Comparison of voltage drop in AC and DC shipboard electrical power distribution systems: A case study of 17,500 DWT tanker vessel

The recent emergence of power electronics equipment raises the possibility of implementation of DC shipboard electrical distribution systems. Several investigations on the effectiveness of DC shipboard electrical power distribution systems have proven that it is more profitable than AC distribution systems both in technical and economical aspect. However, known investigations are still limited to the system in ship with electric propulsion, which the consumption of electric power is enormous. The current study investigates the technical performance of both distribution systems in a non-electric propulsion ship, especially in the aspect of power losses. Both of the original AC distribution systems in a 17,500 DWT tanker ship and its equal DC distribution systems are modelled in a computer simulation program. The electric power flow simulation for both models are performed with the data of electric load during operating conditions, to compare the power losses in the distribution systems. The results show that the DC distribution systems has fewer drop voltage than its AC counterpart.