Integrated voltage and reactive power control for all electric ship power systems

All electric ship alternators are connected to a main busbar which feeds all shipboard electric loads. To fulfill power quality requirements of the resulting electrical system, high-performance control of busbar voltage and frequency is needed. Such a task is not of easy accomplishment, due to the complexity of shipboard power station (generators are many and differ by sizes, prime movers, control systems, etc.) and to the intrinsic weakness of the shipboard grid. In this frame, a key power quality issue is voltage control. This paper presents an innovative shipboard voltage and VAR integrated regulator (WIRE). The WIRE controls main busbar voltage and jointly optimizes the reactive power generated by each alternator. It is designed to be interfaced with onboard automation and to realize the integrated management of all reactive power sources (rotating, capacitive, static). Furthermore it satisfies naval requirements as redundancy and fast commissioning.