Virtual Prototyping Process: Enabling Shipboard Sizing and Arrangement of a Power Electronics Power Distribution System

Naval shipboard power systems are complex and difficult to size and arrange due to their geographically distributed components. A modular Power Electronic Distribution System (PEPDS) built inside a Naval Integrated Power Electronic Corridor (NiPEC) has been proposed as a means of providing flexibility of power and energy delivery between sources and loads that significantly reduces electrical-thermal-structural overhead. In this study, a virtual prototyping process/that applies to PEPDS power trains is demonstrated. This approach enables the incorporation of digital twins of system building blocks, such as Power Electronic Building Block (PEBBs) and Integrated PEBB (iPEBBs) that have previously been reported on. The VPP ensures Pareto optimal integration of PEBB/iPEBB into PEPDS power trains and utilizes a unique dimensional compilation approach to account for the impacts of insulation coordination, repairability and thermal management on power density. This paper demonstrates Measure of Performance (MOP) outcomes of VPP and data management that can enable model based early-stage design exploration at the total ship level.