Sizing and Control of a Hybrid Ship Propulsion System Using Multi-Objective Double-Layer Optimization

Ship hybridization has received some interests recently in order to achieve the emission target by 2050. However, designing and optimizing a hybrid propulsion system is a complicated problem. Sizing components and optimizing energy management control are coupled with each other. This paper applies a nested double-layer optimization architecture to optimize the sizing and energy management of a hybrid offshore support vessel. Three different power sources, namely diesel engines, batteries and fuel cells, are considered which increases the complexity of the optimization problem. The optimal sizing of the components and their corresponding energy management strategies are illustrated. The effects of the operational profiles and the emission reduction targets on the hybridization design are studied for this particular type of vessel. The results prove that a small emission reduction target of about 10% can be achieved by improving the diesel engine efficiency using the batteries only while the achievement of a larger emission reduction target mainly depends on the amount of the hydrogen and/or on-shore charging electricity consumed. Some design guidelines for hybridization are derived for this particular ship which could be also valid for other vessels with similar operational profiles.