Modeling and Control of Marine Diesel Generator System With Active Protection

On-board dc grid systems have been proposed in the marine industry to reduce specific fuel consumption and to improve dynamic performance and manoeuvrability. The primary energy sources of an on-board dc system are variable frequency operating diesel engine generators with an active frontend converter system. Such systems might suffer disturbances from the engine side as well as from the electrical load side. These dynamic conditions result in torque overloads in the mechanical system, resulting in failures to sensitive driveline components. To understand the dynamics associated with disturbances and to propose a robust and reliable system, a detailed modeling approach is required. This paper presents complete modeling of a diesel generator system, including cylinder pressure, mechanical driveline system, electrical generator characteristics, and control system of an active front-end converter. The detailed model is used to develop a novel power electronic-based controller to reduce elevated load levels induced during disturbances. The controller increases the damping ratio of the first natural frequency by using the speed difference between a generator and a flywheel. The generator speed is estimated while fly wheel inertia speed is measured from an existing speed sensor used for monitoring and electronic control, and their difference is used to improve the reliability under disturbance conditions. Simulation with the detailed model has indicated excessive drivetrain loads and potential damage to critical components. The proposed controller enhances the damping of the system by transferring the torsional energy to the electrical system, reducing the shaft torque amplitude during resonance. This paper presents simulation results demonstrating the fidelity of the diesel generator model as well as the effectiveness of the proposed controller.