Modeling and analysis of the voyage cycle for ferryboat electrification

Abstract

Voyage cycle modeling provides an estimation of the battery energy requirements in preparation for the electrification of passenger ships. In this study, the objectives are to model the voyage cycle of a public transportation ferry and to determine the appropriate battery storage capacity in preparation for ferry electrification. Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS), located in Metro Manila, Philippines, was used to model a voyage cycle for ferryboat electrification. Speed and route characteristic data were gathered during the operations of the ferry through a surveyor equipped with a GPS logger. The voyage characteristics gathered, ferry specifications, and diesel engine look-up table were used as inputs to develop a Simulink model that provides the estimated fuel consumption and the equivalent power consumption of the ferry in the case of electrification. The fuel consumption estimate was validated by comparing it to the fuel consumed during actual operation. Based on initial results, the fuel consumption estimates have percentage errors that vary from 2.25 to 12.94 % compared to the actual recorded fuel consumption during operations. The instantaneous power consumption from the voyage cycle Simulink model was used as an input to battery discharge simulations to evaluate the target battery design of the equivalent electric ferry system. Using the methodology of this study, the battery configuration and capacity were determined and evaluated for a single roundtrip voyage of the passenger boat.

Highlights

• Voyage Cycle modeling can provide an overview of the performance of a ferry
• Fuel and energy consumption can be estimated from the voyage cycle
• Battery discharge simulation is a method used to verify the battery system design
• Voyage Cycle Modeling is an initial step for existing boat operators in determining the energy requirements prior to electrification