Impact of electric propulsion on the electric power quality of vessels

Large-sized watercrafts, for commercial or military purposes, use electrical power systems, which are isolated and autonomous. Maritime technology has begun to replace mechanical propulsion by electric propulsion. As the consequence of using electric propulsion, there is a significant increase of non-linear loads in the system, due to use variable frequency drives to feed the motor, so the study of power quality has become necessary. The non-linear loads generate harmonics that may be inconvenient for energy supply and devices of the ship. This study aims to evaluate the power quality in standard watercrafts and to analyze the feasibility of the recommended changes. It is used a simulation based on real watercraft data to apply regulating norms to the electrical network of the system.