KOREAN shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has developed a simplified power system for 15,000-TEU containerships, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
DNV GL has awarded an Approval in
Principle (AIP) for the shipbuilder's multi-grid design which divides
the power system into two: essential loads required to operate the ship
and service loads needed, for example, to keep reefers at proper
temperatures.
For conventional containerships, onboard electrical equipment is
typically powered at a low voltage level - 440V or less. As
containerships have become larger, however, the amount of electricity
required has grown, calling for 6.6kV or higher-voltage power systems
onboard.
As a result, installation of up to eight large-capacity transformers to
convert high voltages into low voltages has become inevitable.
The multi-grid power system lowers the capacity of each system, allowing
low-voltage power distribution to replace the existing high-voltage
power distribution.
No voltage conversion means no large transformers weighing up to 64 tons
in aggregate that would otherwise be loaded onto the ship, while also
allowing for an extra loader capacity of 60 FEU thanks to better space
use.
The financial boon offered by the elimination of voltage conversion is
US$320,000 saved from onboard power system equipment per vessel, says
HHI.
Further, the flexibility in the amount of power supplied in alignment
with the quantity of the containerised cargo drives up energy efficiency
of the ship, removing the unnecessary energy consumption in the
conventional power systems.
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