Advanced features of the reconstructed special purpose river ship Kozara with a diesel electric drive (DED)

Abstract

The paper presents the reasons for the reconstruction of the special purpose river ship BPN-30 Kozara as well as some of the vessel’s characteristics. The modified ship is equipped with two diesel generator sets, 400 kW each, which drive two electric motors, 250 kW each, the bow thruster of 90kW, and supply the ship with electrical power of 90 kW. The main diesel electric generators can operate independently or in parallel. An auxiliary diesel generator set, output power of 70 kW, is installed onboard to supply the ship with electricity when connected to shore. The tests performed show a significant improvement of the manoeuvring and propulsion characteristics of the ship compared to the former conventional diesel-powered two engines, rated power 294.4 kW each. The paper outlines other advantages of the ship with electric propulsion such as increased comfort for everyone onboard and the possibility of downstream economical cruising with a single diesel engine in operation. It can be concluded that the diesel electric drive presented in the paper shows a number of advantages for the operation of river ships that can be recommended for different river ships.