DC grids on ships

The design of a sustainable energy system for ships is gaining increasing importance and political relevance as the climate crisis worsens. An electrical energy system based on direct current (DC) is regarded as having great potential to increase energy efficiency as well as to foster a decentralized integration of alternative energy supplies such as fuel cells, photovoltaic systems or battery storages. These inherent DC components can be integrated into DC grids in a simplified way avoiding conversion losses and increasing energy efficiency. Challenges lie within the development of the necessary grid structure, the control and dimensioning of components and converters and the applicability on a wide range of ship types. On cruise ships, the need for thermal energy for hotel operations must be taken into account as well.

At the Institute for Mechatronics in Mechanics we offer student research projects (bachelor’s, project, master’s theses) on the following topics within the framework of a joint research project:

• Requirements of DC systems, feed-in and load profiles
• Sector coupling of different energy forms (mechanical, electrical, thermal)
• Determination of boundary conditions (economic, ecological, …)
• Modeling of energy systems and components
• Optimization of energy systems, components and grid structures
• Development of generic load profiles
• Determination of key performance indicators / investigation of various hardware components
• Development of control concepts
• Simulation of different network states
• Investigation of various hardware components in the institute’s laboratory

The specific theses will be created individually. Please contact us!

Contact: Jana Ihrens, Timon Hartwich