A refined approach (methodology) for the ship electric power plant reactive power balance calculation
The issues of reactive power balance of vessels are given insufficient attention during both the design and operation. For some vessels, calculation of shipboard electric power plant with the tabular method is done without evaluation of the reactive power balance. Furthermore reactive power consumption can be incorrectly calculated based on the load factor of conventional electrical equipment: induction motors and transformers. At the same time, there is an increase in reactive flows in shipboard power systems caused by the large-scale implementation of energy efficient lighting and power semiconductor technologies. The growth of reactive loads leads to an increase in energy losses and reduction of electrical equipment service life. The paper presents a refined approach for reactive power consumption calculation of induction motors, transformers and semiconductor converters. For the first time ever, the data on reactive power consumption of energy-saving lamps and contactors has been presented on the basis of experimental studies. The obtained results will be useful for the reactive power balance calculation during the design of shipboard electric power systems.