Power converter design for unmanned vessel

Abstract

Electrical power converters are the basic important parts of certain applications like unmanned vehicles, solar, motor drives, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), etc. Their purpose is to convert from unstable power to stable power, such as AC-DC, AC-AC, DC-DC, DC-AC, etc. Power converters can be used in unmanned ships, where it can be mounted and installed by a suitable robot arm, which replaces a human being. It will gain safe voyage and smooth operation as long as there are no more human beings working onboard the vessel. Furthermore, the ship’s electrical equipment is required to redesign and improve so that it is easier for a robot arm to replace the failed power converter to a most suitable one. Unfortunately, there are certain limitations of robot arm because it is expensive and heavy. Automation warehouse system is also necessary to transport the spare parts from one place to another. I assist the Rolls-Royce engineer, Mr. Gary Wilson, to do research on power converters from different manufacturers, such as VACON and Emerson, robot arms from many companies, like ABB and Yaskawa, and automated warehouse systems, such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and conveyor belts. Dual robot arm from Yaskawa and AGVs were chosen to mount and install the Emerson power converter into the electrical cabinet. Commissioning and testing were done by offshore operator. Once implementation and testing were completed, the electricity transferred from the supply source to the motor drive or DC battery via power converters. However, the installation cost was still high.