Analysis of a Supercapacitor/Battery Hybrid Power System for a Bulk Carrier

• Main Authors: Kyunghwa Kim, Juwan An, Kido Park, Gilltae Roh, Kangwoo Chun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: hybrid power system; lithium-ion battery (LIB); supercapacitor (SC); alternative maritime power (AMP); bulk carrier
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/8/1547

Concerns about harmful exhaust emissions from ships have been an issue. Specifically, the emissions at ports are the most serious. This paper introduces a hybrid power system that combines conventional diesel generators with two different energy storage systems (ESSs) (lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and supercapacitors (SC)) focused on port operations of ships. To verify the proposed system, a bulk carrier with four deck cranes is selected as a target ship, and each size (capacity) of LIB and SC is determined based on assumed power demands. The determined sizes are proven to be sufficient for a target ship through simulation results. Lastly, the proposed system is compared to a conventional one in terms of the environmental and economic aspects. The results show that the proposed system can reduce emissions (CO₂, SO_X, and NOx) substantially and has a short payback period, particularly for ships that have a long cargo handling time or visit many ports with a short-term sailing time. Therefore, the proposed system could be an eco-friendly and economical solution for bulk carriers for emission problems at ports.