Controller Design for Hybrid Diesel Electric Ship Propulsion during Transient Operation

This work investigates the improvement in performance of a combustion engine with the assistance of an electric motor, with appropriate control systems, for transient load uptake, smoke emission reduction, reduced pollutant emissions and lower fuel consumption. For the hybrid diesel electric powertrain, an energy control management strategy dictates the required torque from the electric motor so as to track a reference air-to-fuel ratio/stoichiometric (タvalue) in the diesel engine. The feasibility and validity of the proposed control strategy was tested experimentally. A comparison between the hybrid powertrain and the standard engine setup (without the assistance from the electric motor), shows the benefits of a hybrid setup during transient loading conditions.