%, and the DC voltage ripple should be kept under 10%.
In addition, the voltage deviation depending on cyclic loads is limited below 5%.
• In order to meet these requirements, the role of converters connected to a DC-bus is
significant.
• In IACS (International Association of Classification Societies), the limitation of the total voltage
harmonic distortion is under 8%, and the limitation of single order voltage harmonics is
different depending on classification societies.
• The fault ride-through capability is also essential to maintain the power stability. To cope with
this emergency situation, the ESS could be an option because of its rapid response
capability.
Power Source Control Strategy
• In the DC-grid, the governor can allow the genset to operate at variable speeds with a given
criterion; this criterion could be the minimized fuel consumptions (emissions) or optimal engine
loading.
• A lookup table with optimal speed reference with respect to engine power could be applied to
obtain optimal speed control for minimizing fuel consumption.
• The data for the lookup table are retrieved from manufacturers.
• The improved transient control method of the governor during dynamic load disturbances should be
considered unless the ESS installs to support some amount of power mismatches during the load
disturbances.
• It is important to recognize each power sources’ characteristic and each power control topology.
• The top-level integrated power control system should cooperate each power control system
appropriately considering the overall power stability.

(a) Proposed AC-grid (b) Proposed DC-grid

Block diagram of a diesel genset speed control

DC Arc Flash Hazard
• Arc flash is a dangerous condition associated with the release of energy caused by an electrical fault.
• A method of estimating DC arc flash incident energy that follows was published in the IEEE.
• This method is based on the concept that the maximum power possible in a DC arc will occur when the
arcing voltage is one-half the system voltage.
• And some methods for detecting, eliminating, or mitigating of the DC arc flash have to be considered at the
design stage.
• The arc flash mitigation options are mentioned in Annex B of IEEE standard 1709 (2010).
Future Prospects
• The LVDC system is easily available on the market, and its improved efficiency and reliability have
been demonstrated through many references.
• On the other hand, it would be difficult to apply the HVDC system for large ships, since high power
converters and HVDC breakers are not yet widely available, and they are expensive in the current
state.
• The global DC system market will grow at a decent rate during the period 2017–2021, especially the
HVDC market is highly positive.
• The benefits and challenges, along with the fact that only the most feasible solutions will be chosen,
will determine whether a DC marine power system is only a trend or a permanent solution.
CONCLUSION
• With recent interests in more reliable and economic power distribution; the DC-grid has
been entered in the marine industry and combined with the conventional AC-grid. This
paper reviews the benefits of the DC-grid system compared to the AC one.
• Although the DC-grid system still has some challenges to be a standard on a similar level
of the AC-grid system, its prospect in the marine industry is positive because of the strong
demands for the efficient or eco-friendly power system according to the stricter
environmental regulations.
• For DC electrical distribution systems to become reality, further developments are needed
in the area of medium voltage drives, high voltage electrical machines, high power DC-DC
converters, rectifiers, MVDC protection components, DC cable technology, application
and design of energy storage systems, active and passive filters, diesel engines and gas
turbines.