Unit Commitment of Generator Sets During Dynamic Positioning Operation Based on Consequence Simulation

For vessels with dynamic positioning system, diesel-electric propulsion is often used. At all time the vessel should be able to withstand any single point failure without loss of position. This paper studies the use of simulation of worst-case failure to decide which configurations of the power plant are sufficient for the current operation. The loss of position due to reduced power to the thrusters is simulated and compared with the safety requirements. This method gives both a practical approach to implement the safety requirement and information which can be used as a decision support system or for automatic start and stop of generator sets. The operational cost is also optimized by using the results from the simulations.