Ship with enough electrical power to run a town
A ships quality and safety
rest on its electrical systems
The electrical system of a ship is crucial to its safety and must be 100% functional. A ship may need as much electrical power as a
sizeable town.The electrical system must have sufficient capacity to maintain redundancy even in the most difficult conditions.What
is more, highly automated ships require a supply of very high quality electrical power.
hips use electricity to keep passengers comfor table and the
ship safe and moving. Electric
propulsion systems demand
high power. In fact, manoeuvring consumes some two thirds of the electrical
power generated by a cruise ship.
“Many quality and safety issues culminate with the electrical system. It is impor tant that power-generation is not
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hampered by interruption. Electric propulsion must function at all times and the ship
remain manoeuvrable. In passenger ships,
lighting is also crucial to safety. It is very
important to passenger comfort, too, as is
air conditioning. If the air conditioning in
common areas and cabins fails on a Caribbean cruise, it will certainly not pass unnoticed,” says engineer Antti Lehtelä from ABB.
“Loads are also getting larger because
the introduction of electric propulsion systems has led to growing consumption of
electrical power. Inverter controlled loads
are also increasing, and the hotel side’s demand for power is on the increase. Energy
is needed for heating, cooling and lighting.
Show equipment, for example, consumes
a lot of electricity.”
“In cruise ships, the electrical power
consumption of the hotel side is around