Two-phase energy efficiency optimisation for ships using parallel hybrid electric propulsion system

Journal article, 2021

Developing a green, intelligent, and efficient power system is an important way for the shipping industry to respond to increasingly stringent emission regulations, and to achieve improvements in energy conservation and efficiency. In this study, a two-phase energy efficiency optimisation method is proposed for reducing energy consumption. The method comprises a combination of speed optimisation and energy management. On the demand side, the minimum accumulated power consumption required by the propeller is set as the objective function for the speed optimisation model, whereas on the supply side, the lowest cost of energy consumed by the hybrid power system is set as the objective function for the energy management model. An inland parallel hybrid electric powered bulk carrier is selected for a case study of the two-phase energy efficiency optimisation method. The optimisation results are compared with the energy consumption data of a bulk carrier under normal working conditions. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the energy consumption by 2.60% and 9.86% in the westbound and eastbound voyages, respectively. Accordingly, this study can provide methodological support for inland hybrid-powered ships aiming to achieve intelligent energy efficiency management.