The naval base in Portsmouth, spread over 150 hectares, with 10 kilometers of waterfront, is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, including frigates, vessels, the Fishery Protection Squadron and the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. Now BAE systems, the contractor responsible for the dockyard electrical systems, is installing ABB´s new shore-to-ship power solution to energize high power consumption vessels in a pioneering project.
Port operators in different parts of the world are adopting shore-to-ship power connections that enable berthed vessels to shut down their diesel engines and plug in to the port-side network to power their onboard loads. This offers a number of benefits, including saving fuel costs, cutting emissions and reducing the impact of noise and vibration on the local environment.
Previously, frequency conversion in the power supply at Portsmouth was carried out by rotary frequency converters (RFCs) – complex mechanical systems that combine motors, generators, drives and ancillary regulation and control equipment. As the RFCs in Portsmouth were nearing the end of their service life, BAE Systems turned to ABB for new solid-state power electronics technology.
ABB responded by developing a new solution based on medium voltage static frequency conversion (SFC) technology. Unlike the RFC, the SFC has no moving parts, apart from its cooling fans, ensuring a high level of reliability with minimum maintenance requirements. Lower costs per MVA, proven technology and higher SFC efficiency (over 98%) allow a clear reduction in the total cost of ownership for end users, allowing savings of up to 25%.
ABB is supplying the SFC as part of a complete package including a dry-type 11 kilovolt (kV) to 6.6 kV transformer and control equipment to interface with the dockyard’s electrical management system. The project is scheduled for completion in 2019.
“Providing Portsmouth Navy Base with a state-of-the-art shore-to-ship power solution will help enhance overall efficiency while minimizing environmental impact,” said Patrick Fragman, Head of ABB’s Grid Integration business, a part of the company’s Power Grids division. “This project is another example of our commitment to sustainable transportation and reinforces our position as a partner of `choice for a stronger, smarter and greener grid.”