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Levelling up integrated drives
UK FUNDING FOR GE MULTI-MW INTEGRATED DRIVE PROJECT
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body has awarded £16.7 million to a number of projects focused on improving the self-reliance of Britain’s power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) supply chains
The initiative is co-funded by industry and Driving the Electric Revolution, an ISCF Challenge delivered by UK Research and Innovation. The latest phase of the challenge, Supply Chains for Net Zero, focuses on strengthening critical PEMD capabilities that will help to enable industrial decarbonisation.
The maritime sector is one of the sectors that are turning to electrification technologies to meet their growing demand for electric power and to enable the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite their scale, these marine and industrial applications often have significant space constraints that limit integrating new, high power electric microgrid equipment, like electric motors and advanced power electronics (PE), and new cleaner energy sources.
One project, led by GE, is looking to apply novel production techniques and technology used in low voltage, high volume power electronics (PE) to multi-MW, high power applications. The project will investigate the obstacles to full commercial exploitation of an integrated drive for multi-MW solutions, in other words, where a convertor-motor is physically integrated with an electronic commutator solution, rather than connected via a cable as at present.
The Motorship notes that the research is applicable to converter and motor arrangements in both full-electric and full-hybrid diesel-electric installations. Conversion losses represent a significant proportion of overall losses, within which switching losses at a semiconductor level contribute.
The project includes the participation of UK based semiconductor manufacturer, Dynex Semiconductor, which has a track record of improving system efficiency in PE applications. Project participant Dynex Semiconductor previously participated in an EU funded Horizon 2020 project to develop a Silicon Carbide (SiC) based multilevel power electronics module for an aviation motor drive. It has also employed Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) that are optimised for different operating frequencies..
Leaving aside potential semiconductor level advances, GE notes that integrating the power electronics and electrical machines into a single housing will permit increased power density, and a reduced overall footprint, as well as overall system layout flexibility and cost.
GE estimates that this offers the potential to reduce total system power density by up to 50% and weight by up to 25%, with additional added value creation for customers in freeing up space for operational use.
GE Power Conversion’s Managing Director in the UK, Andy Cooper explains: “Through transformative improvements in power density, we can help customers in the transition to electrification and decarbonization. It’s an excellent opportunity for industry’s investment in next generation technologies to be accelerated through UK government support, and for the UK supply chain to continue to be worldrecognized for its expertise”.
The University of Nottingham’s Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge Director, Dr Will Drury said: “These projects form a vital part of the UK’s green economic recovery from COVID-19. By focusing on growing the capability of the UK PEMD supply chain and manufacturing we aim to make the UK a global leader in the manufacture of core technologies which underpin electrification. This is crucial in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.”
The two-year project involves the redesign of power systems, system integration, and the transformation of manufacturing processes related to megawatt scale integrated electrical machines. The project will also investigate the supply chain aspects of the solution.
Work will be carried out at GE’s systems and manufacturing facilities in Rugby, UK, and its dedicated land-based marine test, emulation and innovation facility, MPTF, in Whetstone, UK. Partner facilities include the Power Electronics and Machines Centre at the University of Nottingham, which opened in March 2021.
A second project led by Ricardo UK has been developing a rare-earth magnet-free electric motor concept with aluminium stator windings, which retains the key attributes of magnet-rich motors. The goal has been to create technology which is robust, costs less than current products and reduces lifecycle impact by eliminating the use of scarce resources – up to 12kg of rare earth metals – and also high acidification materials, such as copper, without impacting motor function or quality. The project is expected to enable the UK to scale motor production and transition to electrified transport while reducing the impact of changes in international markets.
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participant Dynex Semiconductor previously participated in an EU funded Horizon 2020 project to develop a Silicon Carbide (SiC) based multilevel power electronics module (pictured) for a aviation motor drive
THE DEVIL LIES IN THE DETAIL FOR SHORE POWER
The European Commission unveiled in July its Fit for 55 programme. Among other things, the draft proposal introduced requirements that container and passenger vessels of more than 5,000 gt should use shore power unless they can use fuel that does not emit CO2.
While the exact scope of the proposed legislation will need to be fi nalised, the proposal raised concerns about a number of technical issues. Existing installations have not been standardised, leading to variety of diff erent details, while there has been little discussion about the funding mechanism for future additions.
At the moment, about 30 ports in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) have onshore power supply (OPS) facilities. However, the voltages and maximum power that is available varies between them and power grid capacity can limit the power that is actually available, according to European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)
“If we estimated that a cruise ship may demand more than 10 MVA when operating using onshore power, some areas where these ships call may require significant infrastructure investment to support this,” said Matthew Williams, Decarbonisation Strategy Manager at Lloyds Register.
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) guidelines “emphasises the potential that exists for the shipping industry’s emissions to be reduced significantly by means of investments in port infrastructure that support the use of alternative fuels and the transition to battery charging and power supply while vessels are at berth.”
This points out that such investments should be given particular priority as a way to promote multimodal transport based at ports. and asks the Commission to further develop the financial instruments that are available to boost investments for that purpose and to further support the ongoing development of different clean technologies by stimulating research.
Organisations such as the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) have been more cautious. “OPS is an important tool and part of the solution for lowering the shipping emissions at berth, but should not be seen as an end in itself. Europe’s ports fully support more OPS where it makes sense. An ambitious OPS deployment plan in ports requires adequate funding,” Lloyds Register said, in a written response to The Motorship, citing OPS. “Of particular concern in both statements is the funding model for infrastructure upgrades,” Lloyds Register said, adding that LR reviewed and updated our Onshore Power Supply notation in 2021 to ensure that it can support the safe integration of power from a shore connection onboard the ship. FuelEU Maritime requires passenger ships and container ships to be zero emissions at berth from 2030 under specific conditions. “Onshore-power is the explicitly preferred option, with alternatives being required to be equivalent to electricity in terms of GHG and localised pollutant emissions,” Lloyds Register said.
An Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) contains provisions to support the expansion of OPS in TEN-T core and comprehensive network ports by 2030. “The requirement is dependent on the frequency of passenger and container ship port calls by ships above 5,000gt. The effectiveness of the Directive remains to be seen, particularly if port infrastructure development is not subsidised or demand guaranteed,” Lloyds Register pointed out.
A further open question is the cost of onshore power. “It is unlikely to be cheap. OPS also provide benefits for CII (Carbon Intensity Index) rating performance under the JMO’s operational carbon intensity reduction requirement (Reg. 28 of MARPOL Annex VI),” the UK based classification society noted. Obtaining green electricity at OPS also remains an open question. “Arguably in Europe, that is for other aspects of the Fit for 55 package to ensure but guaranteed access to commercially attractive sustainable sources of electrical power for ships at berth for compliance or value chain performance is far from certain,” Lloyds Register concluded.
The Motorship notes that there are wide variations in the proportion of energy generated by renewable sources within Europe. While Norway generates almost 100% of its electricity from hydropower, and is seeking to expand its wind generation capacity, other countries, such as Poland, remain heavily dependent upon coal-fired power generation for electricity generation.
Hapag-Lloyd Container Line in Hamburg said it welcomed all measures to improve air quality in ports. “In principle,
8 Wärtsilä's wireless
charging system
however, the electricity should be produced in a climateneutral way and not be derived from coal-based power generation. Furthermore, international standards shall be adhered to in order to ensure an efficient and seamless infrastructure for shore power supply,” said Nikolas Fischer, spokesman for the company.
Other observers note that a separate challenge surrounds power generation requirements for island communities.
POWER FREQUENCY, NEED OF STANDARDISATION AMONG CHALLENGES
Turning to technical challenges, the different frequency of the power grid ashore in Europe and that on board cruise ships.
“The power grid ashore, throughout Europe, uses 50Hz frequency. However, on cruise ships, the frequency is 60Hz,” said Peter Albrecht, senior advisor at the Finnish consultant engineering company Elomatic. The frequency can be increased to 60Hz by the use of transformers, but this will lead to conversion losses, which is less than ideal from a sustainability point of view.
Meanwhile, Ukko Metsola, until recently head of CLIA Europe, suggested in an interview that perhaps battery power could be used in the future to cover hotel load of cruise ships while in port to tackle the challenges ahead. CLIA Europe took a positive stance in principle in efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and similar voices come from the container shipping industry - with some caveats. Maersk Line in Copenhagen offered a guarded welcome to the proposals, noting that while it posed a number of challenges, shore power might even offer economic benefits in the years to come.
The EU has required that key ports ensure that the actual shore side power is present and available from 2030. “This will take some time and require substantial investments for the ports. From the vessels’ side, it will also require a lot of work - and best done in dry dock- and comes at an important cost. This being said, shore power will make sense from 2030, as we hopefully by then will be sailing much more on more renewable fuels, which will likely be much more expensive,” an A.P. Moller-Maersk representative told The Motorship.
As often is the case with regional regulation, it raises the spectre of a future where the shipping industry will have to cope with a plethora of rules - and perhaps requirements for hardware - that vary from one part of the world to another.
REGIONAL vs GLOBAL REGULATION
This was pointed out by Fredrik Larsson, Senior Policy Advisor, Safety & Environment at the Swedish Shipowners Association. “It’s good that the EU is developing tools to help us move forward in our climate efforts. On the other hand, there is a risk that international shipping will have to comply with a global patchwork of rules. We would rather it had been done through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) instead, so we would have the same rules worldwide,” he said in a statement.
However, he urged the EU to expand and bring forward the shore power requirement: “The EU wants shore power for container ships and passenger vessels in core ports by 2030. We want the date brought forward and all types of ships included. We have ships that want to connect right here right now, and this ought to be done faster.”
The proposals in their current form may well not be the legislation that will eventually be enacted, said Laurent Courregelongue, director of environment and technologies of department at maritime and offshore at Bureau Veritas. “At this stage, these are proposals that are under scrutiny and debate. They will certainly be amended before approval by the European Parliament and European Council,” he said in a webinar on 20 January.
However, he urged the shipping community to keep following closely the development of the proposed legislation, including what comes to shore power, because of its far-reaching implications for the industry.
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Technologies' NG3 shore power system
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shore power system at the Port of Kiel
Credit: Siemens
