Ship

Abstract

To provide a ship with high redundancy.SOLUTION: A ship comprises a main engine, a propeller driven by the main engine, an electric propulsion device, a power source capable of supplying electric power to the electric propulsion device, and a shaft generator capable of generating electricity by rotating the main engine. The shaft generator functions as a motor to rotate the propeller by supplying the electric power from the power source. The shaft generator can drive the propeller by giving the shaft generator a motor function even if the main engine fails. As a result, propulsion system redundancy can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a ship.

Background Art

[0002] Among ships, there are those equipped with an azimuth thruster that enables movement in the ship-width direction in a harbor in addition to a propeller driven by a main engine. The azimuth thruster is an electric thruster capable of changing the output shaft direction in all horizontal directions. Specifically, an example is a single-screw ship having one propeller with the azimuth thrusters arranged on both sides of the propeller (see Patent Document 1 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, there is a demand for redundancy to supplement the output of the main engine with another power source in the event of an abnormality in the main engine. However, no measures for ensuring redundancy have been proposed for a single-screw ship as described above.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a ship having high redundancy.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a ship according to the present disclosure includes a main engine, a propeller driven by the main engine, an electric thruster, a power source capable of supplying power to the electric thruster, and a shaft generator capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine, and the shaft generator functions as a motor for rotating the propeller by power supply from the power source.

[0007] The ship according to the present disclosure includes a main engine, a propeller driven by the main engine, a shaft generator capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine, a thruster drivable by the electric power generated by the shaft generator, and a power source. The shaft generator functions as a motor for rotating the propeller by power supply from the power source.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a ship with high redundancy can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the ship according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The ship 1 mainly includes a hull 2 and a propulsion unit 20. The ship type of the ship 1 is not limited to a specific one. Examples of the ship type of the ship 1 include, for example, a ferry, a RORO ship (Roll-on / Roll-off ship), a PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carrier), etc.

[0011] (Hull) The hull 2 has a pair of side hulls 3A and 3B forming its outer shell, and a bottom hull 4. The side hulls 3A and 3B have a pair of side shell plates respectively forming the starboard and port sides. The bottom hull 4 has a bottom shell plate connecting these side hulls 3A and 3B. The outer shell of the hull 2 forms a U shape in a cross section perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction FA by these pair of side hulls 3A and 3B and the bottom hull 4.

[0012] Inside the hull 2, there are provided, as multiple layers of decks, a freeboard deck 5, an upper deck 6, and an upper deck 8 respectively. The freeboard deck 5 is the lowest all-through deck among the all-through decks arranged above the full-load waterline. The upper deck 6 is a deck arranged one layer above the freeboard deck 5. The upper deck 8 is a deck arranged at the topmost layer of the hull 2. Further, the hull 2 is provided with a deck 7 below the freeboard deck 5.

[0013] (Propulsion unit) An engine room 10 is formed inside the hull 2. The engine room 10 is formed on the deck 7 on the stern 2b side inside the hull 2. The propulsion unit 20 is arranged in the engine room 10 inside the hull 2.

[0014] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the propulsion unit 20 includes a propeller 21, an engine 22 (main engine), a first azimuth thruster 23 (electric thruster), a second azimuth thruster 24 (electric thruster), a power supply 25, a speed reducer 26, a shaft generator 27, a first electric motor 28, a second electric motor 29, a power switching system 60, and a side thruster 70.

[0015] (Propeller) The propeller 21 has a propeller body 31 submerged in water outside the ship, and a shaft 32 extending from this propeller body 31. The propeller 21 extends in the fore-and-aft direction FA. Also, these propellers 21 are rotatable around a central axis extending in the fore-and-aft direction FA.

[0016] (Engine - Speed reducer - Shaft generator) The shaft 32 of the propeller 21 is connected to the output shaft of the engine 22 via a speed reducer 26 and a shaft generator 27. The speed reducer 26 transmits the rotational force to the shaft generator 27 while reducing the rotational speed of the output shaft of the engine 22 to a predetermined value. The engine 22 is, for example, a two-cycle diesel engine. When the engine 22 is driven, a rotational force is applied to the shaft 32, and the propeller main body 31 is rotationally driven. The shaft generator 27 generates electricity as the shaft 32 rotates. That is, the shaft generator 27 is an electric motor having a rotor and a stator. Therefore, when power is supplied to the shaft generator 27 from the outside, it can function as a motor.

[0017] (Azimuth thruster) The first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24 are respectively driven by a first electric motor 28 and a second electric motor 29. Although not shown in detail, the first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24 can change the rotational axis direction of the propeller main body 31 submerged in water in all horizontal directions. Normally, these first azimuth thruster 23 and second azimuth thruster 24 are used for very slow forward / backward movement and berthing operations when entering the port. Hereinafter, these first azimuth thruster 23 and second azimuth thruster 24 may be collectively referred to simply as "azimuth thruster".

[0018] (Power supply) Power is supplied from the power supply 25 to the first electric motor 28 and the second electric motor 29. The power supply 25 has a power generation engine 61 and a generator 62. The power generation engine 61 is, for example, a diesel engine, and its output shaft is connected to the generator 62. The generator 62 is an electric motor and generates electricity by rotating its shaft. When the power generation engine 61 is driven, the generator 62 is rotationally driven and electricity is generated. In the example of FIG. 2, three of these power generation engines 61 and generators 62 are arranged in parallel.

[0019] (Power switching system) The power switching system 60 is a device for distributing the power generated by the above-described power source 25 to each device. The power switching system 60 includes three first switches 63, a second switch 64, a third switch 65, a fourth switch 66, and a main power line 67.

[0020] Three first switches 63 are provided in total, one for each of the above-described generators 62. The first switch 63 is an electrical circuit element that can be switched between a state of supplying the power generated by the generator 62 to the main power line 67 and a state of cutting off the supply.

[0021] The second switch 64 switches the electrical connection state between the main power line 67 and the first motor 28. The third switch 65 switches the electrical connection state between the main power line 67 and the shaft generator 27. The fourth switch 66 switches the electrical connection state between the main power line 67 and the second motor 29. The second switch 64, the third switch 65, and the fourth switch 66 are also electrical circuit elements, similar to the first switch 63.

[0022] (Side Thruster) Although not shown in detail, the side thruster 70 is, for example, a bow thruster provided at the bow of the ship or a stern thruster provided at the stern of the ship. The side thruster 70 is an electric propulsion device that applies a propulsive force in the ship width direction to the ship 1. The side thruster 70 is connected to the main power line 67 and is driven by the power generated by the power source 25 or the power generated by the shaft generator 27 during normal operation.

[0023] (Function and Effect) Next, the operation of the ship 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Normally, the ship 1 sails by rotating the propeller 21 by driving the engine 22. On the other hand, when entering a port or the like, the first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24 are driven to perform operations such as approaching and leaving the shore with the output of the engine 22 reduced or stopped.

[0024] On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in the engine 22 and it stops, power from the power source 25 is supplied to the shaft generator 27. Specifically, the first switch 63 is set to the connected state, and then the third switch 65 is set to the connected state. Then, the power from the power source 25 is supplied to the shaft generator 27 through the main power line 67. Since the shaft generator 27 is an electric motor, it can function as a motor by power supply and drive the propeller 21 to rotate. Therefore, even when the output of the engine 22 is lost, by driving the propeller 21 with the shaft generator 27 as described above, it is possible to continue the navigation of the ship 1 under the same output as in normal times.

[0025] As described above, according to the above configuration, by giving the shaft generator 27 the function of a motor, even when the main engine (engine 22) fails, the propeller 21 can be driven by the shaft generator 27. Thereby, the redundancy of the propulsion system can be enhanced. In particular, even in the event of an abnormality, since the output of the propeller 21 and the electric propulsion devices (the first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24) can be obtained, a decrease in the navigation speed can be avoided. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the regular operation performance and operation safety of the ship.

[0026] According to the above configuration, even when ensuring the output during an abnormality by the main engine (engine 22) and the azimuth thruster, the output directions of the propeller 21 and the azimuth thruster can be easily aligned. That is, since the output direction of the azimuth thruster is omnidirectional in the horizontal direction, the output direction of the azimuth thruster can be easily changed even when complementing the output of the propeller 21. Thereby, it becomes possible to more stably compensate for the decrease in the output of the main engine (engine 22). Therefore, it is possible to minimize the decrease in the navigation speed and the decrease in the navigation stability when an abnormality occurs.

[0027] The first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. Note that various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. For example, in the first embodiment described above, an example in which the first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24 are used as the electric thrusters has been described. However, the form of the electric thruster is not limited to this, and as another example, it is also possible to use a pod type thruster. A pod type thruster is a thruster in which an electric motor or the like is housed in a container called a spindle-shaped pod, and like an azimuth thruster, it is possible to change the output direction in all directions in the horizontal direction.

[0028] According to the above configuration, even when ensuring the output in case of an abnormality in the main engine (engine 22) and the pod type thruster, it is possible to easily align the output directions of the propeller 21 and the pod type thruster. That is, since the output direction of the pod type thruster is in all directions in the horizontal direction, it is possible to easily change the output direction of the pod type thruster even when complementing the output of the propeller 21. Thereby, it becomes possible to more stably compensate for the decrease in the output of the main engine. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the decrease in the navigation speed and the decrease in the navigation stability when an abnormality occurs.

[0029] <Second Embodiment> Next, the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0030] In this embodiment, it is different from the first embodiment in that a clutch 40 is provided instead of the speed reducer 26. The clutch 40 is provided between the engine 22 and the shaft generator 27. That is, by attaching and detaching the clutch 40, the connection state between the output shaft of the engine 22 and the shaft 32 can be switched. Further, the shaft generator 27 is provided mainly for driving only the side thruster 70 during normal times. Therefore, the power generation capacity of the shaft generator 27 according to this embodiment is set smaller than that described in the first embodiment.

[0031] (Function and Effect) According to the above configuration, under normal conditions, the shaft generator 27 drives the first azimuth thruster 23 and the second azimuth thruster 24 with the power generated. When an abnormality occurs in the main engine (engine 22), the propeller 21 can be driven by the shaft generator 27 acting as a motor. Thereby, the redundancy of the propulsion system can be enhanced. In particular, even in case of an abnormality, since the output from the propeller 21 and the electric thruster can be obtained, a decrease in the navigation speed can be avoided. Therefore, it becomes possible to further improve the regular operation performance and the operation safety of the ship.

[0032] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the main engine (engine 22), by disconnecting the connection between the main engine (engine 22) and the propeller 21 with the clutch 40, it can be immediately switched to the drive by the shaft generator 27 acting as a motor. Thereby, the time during which the output decreases in case of an abnormality can be minimized. Therefore, it becomes possible to further enhance the regular operation performance and the operation stability of the ship 1.

[0033] (Other Embodiments) As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure are also included.

[0034] For example, in the above second embodiment, a configuration in which an azimuth thruster is provided as the electric thruster as in the first embodiment has been described. However, instead of these, as shown in FIG. 4, it is also possible to use a bow thruster or a stern thruster (thruster 50 or the above-described side thruster 70) as the electric thruster. Even in this case, the same function and effect as those described above can be obtained.

[0035] In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to replace a part of the power generation engine 61 of the power supply 25 and the generator 62 with the battery 80. In this case, by replacing a part of the power generation engine 61 with the battery 80, it is possible to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and NOx of the entire ship 1. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the environmental performance of the ship 1.

[0036] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the driving and stopping of the engine 22 at the time of abnormal occurrence have been described on the premise that the crew manually switches them. However, it is also possible to configure the switching operation to be automatically performed by a computer. In this case, the processing of the switching operation is implemented as a computer program. According to this configuration, since the switching operation of the engine at the time of abnormal occurrence can be executed immediately and surely, it is possible to continuously maintain the navigation stability at a higher level.

[0037] <Appendix> The ships described in each embodiment are grasped as follows, for example.

[0038] (1) The ship 1 according to the first aspect includes a main engine (engine 22), a propeller 21 driven by the main engine, electric propulsion devices (first azimuth propulsion device 23 and second azimuth propulsion device 24), a power supply 25 capable of supplying power to the electric propulsion devices, and a shaft generator 27 capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine. The shaft generator 27 functions as a motor for rotating the propeller 21 by the power supply from the power supply 25.

[0039] According to the above configuration, by giving the shaft generator 27 the function of a motor, even when the main engine fails, the propeller 21 can be driven by the shaft generator 27. Thereby, the redundancy of the propulsion system can be enhanced.

[0040] (2) The ship 1 according to the second aspect includes a main engine (engine 22), a propeller 21 driven by the main engine, a shaft generator 27 capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine, a thruster 50 drivable by the electric power generated by the shaft generator 27, and a power source 25. The shaft generator 27 functions as a motor for rotating the propeller 21 by the power supply from the power source 25.

[0041] According to the above configuration, normally, the thruster 50 is driven by the electric power generated by the shaft generator, while when an abnormality occurs in the main engine, the propeller 21 can be driven by the shaft generator 27 acting as a motor. Thereby, the redundancy of the propulsion system can be enhanced.

[0042] (3) The ship 1 according to the third aspect is the ship 1 of (2), and further includes a clutch 40 capable of releasing the connection between the main engine and the propeller 21 when the main engine stops.

[0043] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the main engine, by releasing the connection between the main engine and the propeller 21 with the clutch 40, it is possible to immediately switch to the drive by the shaft generator 27 acting as a motor.

[0044] (4) The ship 1 according to the fourth aspect is the ship 1 according to any one of the first to third aspects, and the electric thruster is an azimuth thruster (23, 24).

[0045] According to the above configuration, when ensuring the output in case of an abnormality in the main engine and the azimuth thruster, it is also possible to easily align the output directions of the propeller 21 and the azimuth thruster. Thereby, it becomes possible to more stably compensate for the output reduction of the main engine.

[0046] (5) The ship 1 according to the fifth aspect is the ship 1 according to any one of the first to third aspects, and the electric thruster is a pod type thruster.

[0047] According to the above configuration, even when ensuring the output in case of abnormality by the main engine and the pod type thruster, the output directions of the propeller 21 and the pod type thruster can be easily aligned. As a result, it becomes possible to more stably compensate for the output reduction of the main engine.

Explanation of Signs

[0048] 1…Ship 2…Hull 2b…Stern 4…Bottom of the ship 5…Freeboard deck 6…Upper deck 7…Deck 8…Upper deck 10…Engine room 20…Propulsion unit 21…Propeller 22…Engine 23…First azimuth thruster 24…Second azimuth thruster 25…Power supply 26…Reducer 27…Shaft generator 28…First electric motor 29…Second electric motor 40…Clutch 50…Thruster 60…Power switching system 61…Power generation engine 62…Generator 63…First switch 64…Second switch 65…Third switch 66…Fourth switch 67…Main power line 70…Side thruster 80…Battery

Claims

1. A main engine, a propeller driven by the main engine, an electric thruster, a power source capable of supplying power to the electric thruster, a shaft generator capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine, comprising, wherein the shaft generator functions as a motor for rotating the propeller by power supply from the power source. A ship.

2. A main engine, a propeller driven by the main engine, a shaft generator capable of generating electricity by the rotation of the main engine, a thruster drivable by the power generated by the shaft generator, a power source, comprising, wherein the shaft generator functions as a motor for rotating the propeller by power supply from the power source. A ship.

3. The ship according to claim 2, further comprising a clutch capable of releasing the connection between the main engine and the propeller when the main engine stops.

4. The ship according to claim 1, wherein the electric thruster is an azimuth thruster.

5. The ship according to claim 1, wherein the electric thruster is a pod type thruster.

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