PSCAD Model of the Marine Sub-system with Nonlinear Load for Power Quality Assesment

The proposed paper deals with the problem of power quality (PQ) assessment in marine microgrids. Particularly, the problem of voltage and current waveform distortions is considered. The paper's main aim is experimental assessment of electromagnetic transient program (EMTP) PSCAD model of bow thruster sub-system onboard of example ship. The real sub-system model is developed, which consists of shaft generator, power converter and electric motor driving thruster propeller. Next, the voltage and current waveforms for three bow thruster loads are determined and the severity of harmonic distortions is calculated. Finally, the results of the distortion modeling are compared against the real measurement results. The research is to test the ability of example EMTP software to assessment of PQ in marine microgrids during the system design and integration, as required by provisions of Requirements Concerning Electrical and Electronic Installations by International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). This is to evaluate the system design, particularly to predict the risky configuration and operating conditions that could lead to a shipboard microgrid malfunction or failure.