Reducing the Dimensions of the Ship’s Main Switchboard—A Contribution to Energy Efficiency

Abstract

Energy efficiency generally implies the efficient use of energy in all sectors of final consumption—industry, services, agriculture, households and transport. Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the sixth largest CO2 producer in the world. This is a result of inefficient ship design, lack of planning and optimal use of resources. As the transport sector expands, so does the pressure for a greener and cleaner maritime industry. Reducing fuel consumption is a major driver of the need for energy efficiency on ships. In this paper, due to the importance of maritime transport, we observed the impact of reducing the dimensions of the main switchboard as a contribution to energy efficiency. This contribution is not of great importance as is the case with the optimization of the navigation route, etc., but it certainly affects the weight and, thus, the fuel consumption, which contributes to energy efficiency in the designed system. The aim of this paper is to optimize the design of the main switchboard by using 2D simulations of possible bus topologies, in order to develop six different busbar models and find one that best meets the requirements. The simulation results indicate the optimal location and dimensions of the busbars in the main switchboard in accordance with the switchgear parameters. Apart from the change in layout and dimensions of the busbars, the replacement of conventional instrument transformers with new current/voltage sensors contributes to a significant reduction in the weight and size of the switchboard, which ultimately benefits energy efficiency.