vesselelectricalsystems ebook.pdf praveen sir

7/29/2019 VesselElectricalSystems eBook.pdf Praveen Sir

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COPYRIGHT 2002 OUTBACK MARINE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

WWW.OUTBACKMARINE.COM.AU 1 VESSEL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

Vessel Electrical Systems

Functional OverviewThe vessel has a DC (direct current),

battery-based power system to supplyall major vessel loads, which may in-clude engine starting, anchor windlass,pumps, lighting, electronics, communi-cations, navigation equipment, refrigera-tion, desalination and entertainmentsystems. Energy to power these systemsis stored in a battery bank, which meansthat the DC system is capable of provid-ing power at any time without the needto run an engine. With the right designand product selection, an engine-drivenpower source might only need to run forone hour each day - or significantly lessif sufficient solar and/or wind power isavailable.

Battery System

The battery capacity is generally sizedso that on a 24-hour basis, the typicaldischarge from the battery bank will notcause the batteries to be less than a 50%charge level. Deeper discharges are pos-sible, however the battery life span will

be shortened. It is interesting to notethat battery life span may also be short-ened by too-frequent shallow dischargecycles. Optimum performance isreached when the batteries are rechargedafter taking 40% of their capacity.

Charging System

The energy that devices take from abattery system can be replaced by:

an engine driven alternator

AC battery charging

solar panels

wind generation

water generationAlternators mounted on a propulsion

engines converts engine power to DCenergy. A battery charger converts AC

(alternating current) electrical power toDC energy. Solar panels convert solarpower to DC energy. Wind generatorsconvert wind power to DC energy.Water generators convert flowing-water energy to DC energy.Steps that can be taken for a reduction

in engine run time include:

reducing power consumption by

selecting energy efficient appli-ances

employing renewable energy

charging devices - solar panels andwind generation

having faster charging from the

engine - large alternator, smartalternator regulation and batterieswith a high charge acceptance rate

AC Power System

Certain appliances are not capable ofbeing powering directly from the DCbattery based system and require ACpower. AC power can be derived fromthree sources:

Shore Power Outlet

On-board Generator Inverter

The shore power outlet at the marinaprovides utility power when the vesselis docked. An on-board generator setprovides AC power when the vessel isaway from dock. The inverter convertsDC energy to AC power.The inverter is a preferred choice for

AC power because it does not requireconnection to shore power or the needto immediately run a generator set.Appliances connected to the inverter

will consume battery energy as re-quired. This energy can be replacedlater, either by running an enginedriven power source or by connecting

to shore power at a more convenienttime. Solar and/or wind power may besufficient on certain days to maintainan energy system balance.Practical considerations restrict the

type of appliances that are suitable forinverter power. Provided that batteryenergy levels are maintained and thatthe sum of loads is kept within inverterspecifications, the inverter is suitablefor powering plug-in appliances suchas microwave ovens, electric kettles,computer equipment, TVs, powertools, clothes washer etc.Although some of these appliances

may require a moderate power level tooperate, we refer to them as light loadsbecause their duration of operation isrelatively short and the correspondingenergy consumed is easily replaced.AC power for air conditioning, hotwater heating and clothes drying willrequire a shore power connection orgenerator set to be run. These appli-ances fall within the heavy load group.

Design and ImplementationA healthy respect of AC power sys-tems from a lethal voltage point ofview is almost general knowledge - yetthe risks associated with DC powersystems are not so evident.A professional design and implemen-

tation will consider all factors includ-ing AC grounding, earth bonding,earth leakage, over-current, lighting,corrosion, wire size, environmentstress, RF interference and so on.Always consult a suitably qualified

marine electrical professional for de-sign and maintenance of the system.

A primary objective for a vessel electrical system is to allowoperation of the vessel within the parameters of safety, reliabil-

ity, performance and long term total cost of ownership.At the same time, we wish to provide support for a healthy and

comfortable living environment that is akin to a modern home.The demand on, and the dependence placed on the electrical

system of a modern vessel has never been higher. The systemneeds to satisfy a number of driving factors:

Operation of the system should be simple, functional, con-

venient and enjoyable

The safety of the vessel and its occupants should never be

compromised

The system needs to be reliable

Engine run time should be kept to a minimum

DC PowerDistribution

Batteries

Engine(s)

Solar

DC Loads

Wind

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Shore PowerAC Power

Distribution

InverterCharger

Heavy AC Loads

Light AC Loads

AC POWER

DC POWER

AC Generator


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The AC power system providespower to AC appliances and the in-verter/battery charger via the AC dis-tribution panel. AC power is availablefrom either shore power, the generatorset or an inverter. In this discussioncertain values are vessel specific.

Shore Power Inlet

The Shore Power Inlet is used to con-nect the vessel to dockside power andis rated at 15-amps (3600 VA). Thesum of AC loads on the system shouldnot exceed this rating when connectedto shore power.

Isolation Transformer

The isolation transformer circumventsthe need to connect the shore powerground to the vessel ground, whichavoids the possibility of dockside re-lated electrolysis.

Generator Set

The Generator Set is rated at 32-amps(7600 VA). Care must be taken not toexceed generator set capacity whenconnecting additional loads in paralleland load start-up restrictions may alsoapply. An AC Multi-meter is fitted tothe main AC panel to monitor genera-tor and shore power sourced loads.

AC Source Select Panel

The AC Source Select panel incorpo-rates an interlocking double pole cir-cuit breaker to select either the genera-tor or shore power for connection to

the electrical system. The shore-powerselect circuit breaker must be in the offposition before connecting the shorepower cord to the dockside power out-let. A reverse polarity indicator is pro-

AC Source Select Panel

SHOREPOWER

GENERATORSET

REVERSEPOLARITY

AC Distribution Panel

INVERTERCHARGER

POWEROUTLETS

HOT WATERSYSTEM

AIRCONDITIONER

WASHERDRYER

AC Power System

vided shore power must not beswitched on if a reverse polarity condi-tion is present.The AC Source select panel:

provides reverse polarity indica-

tion to guard against an incorrectlywired shore power system

ensures that only the generator or

shore power source can be selectedat any one time

switches both line and neutral to

ensure that MEN integrity is main-tained

provides separate circuit-overload

protection

Residual Current Device (RCD)

A safety RCD provides a level ofprotection against electrical shockwhen the vessel is powered from eithershore power or generator set.

AC Distribution Panel

The AC Distribution Panel has sepa-rate circuit breakers for the supply ofpower to the Hot Water System, theAir Conditioners and the Inverter/Battery Charger. Note that these cir-cuits are powered when the generatorset or shore power source is available

the system is not configured to run anyof these loads from the inverter. AnAC Multi-Meter is provided to showthe exact load parameters to avoid un-wanted circuit breaker trips at the ma-rina or overload conditions on the gen-erator set. It can indicate AC volts,amps, frequency and watts.The output from the inverter charger

returns to the AC Distribution Panelthrough an isolation breaker to feed thepower outlets to service appliances thatcan be powered from the inverter,shore power or generator. An auto-matic transfer function of the inverter/charger will source shore power orgenerator power if available, otherwisethe inverter will take energy from thebattery system to deliver AC power.

Inverter / Battery ChargerThe battery charger output of 100-

amps allows around 90 amp-hours ofbattery capacity to be replaced for eachhour of operation. The inverter has acontinuous rating of 2500 watts. Thisis sufficient power for a 2000-wattelectric kettle it characteristicallytakes only 4.5 amp-hours of energy tobring 1 litre of water from room tem-perature to the boil in less than 3 min-utes. Later on, only 4 minutes of incre-mental generator run-time would berequired to replace the energy used on your time table.

A remote panel provides full controlover inverter/charger functions includ-ing variable battery charger load ratingand remote on/off control.

AC Outlets

The AC outlets (GPOs) feed all de-vices that can be powered from theinverter. When generator or shorepower is available, the inverter systemtransfers this power direct to the out-lets; otherwise the inverter generatesthe power from the DC system. Thefirst GPO in the outlet chain is fitted

with an RCD safety device which pro-tects all outlets in the chain irrespec-tive of power source.

AC POWER SYSTEM

Shore PowerInlet

AC Generator

AC Dist.Panel

ACSourceSelectPanel

ACMultiMeter

IsolationTransformer

RCD

Hot Water

Air Conditioner

Inverter Charger

AC Outlets

Washer - Dryer


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DC Distribution Board

At the core of the DC power systemis a DC Distribution Board; a specialty

design that ties together all of theheavy power devices on the vessel. Itincludes:

A simple change-over/isolation

switch to select either house bat-tery, reserve battery or full isola-tion

A single positive and negative

distribution bus point for the ves-sel

Individually fused terminals for all

heavy power devices including theengines, generator set, windlass,

inverter/charger and electrical pan-els

DC Power System

Automatic cross-charging of the

reserve battery from any source controlled by the Smart Alternator

Regulator Direct fused connections and ter-

minals for the Energy Monitor andAlternator Regulator

Field switching to enable one al-

ternator regulator to drive multiplealternators

An alternator field disconnect to

protect the alternators when thebattery switch is operated whilethe engines are running

Auxiliary fused outputs from the

house battery for security and car

radio memory; which remain pow-ered when the battery selector

switch is off

A solar panel relay that is con-

trolled by the Energy Monitor for

solar panel regulation A stop relay facility for remote on/

off control of a wind generatorTo minimise voltage drop and cable

weight, the major power devices; DCDistribution Board, batteries and in-verter/charger; are physically groupedin one local area. For hierarchical pro-tection, individual fuses and powerfeeds to each power device ensuresthat an overload condition on one cir-cuit does not disable other circuits; andthat interactive voltage drops are mini-

mized.BatteriesDC power for the entire vessel

(including engine cranking and wind-lass operation) is sourced from a single

House Battery Bank. The consolidationof all vessel loads and the chargingsystem to a single house battery bankgives the best utilization of batterycapacity; increases the effective life ofthe batteries; simplifies energy moni-toring and management; and results inthe fastest possible charge.

In case the house battery becomes

HouseBattery

DCDistribution

Board

DC POWER SYSTEM

ReserveBattery

EnergyMonitor

AlternatorRegulator

InverterCharger

SolarPanels

Engine(Alternator/Starter)

Windlass

WindGenerator

EngineeringPanel

REFRIGERATORFREEZER

WATER PUMP

F'RD BILGE PUMPAFT BILGE PUMP

TOILET SYSTEM

BLACK WATER PUMPSHOWER SUMP PUMP

NavigationPanel

ANCHOR LIGHTSTEAMING LIGHTRUNNING LIGHTSTRICOLOR LIGHT

INSTRUMENTSVHF RADIOHF RADIO

CABIN LIGHTS/FANS

DECK WASH PUMP

GAS DETECTOR

HELM PANEL

STEREO

DESALINATOR

HelmPanel

SPREADER LIGHTSHORN

COCKPIT LIGHTSINSTRUMENT LIGHTSWINDLASS UP/DOWN

AC PowerSystem

BATTERIESDC DISTRIBUTION BOARD


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totally discharged, a Reserve Batteryprovides power for priority vesselfunctions including engine cranking,windlass, communications and bilgepumps. Before switching to the reservebattery, switch off all nonessentialloads. Once the engine is started andthe alternator is charging, the batteryselect switch can be restored to the

house battery bank position.Operationally, the battery switch is

simply left on Position 1. No poweris drawn from the reserve battery and itis always kept topped-up. Position 2is available for reserve. Off is usedfor service or emergency disconnect.As a last resort, the Both positionwill join the house and reserve batter-ies.

Energy Monitor

The Energy Monitor provides com-plete management of battery state-of-

charge; accurately indicates batteryvoltage and current; controls batterycharging from solar panels and otherunregulated sources; and keeps awatchful eye on vital battery parame-ters including over voltage and tem-perature. An alarm is generated if anyparameter is outside of specification -

an indication to fix-it before seriousdamage results.The energy monitor gives a direct

indication of energy consumed andenergy remaining from the house bat-tery this is an essential tool for bat-tery management and is especially

useful to indicate when to start andstop battery charging from the mainengine or generator set.

Inverter/Battery ChargerThe Inverter/Battery Charger builds

two functions into the same package.The battery charger has three-stage

regulation to ensure a fast and fullcharge. Charging voltage is variedaccording to battery temperature; es-sential to prevent thermal runaway andconsequent explosive risk.

Engine AlternatorsThe Engine Alternators charge the

house battery and are controlled by aSmart Alternator Regulator. They eachhave an isolated ground with a dedi-cated ground return to the DC distribu-tion board. The engine blocks have aseparate ground return to ensure thatboth are at a common potential par-

ticularly important when only one en-gine is being run; this arrangement isnecessary to avoid electrolysis.

Smart Alternator Regulator

The Smart Alternator Regulator(SAR) utilizes 3-step regulation withbattery temperature compensation toensure safe, accurate and fast charging.The SAR also monitors the voltage on

the positive distribution bus to detectany active charging source; if present,it drives a cross-charge relay to keepthe reserve battery in a fully chargedcondition. The cross-charge relay iso-lates the reserve battery when nocharging source is present. A singleSAR is used to drive multiple alterna-tors

Solar PanelsThe Solar Panels charge the batteries

during the day. The amount of energyreplaced by the solar panels depends

on the capacity of panels fitted andsolar conditions. A greater investmentin solar energy will result in less en-gine run time. The Energy Monitorcontrols solar panel regulation bymeans of a relay fitted to the DC Dis-tribution Board. Solar charging pa-rameters are fully programmable.

Wind GeneratorThe DC Distribution Board is pre-

wired with terminations and a relaythat can be controlled by an externalswitch to turn a suitable wind genera-tor on and off. A wind generator canbe most effective to replace additionalenergy consumed by the vessel instru-ments and autopilot when the vessel issailing.

SMART ALTERNATOR REGULATOR

ENERGY MONITOR

Engineering Panel

REFRIGERATOR

FREEZER

WATER PUMP

FORWARD BILGEPUMP

TOILET SYSTEM

BLACK WATERPUMP

SHOWER SUMPPUMP

AFT BILGE PUMP

Navigation Station Panel

ANCHORLIGHT

STEAMINGLIGHT

RUNNINGLIGHTS

TRICOLORLIGHT

CABIN LIGHTS/FANS

DESALINATOR

DECK WASHPUMP

INSTRUMENTS

VHF RADIO

HF RADIO

STEREO

GASDETECTOR

HELM PANEL


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DC Electrical PanelsThe purpose of the electrical panels is

to allow switching of vessel devicesand to provide overload protection ofwires leading to devices. They are nor-mally fitted with circuit breakers,which switch power to devices andwill trip if the current in the circuitexceeds the circuit breaker rating. In

the case of a single circuit breakerfeeding multiple branch circuits, sub-fuses are used to provide over-currentprotection for each branch circuit. Ourfuse holders incorporate an LED toindicate a blown fuse condition.The wire connecting the circuit

breaker or fuse to the load is sized ac-cording to the current required for thedevice and the distance to the device.The wire will have a maximum currentcarrying capacity referred to as am-pacity. The wire may be sized higher

than the required ampacity to compen-sate for the voltage drop due to wirelength.The circuit breaker or fuse is always

sized to be less than the cable ampacityand greater than the device load. Underno circumstances should the sum ofdevice current in a circuit result in thecircuit carrying current greater than thecable ampacity rating. Further, a cir-cuit breaker or fuse fitted to a circuitshould never have a rating which ex-ceeds cable ampacity. Failure to ob-

serve these rules may result in fire and/or serious damage.

Navigation Station PanelThe Navigation Station Panel powers

devices that are commonly switchedon and off throughout the day. It isreadily accessible at the navigationstation fascia with functionality kept toa minimum for ease of operation. Carehas been taken to avoid poweringpumps and other high power devicesthat might subject sensitive navigationdevices to voltage excursions from this

panel. A dedicated circuit breakerfeeds power to the Helm Panel wherewaterproof switches control functionsapplicable to the helm station.

Engineering Panel

The Engineering Panel uses circuitbreakers to power devices that are lesslikely to be switched during the routineoperation of the vessel.

To avoid inadvertent switching ofvessel services (for example refrigera-tion) it may be advisable to recess thispanel behind a door.

Vessel Wiring and SafetyAll vessel wiring and power distribu-

tion components must connect powerto devices in a safe and efficient man-ner.

The vessel environment is prone tovibration and corrosion so all wiring ismulti-strand tinned copper and is regu-larly held in place with the use of cabletray and saddles. Heat-shrink moisturebarriers further protect wiring termina-tions that are subject to excessivemoisture ingress. Cables are selectedaccording to loads, ampacity rules andlength. Each electrical circuit isequipped with either a fuse or circuitbreaker of the correct rating to protectagainst fire.

DC Battery systems require specialcare to avoid risk of fire and/or per-sonal injury.

The battery isolation switch should

be turned to the OFF positionwhenever work is carried out onany part of the DC system.

Special care is required when

working in close proximity to thebatteries and battery switch be-cause these are not isolated whenthe switch is OFF.

AC voltages are lethal. Safety proce-dures must be followed for work onthe AC system:

Only a qualified electrical trade

person should perform work onthis system

All AC circuit breakers must be in

the off position

Inverter DC input must be discon-

nected

The shore power cord must be

removed

The generator must be disabled

from starting Any changes of wiring or design

must be documented

Your Vessel System?All vessel electrical systems follow

the same principals as discussed here.This document is an example of anelectrical system specification derivedfor an Australian 15-metre sailing ves-

More than a product

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Design - Supply - Install -

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Outback Marine Australia Pty Ltd

3/5 Ereton Drive

Labrador QLD 4215

Ph: (07) 5563-9088

Fax: (02) 9475-0486

[email protected]

System solutions for mobile:

Air Conditioning

Desalination Electrical

Electronics

Refrigeration

sel. A few changes are necessary forvessels requiring survey approval orvessels destined for foreign countries.Whether your vessel is power or sail;

mono-hull, catamaran or trimaran; forleisure or commercial use; OutbackMarine has the design and productsolution to meet your needs.For vessel designers and manufactur-

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ify an Outback Marine system to theirbuilder.

vesselelectricalsystems ebook.pdf praveen sir

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