The paper presents the conditions for selecting propulsion systems for multi-purpose vessels related to meeting the requirements of: autonomous movement, achieving a dynamic positioning class, and ensuring the supply of high-quality electrical energy to the industrial section. A correct system solution and selection of propulsion system components will enable safe and failure-free operation of the power system in all required operational states of the vessel. The paper attempts to analyze this problem.
The propulsion system of a multi-purpose vessel should meet the requirements of autonomous movement over long distances with the highest possible overall propulsion efficiency and satisfy the dynamic positioning class obtained during operation designed for a given type of vessel, along with the reliability of supplying the industrial section with high-quality electrical energy. Due to the two mentioned basic operational states of the vessel (excluding downtime and emergency states), it is necessary to adopt a design of the propulsion system and power system that will ensure safe and failure-free operation of the vessel in all required states.
Determining the demand for electrical power for the industrial section depends on the type of vessel and the design of this section. For deep-water drilling units, these powers reach 20-40 MW. Including the propulsion system, these powers reach values of 30-55 MW [1,9,13]. The fundamental problem is the selection of propulsion system components that can be used later for the dynamic positioning system. This allows for reducing investment costs and simplifying the system configuration, while requiring the fulfillment of two opposing requirements: high efficiency of the propulsion system at speeds of 10-18 knots (reaching the workplace) and near-zero during positioning (during operation) [6,8,9]. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine
Keywords: propulsion selection, ship propulsion, multi-purpose vessel – PDF file for download