Electric Marine Propulsion Power Control for Battery Overheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric marine propulsion systems with multiple batteries face overheating issues, leading to suboptimal performance, decreased battery health, and potential vessel disablement due to lack of active cooling systems, necessitating power limit reduction to prevent battery damage.
Innovation Solution
A temperature and power management system that calculates a temperature-compensated system power limit by determining each battery's temperature offset and applying it to the system power limit, controlling the electric motor to prevent overheating and ensure safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If electric motors operate at high power output, then propulsion performance is improved, but battery temperature increases leading to overheating and potential system disablement
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the power limit based on real-time battery temperature conditions. The controller continuously monitors temperature and modifies the maximum power output accordingly, transitioning from a static power limit to a dynamic one that adapts to thermal conditions, thereby preventing overheating while maximizing performance when safe
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where battery temperature is continuously measured and fed back to the controller. This feedback loop enables the controller to adjust the power limit in real-time based on actual thermal conditions, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents overheating while maintaining optimal performance
2Reliability
If power limit is reduced to prevent overheating, then battery safety is improved, but system performance and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the power limit parameter dynamically based on battery temperature conditions. Rather than using a fixed conservative power limit, the system adjusts this parameter in real-time according to thermal conditions, allowing maximum performance when temperatures are safe and reducing power when thermal limits are approached, thus resolving the trade-off between safety and performance
3Temperature
If active cooling systems are added to batteries, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful effect of temperature rise into a useful control parameter. By monitoring battery temperature and using it to adjust power limits, the system turns thermal conditions from a problem into a basis for intelligent power management, preventing overheating without requiring active cooling mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The battery system essentially self-regulates through the controller's temperature monitoring and power limit adjustment. The system uses its own thermal feedback to control its own power output, eliminating the need for external active cooling systems while maintaining safe operating temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
An electric marine propulsion system configured to propel a marine vessel includes a power storage system including at least one battery, at least one electric motor powered by the power storage system and configured to rotate a propulsor to propel the marine vessel, and a control system. The control system is configured to identify a temperature and a maximum power limit for each battery, determine a system temperature offset based at least in part on the temperature and the maximum power limit for each battery, apply the system temperature offset to a system power limit to calculate a temperature compensated system power limit, and control the at least one electric motor based at least in part on the temperature compensated system power limit.