Impact Factor(JCC): 1.5548 - This article can be downloaded from www.impactjournals.

us

IMPACT: International Journal of Research in
Engineering & Technology (IMPACT: IJRET)
ISSN(E): 2321-8843; ISSN(P): 2347-4599
Vol. 2, Issue 5, May 2014, 51-58
Impact Journals

AN IMPLEMENTATION OF ADVANCED HYBRID TECHNOLOGY IN
MARINE VESSELS
ARJUN VIMAL RAJ R
1
& C. JAGADEESH VIKRAM
2
1
Research Scholar, Department of Automobile Engineering, BIST, Bharath University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Project Supervisor, Professor, Department of Automobile Engineering, BIST, Bharath University,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on advanced hybrid marine vessel technology is a proposed idea that involves inculcating solar
energy, wind energy and oxy hydrogen (HHO) for marine propulsion solutions. The objective and scope of this project is
to propose an idea in hybrid marine vessel technology using renewable resources.
KEYWORDS: Hybrid Marine Vessel Technology (HMVT), Oxy-Hydrogen,

Fossil Fuels, Generators, Propellers,
Hydrofoil and Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
INTRODUCTION
The major need for fossil fuel to drive locomotives has caused pollution and its depletion. Fossil fuel demand has
also made it expensive along course of time. Necessities being the mother of invention, several ideas are innovated and
synergized in order to overcome the demands and drawback of the conventional fuel system. One of such innovative
concept includes the hybrid marine vessel technology. Hybrid Marine Vessel Technology (HMVT) incorporates the use of
generators

that is used to supply power to the electric motors

which in turn drives the propellers

or other marine propulsion
solutions. Along with this propulsion system, Solar panels, Wind turbines, Hydrofoils

and Oxy hydrogen

are combined and
integrated using the Electronic Control Unit (ECU).
Solar Panels
A solar panel is a set of solar photovoltaic modules electrically connected and mounted on a supporting structure.
A photovoltaic module is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a
larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. Solar powered
boats have mainly been limited to rivers and canals, but in 2007 an experimental 14m catamaran, the Sun 21 sailed the
Atlantic from Seville to Miami, and from there to New York.
Japan's biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen KK and Nippon Oil Corporation said solar panels capable of
generating 40 kilowatts of electricity would be placed on top of a 60,213 ton car carrier ship to be used by Toyota Motor
Corporation. In 2010, the Tranor Planet Solar, a 30 meter long, 15.2 meter wide catamaran yacht powered by 470 square
meters of solar panels, was unveiled. It is set to circumnavigate the Earth and is so far the largest solar-powered boat ever
built. Various demonstration systems have been made. Curiously, none yet takes advantage of the huge power gain that
water cooling would bring. In 2007, the PV powered boat Transatlantic 21 successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean power
only by solar electricity. In 2012, Planet Solar became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe.
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Index Copernicus Value: 3.0
The low power density of current
sails (which do not generate electricity
(such as refrigeration, lighting and communications).
they do not create noise, require fuel and
Wind Turbine
A wind turbine is a device that
for charging batteries may be referred to
energy harvester ship propels itself by use
They use wind power through
electric, storage batteries may also be
Several types can be made; these include
windmill when the ship does not need to
often equipped with low-friction hull designs,
hydrofoils can be equipped with windmills,
the craft. In this case, the windmills only
At present, research is still going on and
horizontal axis wind mills are proven
(e.g. Savonius turbines) are sometimes
tend to degrade windmills more quickly
Few windmill ships have been
Jim Bates' Te whaka
Lindsay Olen's Thrippence
Peter Worsley's windmill-driven
Jim Wilkinson's Revelation 2
Arjun Vimal Raj

Index Copernicus Value: 3.0 - Articles can be sent to [email protected]

current solar panels limits the use of solar propelled vessels,
electricity unlike combustion engines) rely on battery power
communications). Here solar panels have became popular
and often can be seamlessly added to existing deck space.

Figure 1: Solar Panel Power System
that converts kinetic energy from the wind into electrical
to as a wind charger. A windmill ship, wind energy conversion
use of a windmill to drive a propeller.
through a mechanical or electrical transmission to the propeller.
be used to allow power generated at one time to be
include windmill-only ships as well as hybrid ships which
to be propelled. To reduce the energy required to propel
designs, such as multihull, or they are hydrofoils. Boats
windmills, but often the force generated by the windmills alone
only provide supplemental force to conventional sails
and the best types of bladed rotors still needs to be determined.
proven to make the ship less stable. Therefore,
sometimes preferred. Also, the wind mill needs to be highly durable
quickly than what is common on land.


been built to date; these include
driven boat

Arjun Vimal Raj R & C. Jagadeesh Vikram
[email protected]
vessels, however boats that use
power for electrical appliances
popular for recharging batteries as
space.
electrical power. A wind turbine used
conversion system ship or wind
propeller. Where transmission is
used for propulsion later on.
which store wind power from the
propel the boat, windmill ships are
Boats without low-friction hulls or
alone is not sufficient to propel
sails or other propulsion systems.
determined. For example, high
Therefore, vertical axis wind mills
durable as marine environments
An Implementation of Advanced Hybrid Technology in Marine Vessels

Impact Factor(JCC): 1.
Hydrofoils
The term "hydrofoil" can have
They are similar in appearance and purpose
hydrofoil technology. Most of this article
Hydrofoils let a boat go faster
the energy expended goes into moving
Hydrofoils lift the hull out of the water
the hull. The foils on a hydrofoil boat are
1000 times as dense as air. The higher
plane before they generate enough lift to
The hydrofoils generate lift only
the surface of the water (and thus submerge
a hydrofoil must be controllable in terms
consistent depth. Whereas an airplane
limited to the length of the struts which
foils (wings stacked one above another
But the reason for stacking hydrofoils
foils make the boat easier to control when
lift only in the crests; when the boat
When a stack of ladder foils moves through
leave the water (unless the waves are really
There are two particularly persistent
Ventilation occurs when part of a hydrofoil
the foil. Since air is much less dense than
can occur at any air-water interface.
Ventilation occurs when air gets
struts, 'V' foils are particularly prone to
Cavitation occurs when the water pressure
with propellers. When a propellor
(i.e. the pressure on the lifting surface of
boil. When cavitation occurs, the foil no
An Implementation of Advanced Hybrid Technology in Marine Vessels

: 1.5548 - This article can be downloaded from www.impactjournals.us

have one of two basic meanings. Firstly, a hydrofoil is a
purpose to airfoils. Second, the term "hydrofoil" is often
article is about this meaning of hydrofoil.
faster by getting the hull out of the water. When a normal
moving the water in front of the boat out of the way (by
so that you only have to overcome the drag on the foils
are much smaller than the wings (foils) on an airplane.
higher density also means that the foils do not have to move
to push the boat out of the water.
only when they are in the water; if they leave the water,
submerge the foils) until the foils generate enough lift to lift
terms of pitch, roll, and yaw. Unlike an airplane, a hydrofoil
has a range of about 40,000 feet in which to maintain
which support the boat above the foils. Most commercial hydrofoils
with space between them). This configuration is analogous
hydrofoils is different than the reason for stacking two
when the water is not flat. If the boat is flying through waves,
boat hits a trough the wings will leave the water and
through the waves, chances are that some of the foils will
really big).
persistent problems faced by designers of hydrofoils:
hydrofoil pierces the surface of the water and air gets sucked
than water, the foil generates much less lift and the boat

Figure 2: Shape of Hydrofoils
gets sucked down to the lifting surfaces. Although ventilation
to this problem because of the shallow angle the foil makes
pressure is lowered to the point where the water starts to
propellor is turned fast enough, the blades
of the blades goes down) that the water flowing over
no longer generates enough lift and the boat crashed down
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a foil which operates in water.
often used to refer to boats using
normal boat moves forward, most of
pushing the hull through it).
foils instead of all of the drag on
This is because water is about
move anywhere near as fast as a
the boat will crash down onto
lift it back out. Like an airplane,
hydrofoil must also maintain a
maintain its altitude, a hydrofoil is
hydrofoils are boats with ladder
analogous to a biplane.
wings on an airplane. Ladder
waves, the wings will generate
and the boat will crash down.
will be submerged even if some
hydrofoils: Cavitation and ventilation.
sucked down the lifting surface of
boat crashes down. Ventilation
ventilation can occur on vertical
makes with the water surface.
boil. This frequently happens
generate so much lift
the propellor blades begins to
down onto the water. Note that a
54 Arjun Vimal Raj R & C. Jagadeesh Vikram


Index Copernicus Value: 3.0 - Articles can be sent to [email protected]

hydrofoil is not a hovercraft. Hydrofoils fly on wings in the water that generate lift whereas hovercraft floats above the
water on a layer of air. In both cases the boat's hull leaves the water, but the mechanisms by which this is achieved are
completely different.
Oxyhydrogen (HHO)
Oxyhydrogen is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases, typically in a 2:1 atomic ratio; the same proportion as
water. When bought to auto ignition temperature, oxy hydrogen will combust, turning into water vapor and producing
energy. The energy sustains the reaction. This ignition temperature is approximately 570C (1065F). At standard
temperature and pressure, oxy hydrogen can burn when it is between about 4% and 95% hydrogen by volume.

Figure 3: Electrolysis of H
2
O
Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
In automotive electronics, electronic control unit (ECU) is a generic term for any embedded system that controls
one or more of the electrical system or subsystems in a motor vehicle. The ECU consists of the following components.
Controllers
Invertors
Charging unit
Batteries
Variable frequency drives
Depending up on the motor used, i.e., AC or DC type and the power are sent from the ECU.
Controllers
A motor controller is a device or group of devices that serves to govern in some predetermined manner the
performance of an electric motor. A motor controller might include a manual or automatic means for starting and stopping
the motor, selecting forward or reverse rotation, selecting and regulating the speed, regulating or limiting the torque,
and protecting against overloads and faults.

A power inverter, or inverter, is an electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating
current (AC). The input voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall power handling, are dependent on the design of
the specific device or circuitry. A power inverter can be entirely electronic or may be a combination of mechanical effects
(such as a rotary apparatus) and electronic circuitry. Static inverters do not use moving parts in the conversion process.
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Typical applications for power inverters include
Portable consumer devices that allow the user to connect a battery, or set of batteries, to the device to produce
AC power to run various electrical items such as lights, televisions, kitchen appliances, and power tools.
Use in power generation systems such as electric utility companies or solar generating systems to convert
DC power to AC power.
Use within any larger electronic system where engineering need exists for deriving an AC source from a
DC source.
Battery
An electric battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy
into electrical energy. Each cell contains a positive terminal, or cathode, and a negative terminal, or anode. Electrolytes
allow ions to move between the electrodes and terminals, which allows current to flow out of the battery to perform work.
Charging Unit
The charger has three key functions
Getting the charge into the battery (Charging)
Optimizing the charging rate (Stabilizing)
Knowing when to stop (Terminating)
The charging scheme is a combination of the charging and termination methods.
Variable-Frequency Drive (VFD)
Variable-frequency drive (VFD) (also termed adjustable-frequency drive, variable-speed drive, AC drive, micro
drive or inverter drive) is a type of adjustable-speed drive used in electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor
speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and voltage.
OPERATING PROCEDURES
All the power sources which been described above possess own advantages and disadvantages. Using an ECU the
power generated from Solar panel, Power generated from Solar panel, Wind turbine, Oxy hydrogen electric generator is
channelized and optimized using controllers. The power is transmitted to the inverter which charges the battery and uses
the power to drive Variable frequency drive (VFD) which propels the marine vessel.

Figure 4
56 Arjun Vimal Raj R & C. Jagadeesh Vikram


Index Copernicus Value: 3.0 - Articles can be sent to [email protected]

CONCLUSIONS
Hybrid marine vessel technology is a versatile concept that involves effective application of renewable energy that
is cost effective and does not variably depend on fossil fuel that is expensive depleting, and a major cause for residual
pollution. Thus, this idea has been proposed to be economically and environmentally stable and effective.
Foot Notes
Oxy Hydrogen
Oxy hydrogen is a mixture of hydrogen (H
2
) and oxygen (O
2
) gases. This gaseous mixture is used for torches to
process refractory materials and was the first gaseous mixture used for welding. Theoretically, a ratio of 2:1 hydrogen:
oxygen is enough to achieve maximum efficiency; in practice a ratio 4:1 or 5:1 is needed to avoid an oxidizing flame.
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms.
The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million
years. Fossil fuels contain high percentages of carbon and include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. They range from
volatile materials with low carbon: hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of
almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal. Methane can be found in hydrocarbon fields, alone, associated with oil, or in the
form of methane clath rates.
Generator
A Generator is a machine that converts one form of energy into another, especially mechanical energy into
electrical energy, as a dynamo, or electrical energy into sound, as an acoustic generator.
Propeller
A mechanical device for propelling a boat or aircraft, consisting of a revolving shaft with two or more broad,
angled blades attached to it.
Hydrofoil
Hydro foil is a boat whose hull is fitted underneath with shaped vanes (foils) which lift the hull clear of the water
at speed. The term "hydrofoil" is commonly used for the wing-like structure mounted on struts below the hull, or across the
keels of a catamaran in a variety of boats (see illustration), which lifts the boat out of the water during forward motion,
in order to reduce hull drag. Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a
submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the wings of swimming
seabirds, or other creatures like the sand dollar.
Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
In automotive electronics, electronic control unit (ECU) is a generic term for any embedded system that controls
one or more of the electrical system or subsystems in a motor vehicle. The types of ECU include electronic/engine control
module (ECM), power train control module (PCM), transmission control module (TCM), brake control module
(BCM or EBCM), central control module (CCM), central timing module (CTM), general electronic module (GEM),
An Implementation of Advanced Hybrid Technology in Marine Vessels 57


Impact Factor(JCC): 1.5548 - This article can be downloaded from www.impactjournals.us

body control module (BCM), suspension control module (SCM), control unit, or control module. Taken together, these
systems are sometimes referred to as the car's computer. (Technically there is no single computer but multiple ones.)
Sometimes one assembly incorporates several of the individual control modules (PCM is often both engine and
transmission).
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