Power generation, distribution, and on-board power supply system for low-emissive surface marine (navy) ships of different classes and sizes

• US 20070077830A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wacker, Bernd, Rzadki, Wolfgang, Volzke, Ronald, Schulze, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 7,544,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 440/6
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 13/02 Camouflage for submarines B63G8/34
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2021/003 the power plant using fuel cells for energy supply or accumulation, e.g. for buffering photovoltaic energy
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2021/207 the second power unit being a gas turbine
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/17 by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 23/24 electric dynamo-electric machines H02K
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/42 for ships or vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/50 Measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to the propulsion system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/5218 Less carbon-intensive fuels, e.g. natural gas, biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/5236 Renewable or hybrid-electric solutions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Disclosed is a power generation, distribution, and on-board power supply system for low-emission surface marine (navy) ships of different classes and sizes. The system is embodied as an equipment segment and includes at least one cruising speed drive unit, which can be supplied with electrical power from a DC network, and at least one auxiliary drive unit, e.g. a hydrojet, which can be supplied with electrical power from an AC network and can be connected as required. The DC network and the AC network are configured in such a way that power can be mutually transferred.

Claims

1. A power generation, distribution and on-board electrical power supply system for low-emission surface navy vessels of various classes and sizes, comprising:

at least one cruise propulsion system, suppliable with electrical power from a DC network; and

at least one additional propulsion system, to be switched on when required and suppliable with electrical power from an AC network, the DC network and the AC network being configured in such a manner as to allow power to be transferred in both directions therebetween.

2. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DC network has at least one fuel cell module for generation of electrical power.

3. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fuel cell module comprises air-breathing fuel cells which are connected to one another.

4. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the AC network includes at least one synchronous generator which is driven by a gas turbine to generate electrical power.

5. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DC network is a 1 kV to 15 kV network.

6. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the AC network is a 1 kV to 15 kV/50 Hz or 60 Hz network.

7. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DC network and the AC network can jointly supply electrical power to the on-board network in the vessel as required.

8. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein a DC intermediate circuit for coupling the on-board network to at least one of the DC and the AC network.

9. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DC network supplies weapon and electronic systems with electrical power.

10. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of fuel cell modules are arranged distributed in different sections or safety zones, which are compartmentalized from one another in the navy vessel, and form a fail-safe network.

11. An equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical network, which is formed in the navy vessel, includes current limiting appliances which are in the form of at least one of HTS (high-temperature superconductor) current limiters and semiconductor switches, and by which the reaction of voltage dips in the event of short circuits, including network elements which are not affected, is restricted to a time interval in the region of a few milliseconds, and voltage dips such as these can thus be restricted to the respectively affected network element.

12. The electrical network as claimed in claim 11, comprising current limiting appliances, each of which includes at least one of an HTS current limiter, a semiconductor switch and a circuit breaker, by which it is possible to protect energy sources in the form of at least one of electrical power generation units and energy stores.

13. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the HTS current limiters are combined with secondary protective devices which act on the circuit breakers.

14. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrical network is in the form of a hierarchical network with current/time grading, in whose at least one of network couplings and connecting lines the current limiting appliances are arranged.

15. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the current limiting appliances are arranged such that current selectivity is achievable thereby, in conjunction with the network configuration.

16. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrical network in the navy vessel is in the form of a hierarchical network with at least one of as little interconnection as possible and reaction-free interconnection.

17. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 16, wherein the reaction-free interconnection is provided by diode-decoupled feeding of at least one of DC switching systems and DC loads from two different vessel protection sections.

18. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, wherein of the electrical network that is formed is switchable from a normal state, in which it is in the form of an interconnected electrical network, to a special state, in which it is in the form of a hierarchical network and the effectiveness of the current limiting devices is ensured.

19. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, whose individual switching devices include a communication device by which contact can be made with a higher-level switch, which trips without any time delay, in the event of failure of the switching device.

20. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 11, whose automation and control device includes an on-time diagnosis unit with a high computation speed.

21. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 20, wherein at least one of a sensor and signaling unit is provided at every potential fault location, by which an appliance state which is associated with the respective fault location or a physical variable which is associated with the respective fault location is detectable and passable to the on-time diagnosis unit for the automation and control device.

22. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one sensor and signaling units include supplies which are independent of their fault locations.

23. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the connection between the on-time diagnosis unit for the automation and control device and at least one of the sensor and signaling units is provided by way of wire-based elements.

24. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 21, including back-up sensors which detect without the use of wires and transmit without the use of wires, with decentralized repeaters being installed in each vessel protection section.

25. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of PEM and HT fuel cells are provided as the electrical power generation units, by which direct current is suppliable to a main network in the form of a DC medium-voltage network.

26. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of batteries, solid-state storage devices and rotating storage devices, are provided as energy stores.

27. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment segment includes at least one of network couplings and network connecting lines, in each of which there is an HTS current limiter.

28. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment segment includes HTS current limiters with a superconductor composed of YbaCuO compounds, which is designed using thin-film technology and uses liquid nitrogen as the cryogenic liquid.

29. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, further comprising outgoers in which semiconductor switches are arranged.

30. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment segment includes a main on-board network with outgoers which connect the on-board network intermediate circuits and includes semiconductor switches.

31. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in an on-board network of the equipment segment, main groups associated load outgoers and semiconductor switches are arranged.

32. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein energy sources in the form of at least one of electrical power generation units and energy stores are protectable by semiconductor switches.

33. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, including an electrical network whose semiconductor switches are in the form of at least one of IGCT switching elements (integrated gate commutated thyristors), GTO (gate turn-off thyristors), IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistors) and MOS transistors.

34. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 33, wherein switching elements of the semiconductor switches, in the form of IGCTs, are protected by snubber circuits.

35. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment segment is in the form of a standard equipment segment for navy vessels of various size, with size matching being provided in the form of at least one of network reduction and enlargement.

36. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein POD propulsion systems are used as the cruise propulsion systems.

37. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 1, wherein electrical in-board motors are used as the cruise propulsion systems.

38. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 22, wherein the connection between the on-time diagnosis unit for the automation and control device and at least one of the sensor and signaling units is provided by way of wire-based elements.

39. The equipment segment as claimed in claim 22, including back-up sensors which detect without the use of wires and transmit without the use of wires, with decentralized repeaters being installed in each vessel protection section.