Ship Return-to-Port Power Distribution After Generator Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In ship navigation systems with multiple engine rooms, power shortages can occur during emergencies due to generator failures, leading to increased equipment costs and weight, as well as space constraints, when trying to maintain redundancy for self-dependent navigation after fires or floods.
Innovation Solution
A navigation method that utilizes both main generators and an emergency generator to power return-to-port equipment, allowing the emergency generator to supply power to essential appliances and the main generators to power navigation equipment, while enabling flexible power distribution to cope with load fluctuations, thereby avoiding the need for increased generator capacity or number.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the capacity or number of generators in each engine room is increased to secure power feeding ability for return-to-port equipment, then power supply reliability is improved, but equipment cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of main generators and emergency generator into a unified power supply system. The emergency generator, originally designed for limited emergency equipment, is integrated to also supply power to return-to-port equipment, combining resources to meet additional power demands without adding new generation capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency generator is designed with multi-functionality, serving both its traditional role of powering emergency equipment and the additional role of powering return-to-port equipment. This universal approach allows one generator to fulfill multiple critical functions, eliminating the need for dedicated generators for each function.
2Reliability
If the capacity or number of generators in each engine room is increased to secure power feeding ability, then power supply reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of main generators and emergency generator into a unified power supply system. The emergency generator, originally designed for limited emergency equipment, is integrated to also supply power to return-to-port equipment, combining resources to meet additional power demands without adding new generation capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency generator is designed with multi-functionality, serving both its traditional role of powering emergency equipment and the additional role of powering return-to-port equipment. This universal approach allows one generator to fulfill multiple critical functions, eliminating the need for dedicated generators for each function.
3Device complexity
If main generators alone power return-to-port equipment after emergencies, then device complexity is reduced, but power supply reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power distribution where the system automatically adapts to operational conditions. After emergencies, the power supply configuration dynamically includes both main generators and emergency generator, allowing flexible adjustment of power sources based on system state and requirements, thereby ensuring reliable power supply without permanent complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A navigation method for a ship (1A) which comprises: a plurality of main generators (20A, 20B) that feed power to navigation equipment used in normal navigation and to appliances for the living quarters provided within a ship body 2; and an emergency generator (30) that feeds power to emergency equipment (103) in case of fire or flood. This navigation method includes: an emergency power feeding step for feeding power to the emergency equipment (103) using the emergency generator (30) when at least one of the plurality of main generators (20A, 20B) is disabled due to fire or flood; and a return-to-port power feeding step for feeding power to return-to-port equipment (104), required for navigation for returning to port, using the main generators (20A, 20B) and the emergency generator (30) after the fire or flood has subsided