Investigation the Generation of High Voltage in Modern Ships - Coursework Example

Investigation the generation of high voltage in modern ships Student Name Course Tutor Date Table of Contents Investigation the generation of high voltage in modern ships 1 Table of Contents 1 Investigation the generation of high voltage in modern ships 2 Introduction 2 Principles of electricity generation 4 Electricity Consumption by the Modern Ships 5 Practical considerations of generation of high voltage 11 Examples and case studies 12 Some of engines possessed by the modern hips, these include: 12 GE M25oo Marine gas turbine 12 General Atomics Hybrid Propulsion 13 Combined Diesels and Gas Turbine 13 Future Trend 14 Conclusion 15 Works Cited 17 Investigation the generation of high voltage in modern ships Introduction Electricity generation is a method of producing electricity from other types of energy. Electricity is usually produced at the electric power station by electromechanical producers which are initially driven by high temperature machineries that use the fuel from chemical ignition or form other sources for example the kinetic energy generated form blowing wind ad flowing water. Other methods that can be used to generate electricity are use of solar photovoltaic and from geothermal power source. However, theses involve high technology to produce and the production process must be done by the experts. For a complete process of electricity generation, there are other processes such as electricity transmission, electricity distribution and retailing (Miller, Vendome, & McBrewster 24). This is the full process that reaches electricity to the consumers. High voltage is a term that refers to an electrical circuit where the power that is used can raise some safety concerns or a need for insulation. High voltage is applied in the distribution process of electrical power, in generation of X-rays and other industrial functions that require high voltage. The power requirement is on increase for the modern ships. Most of the modern ships have changed their load use from mechanical to electrical. The ship propulsions have also changed and most of them have turned electric. The traditional ships used a low voltage system that consumes four hundred and eighty volts and could not handle the high voltages as compared to the modern ships. For the traditional ships to manage the high voltage, power will have to be produced at high voltages such as four thousand to six thousand volts. This will also require medium voltage switchgear to control the flow of the high voltage into the equipments. The switchgear is however not commonly in use among the modern ships and there are no personnel to operate it (AATSE 123). Principles of electricity generation Electricity is the movement of electrical power or charge. It is the mostly used energy form. It is secondary energy type sometimes called energy carrier. This means that electricity is not gotten direct but from other sources for example coal, solar or nuclear energy. Electricity can be generated form renewable and non renewable sources but it is not renewable. The basic principles of electricity generation were first realized by a scientist by the name of Michael Faraday. This is the principle that is still being used. It explains that energy is produced by moving a ring of wire or a disc made of copper between magnetic poles. Before the discovery of Michael Faraday, it had already been found out electricity can produce magnetism and so Faraday wanted to try the vice versa, that is, producing energy form magnetism. He found out that moving a magnet inside a loop of wire can generate a pulse of electricity. Pulling out the magnet from the loop also generated another pulse of electricity. The experiment done by Faraday therefore showed that when the loop of a wire is forced to travel across the lines of magnetic forces in a magnetic field, the electrons that are in that loop of wire are also compelled to move in a particular direction. On the other hand, when the when the loop of the wire travels in the opposite side, the electrons also move in the opposite direction. However, the electrons will only flow in a magnetic field on condition that there is some movement (Palit, 123). In any case the wires are stopped while moving across the lines of magnetic force, electricity would stop to flow immediately. Therefore electricity and magnetism are very closely related. These are the principles of electricity generation that were discovered by Faraday and are the one still being applied currently (Conservative Party GB 64). Electricity Consumption by the Modern Ships The ships are in use today and they consume a lot of power than those that were in use before them. The ships that were in use before were fixed with electric propulsions that could maximize the flexibility of the ship operator through their capacity to use the least amount of electricity production tools for any given scenario in their operations. The power generators could therefore be put to uses near their maximum outputs and unnecessary equipments could be shut off. This helps to improve on the general effectiveness of the system and at the same time lowering the requirements for maintaining the ship. It is for thus reason that most of the travel ships have been fitted with electric propulsion devices. Others in the whole world are in the process of constructing the electric driven ships and others are in the process of constructing the electric propulsion device. High voltage in ships is one that exceeds one thousand volts. Normal ships consume between three to six kilo volts depending on the size of the ship. However, ships require high voltage power sometimes and this is when the ship has a higher electrical load, or to attain a better ratio between power and the weight of the equipment. However, high voltage in modern ships in very dangerous. The reason for this is that there is a high risk of getting shock and this therefore requires special procedures for handling the special equipments. For example, special high voltage circuit breakers will be required. Theses are the vacuum breakers or ACB and OCB, or gas breakers that consume sulphur hexafluoride. For effective use of the vacuum breakers, the contacts should be separated by some few meters since tits level of insulation is very high. While using the high voltage electricity, special insulation is required. This is one whose strength is directly proportional to the higher amount of energy that passes through the wires. This is because the high voltage cannot withstand weaker insulation such as the one that is used in low voltage. The eclectic flow testers that are also used in inspection of the high voltage systems must be the ones that are well suitable for the work (Linsley 59). However, high voltage also has its own advantages. These include the compact and quite unit where everything is moving at high pressures. The high pressures ensure that the system s compact and quite. Another advantage is that the system that runs under high voltage requires minimum maintenance. This is because the system is built under special care in terms of insulation and the type of breakers that are used. All the equipments that are used in a high voltage system are of enough strength and well inspected before they are put into use. This is done so because high voltage is mostly used in sensitive and very significant systems where the risk of failure should be minimal. A high voltage system is also built on non-flammable and non- toxic materials which are very durable. This is still due to the fact that high voltage systems are used in sensitive areas that should have minimal risks of failure. High voltage systems are however fatal. In case of any fault in the wiring or the insulation system, the high voltage system can lead to death due to electrical shock and the severe outburst that may occur. The high voltage wires carry with them a lot of electricity which when let to flow outside the insulation and reach the humans, it can cause death. Another issue on the usage of high voltage is that all the departments that must use high voltage must be issued with an electrical permit that will allow people to work in those areas. This is due to the many risks associated with the use of high voltage. The permit must be obtained every time before any work is started in the high voltage areas. This permit is only valid for twenty four hours and must be obtained on daily basis if there is a continuous job in the system. In the marine industries, an electrical isolation certificate is required that indicates where the circuit isolation and the earth wire has been inserted before the electric work permit is issued. The contents of the electric permit to work include a section of the work that needs to be done on the system, a second section of the risk assessments. That is, the risks associated with electrical isolation and earthling. Then there is a third section is of the individuals who are supposed to carry out the job and his responsibilities, a fourth section of the deferments or completion of the work that is going to be done and a final section of the conditions for termination of the work permit (La Dage 153). Before any job is performed on high voltage equipment, it must be earthed to ensure safety of the equipment operator. This means that if there will be any accidental addition of voltage, it will be grounded since the potential of the ground is zero. Earthing can be done of the circuit or on the busbar. Before equipment is earthed, it must be tested and ensured that it is dead when isolated and disconnected. Testing is done using a live line tester which must also be proven before and after it is put in use. Testing is done by connecting the tester to a high voltage source. Working on the high voltage equipment should not be left to one person. It is important to have the person accompanied in case of any emergency. High voltage is transmitted as direct current and is used where large quantities of power need to be transmitted for long distances. In the case of long distances, it is cheaper to transmit the electricity in form of direct current rather than transmitting it as alternating current. High voltage in direct current transmission lines is important in the sea cables since the submarine cables have gone as long as six hundred kilometers. High voltage has been put in use by the modern ships to reduce the amount of releases from the ship’s engines which acts as a source of environmental pollution. The high voltage is being generated form the onshore power supplies that acts as the source of source of power for the ship to substitute the one form the ship’s service. However, the high voltage form the onshore power supply has its disadvantages such as unstable frequencies and its installation adds up to some infrastructure costs (Chastain 76). The installation of an onshore power supply however requires several elements. A considerable infrastructure is necessary for the handling of the cable system; other necessities are a switchgear, power cables and transformers. Most of the modern ships that use the high voltage are designed in such a way that they can enable large amounts of power to be moved with limited cable are than the traditional low voltage ships. Most of the traditional ships used a voltage of between four hundred and eight hundred volts while the modern ships use a voltage of between six thousand and eleven thousand volts. Theses therefore have a different power requirement. The onshore power supply has several benefits that include reduction for the emissions from the engines that fills in the port. Another benefit is that when equipment is not being used, repairs and maintenance can be done easily. This is because the equipment is not relying on its engine for power source. The modern ships that use high voltage form onshore power system also uses less fuel and the costs of producing the onshore power is less that the cost of operating the ship with power form its engine. The power from the engine of a ship is achieved through combining several generators which also requires high amounts of fuel and must be maintained properly. However, there are several concerns regarding the use of high voltage from the onshore power supply. A higher cost is required in setting up the infrastructure that is required for the operation of the system. Cost is incurred in the purchase of equipments for handling the cables and also for supporting the ship while at the shore. Another concern over the issue is the compatibility of the frequencies of the shore and of the ship. There are limits that are considered for the onshore power supply to be put into consideration. The frequencies must therefore be compatible and where they are not, frequency converters must be purchased which adds to the overall cost. The other concern is on the safety measures that must be observed by the owners of the ship. These are reached upon an agreement between the operators of the ship and the shore attendants stating the safety processes to be observed during any given installation. The quality of the electrical power that is needed should also be agreed upon so that the connection may be ceased incase the quality of the power goes down to a level that may damage the ship. The last concern is on the standardization of the procedure for installation of the onshore power supply. The standards are set by the International Organization for Standardization and are still underway since the process began in the year 2006. All these concerns must be addressed before the onshore power supply is set to work (Holmes 43). The underlying factors for the generation of high voltage High voltage transmission is produced as a direct current or alternating current. However, the mostly used form in the modern ships is the high voltage direct current. Direct current is the form of electricity that moves on a constant direction and does not change. This current also bears a high voltage and has a constant polarity. Direct current can be from batteries that bear the negative and the positive terminals or can also be produced by pressing some form of materials against others of the same type. On the other hand, alternating current is electricity that keeps changing the direction in which it is flowing towards , to and fro, and also switches its polarity every time. Transformer that transmit high voltages work with the alternating current due to its principle of common inductance that depends on varying magnetic fields. The major process that is involved in the generation of high voltage direct current is the initial change of the alternating current to direct current, and direct current to alternating current. The change of alternating current to direct current is done at the transmission end while the conversion of the direct current to alternating current is done at the receiving end. To achieve the conversion of the two forms of current, three methods are used. The first method is the use of Natural Commutated Converters. This method makes use of the component of thyristor which is a convenient non conductor and can hold extremely high voltages as much as four thousand amps, and can also block extremely high voltages as much as ten kilo volts. A thyristor valve is created by creating a series of connected thyristors. The thyristor valve is able to function at extremely high voltages and it operates at a total frequency of fifty or sixty hertz. This enables it to efficiently control power. The other method is the Capacitor Commutated Converter. This is a progression form the use of thyristor commutation. This method makes use of commutation capacitors that are arranged in a sequence at the middle of a converter transformer and a thyristor valve. The commutation capacitors play the role of increasing on the commutation failure functioning of the converters when they are linked to weak networks. The third method is the use of Forced Commutated Converters. Theses have a self regulating control of the active and the reactive quality of power. High voltage is also preferred in the ship industry due to its ability to sustain the ship for long distances in the oceans. Ships are transport equipments that take several days and months before reaching their destinations. They therefore require high power supply that will be able to sustain them for that period of travel. High voltage also leads to the adoption of high speed for the ships. The high speed also makes them reach their destination faster and saves on the cost that is incurred during transit. Practical considerations of generation of high voltage Several factors are considered in the technical production process of high voltage. These factors are very important since they enable smooth process and efficiency in the production process. One major factor that is important in generation of high voltage direct current is the medium in which the power will be transmitted. For the transmission of large quantities of power by the land, the highly used medium for transmission is the overhead line. This is a bipolar line that has two conductors which have different polarity. The high voltage direct current cables are also available but are only used in submarine energy transmission systems. However, as technology advances, the creation of a new high voltage direct current cable is underway and this will be used for both underground and submarine power transmission. It is also important to consider factors such as the design, operation and the maintenance of the high voltage direct current cables. The design is negotiated for by the manufacturers and those involved in the supply of high voltage cables. High voltage direct current requires just a small number of trained staff to operate and maintain the equipments. The number of the trained staff that is required depends on factors such as the basic duties and regulations, the work environment and safety measures. Another factor to consider is the cost. Cost is incurred in maintaining the transmission of the high voltage power and for the purchase of the equipments needed for the transmission process. The cost of transmitting the high voltage direct current depends on factors such as the power capacity that needs to be transmitted, the medium to be used for transmission, the conditions of the environment and the safety standards. The cost of the whole generation process also depends on the design that is used to achieve optimum voltage production. This is high voltage production and there is a need for utmost power production. The higher the voltage, the more complicated the design, the more the equipments are required. A complicated design therefore requires more equipment that must all be purchased. However, production of high voltage direct current is more costly that production of high voltage alternating current. It is however cheaper to produce the high voltage alternating current since this one does not require a thyristor (Project for National Rationalized Specifications SA 16). Examples and case studies Some of engines possessed by the modern hips, these include: GE M25oo Marine gas turbine This is a marine gas turbine that operates on a less complicated cycle and has a high performing engine. It has a gas generator, a turbine that produces the required power and devices that monitor the movement of the engine. LM2500 is easy to install and takes few minutes to catch up. This form of ship engine consumes very little amount of fuel but large quantities of power, in high voltages. It is efficient and can travel for long distances with little amount of fuel. General Atomics Hybrid Propulsion Previously, this type of a ship could emit carbon dioxide in quantities equal to that of one hundred and thirty million cars. Theses form of ships had a large carrying capacity but their only disadvantage was in the amount of emissions which are in the process of facing improvements. The General Atomics Company is in the process of constructing an electric ship that will integrate power systems to be used by a wide range of ship types. However, the new type of ship form the General Atomics use high technology for conversion of shipboard electrical power that’s is more reliable, of high quality and can survive in many places. The company architecture is also developing a system for distributing power and an electric system that will be able to handle the high voltage power demands of this form of a ship. This means that the modernization of this ship brings with it high voltage power demands. Combined Diesels and Gas Turbine Ships that operate on this type of engine have a higher speed that saves on the cost. This is because they have a big diesel turbine whose operation consumes little amount of fuel and more of the horse power for long travels. The propulsion machine in theses ships is charged electrically and that’s why it is referred to as combined. Electrical generators are driven by the diesel powered engines and turbines and offer a high voltage to drive as much as twenty one thousand Kilovolts. This is reason as to why these ship engines consume the high voltage current (Holmes, 55). Future Trend The current industry sector is focusing on environments conservation in all their workings. This has therefore contributed to the efforts in the ship industry to move from the traditional ships that could emit heavy carbon dioxide into the environment. The move therefore headed to the electric ships that use high voltage power sources and have negligible amount of emissions. The issue of conservation of the environment is becoming a concern in almost all the nations worldwide and this call for rejection of all the equipments that are not environment friendly. Most of the ships are also adopting the high voltage direct current is less costly to produce as compared to the high voltage alternating current. Due to the high competition in the markets, the ship companies are moving towards the usage of the high voltage direct current as compared to the alternating current. The other development that is underway after full installation and adoption of the high voltage direct current is the lowering of its costs. The costs for high voltage direct current are a bit higher and the ship industry is trying to negotiate for their reduction. The trend is aggressively moving towards the adoption of high voltage in the modern ships and leaving the issue of power supply fork the ship’s internal system. Technology is also on increase at a very high rate and this is pushing for the adoption of the modern system of power supply for the ships. There is therefore a high rate of change in the ship industry. The modern ships are in higher use and will eventually be adopted in all industries. The market competition is the one that is pushing for this trend since no industry want to be left behind (Conservative Party GB 84). Conclusion The generation of high voltage in modern ships is however putting a high pressure in the global power sources. The industry has abandoned the traditional ships that used to emit high volumes of carbon dioxide in the environment and are now moving to the modern ships. The adoption is however very necessary since there is a real need for improvements and changes in the ship transport. The onshore power supply system has also helped in the issue since it will lessen the cost required in the generation of this large amount of voltage. Generation of high voltage is however expensive but it is important since it helps in conservation of the environment. The modern ships have been proved to be working well and are environmental friendly and it is thus necessary to call for their adoption all over the world. With ship being the least preferred means of transport due to its high cost and slow speed, improvement in the industry will change the people’s attitudes and there will be an increase in the usage of ship as a transport means. Works Cited Miller Fredrick, Vendome Agnes, & McBrewster John. Electricity Generation: Electric Power Transmission, Static Electricity, Faraday’s law of Induction, Electrochemistry, Photoelectric Effect, Thermoelectric Effect, Piezoelectricity. New York: Alphascript Publishing, 2009. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Electricity generation: accelerating technological change. Austria: Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2009. Conservative Party (Great Britain). Electricity generation: the new era. Birmingham: Conservative Research Department, 1999. La Dage John. Modern ships: elements of their design, construction, and operation. Cornell: Cornell Maritime Press, 1997. Holmes George. Ancient and Modern Ships. London: Books LLC, 2009. Palit Saunak.Principles of electricity and magnetism. New York: Alpha Science International, 2005. Linsley Trevor. Advanced electrical installation work. California: Newnes, 2005. Gallagher Tom & Pearmain Agustin. High Voltage: Measurement, Testing, and Design. London: Books on Demand, 2003. Chastain Thomas. High Voltage. Michigan: Doubleday, 1999. Project for National Rationalized Specifications (South Africa). Electricity distribution transformers: completely self-protecting type for rated A.C. voltages up to and including 33kV. Cape Town: South African Bureau of Standards, 1998. Read More

Principles of electricity generation Electricity is the movement of electrical power or charge. It is the mostly used energy form. It is secondary energy type sometimes called energy carrier. This means that electricity is not gotten direct but from other sources for example coal, solar or nuclear energy. Electricity can be generated form renewable and non renewable sources but it is not renewable. The basic principles of electricity generation were first realized by a scientist by the name of Michael Faraday.

This is the principle that is still being used. It explains that energy is produced by moving a ring of wire or a disc made of copper between magnetic poles. Before the discovery of Michael Faraday, it had already been found out electricity can produce magnetism and so Faraday wanted to try the vice versa, that is, producing energy form magnetism. He found out that moving a magnet inside a loop of wire can generate a pulse of electricity. Pulling out the magnet from the loop also generated another pulse of electricity.

The experiment done by Faraday therefore showed that when the loop of a wire is forced to travel across the lines of magnetic forces in a magnetic field, the electrons that are in that loop of wire are also compelled to move in a particular direction. On the other hand, when the when the loop of the wire travels in the opposite side, the electrons also move in the opposite direction. However, the electrons will only flow in a magnetic field on condition that there is some movement (Palit, 123).

In any case the wires are stopped while moving across the lines of magnetic force, electricity would stop to flow immediately. Therefore electricity and magnetism are very closely related. These are the principles of electricity generation that were discovered by Faraday and are the one still being applied currently (Conservative Party GB 64). Electricity Consumption by the Modern Ships The ships are in use today and they consume a lot of power than those that were in use before them. The ships that were in use before were fixed with electric propulsions that could maximize the flexibility of the ship operator through their capacity to use the least amount of electricity production tools for any given scenario in their operations.

The power generators could therefore be put to uses near their maximum outputs and unnecessary equipments could be shut off. This helps to improve on the general effectiveness of the system and at the same time lowering the requirements for maintaining the ship. It is for thus reason that most of the travel ships have been fitted with electric propulsion devices. Others in the whole world are in the process of constructing the electric driven ships and others are in the process of constructing the electric propulsion device.

High voltage in ships is one that exceeds one thousand volts. Normal ships consume between three to six kilo volts depending on the size of the ship. However, ships require high voltage power sometimes and this is when the ship has a higher electrical load, or to attain a better ratio between power and the weight of the equipment. However, high voltage in modern ships in very dangerous. The reason for this is that there is a high risk of getting shock and this therefore requires special procedures for handling the special equipments.

For example, special high voltage circuit breakers will be required. Theses are the vacuum breakers or ACB and OCB, or gas breakers that consume sulphur hexafluoride. For effective use of the vacuum breakers, the contacts should be separated by some few meters since tits level of insulation is very high. While using the high voltage electricity, special insulation is required. This is one whose strength is directly proportional to the higher amount of energy that passes through the wires. This is because the high voltage cannot withstand weaker insulation such as the one that is used in low voltage.

The eclectic flow testers that are also used in inspection of the high voltage systems must be the ones that are well suitable for the work (Linsley 59).

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