COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Module Title:Integrated Engineering Systems Design
Module Code:5ENT1033
Assignment Title: Yacht Auxiliary Power - Design 1
Individual Assignment
Tutor:Dr Geoff Angel /Ms Anna Kennett
Internal Moderator:MrRogerio Alves
Forename:
Family Name:
SRN:
Year Code:
Gurnoor Singh
Malhotra
18057617
2021
|Technical Specifications:
Overview of the Electrical Power Generation system on a Sailing YachtWe will now look at Technical Specifications of a Power generation system/APU (auxiliary
power unit) to operate autonomously without reliance on ground support equipment such as a
ground power unit. This will be designed to provide the electrical power to the cabin and crew
living quarters of a Sailing Yacht on a daily basis. The power requirements should be for up to
12 people living full time in a 53 metre yacht.
Context or Background:
Electricity plays a pivotal role aboard a seagoing vessel, not only for our personal comforts but
also running key sailing equipment such as the vessel's instruments, radar, self-steering,
navigation lights etc. Indeed the vessel itself and its crew may be put in jeopardy if there is not
enough power to start the engine.
Performance:
 Ideally, the daily power generation should be more than the daily load. That means
required power generation through the APU should be around 450 Amp hours
(explained in system feasibility).
 Charging capacity between 10-25% of the Yacht’s total battery capacity. I.e. around
40A – 100A.
 Modularity of design to ease scale up into bigger power ranges
Operational Duty:
 Up to 24hr usage – 7days/week in a humid area. Should be compatible under wet
conditions.
Environment:

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Good ventilation – air/ fume extraction possible.
Low noise system with an operational range of 50-65dB max.
Ambient air temperature less than 35℃ .
A portable system not having a weight more than 65kilos. .
Maintenance and Servicing:

The auxiliary power unit should be serviced every 600-1000 hours (about 4-6 months) to
maintain optimum performance.

In between these check-ups, keep an eye out for cracks and/or corrosion on the mounts, radiator,
connectors, and seals. Be sure to regularly wash and rinse your unit to keep out debris build-up.

Every 6 months - major service of all serviceable components/ change of lubricants/
filters
 Every 12 months- Major strip down of product, replace of worn parts, safety check and
replenish of lubricants.
Life expectancy: approximately 8-10 years with proper maintenance.
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Manufacturing cost/ unit: Around £7000 per unit
Interface and Physical Envelope:
 Standard electrical interface/Controller
 Maximum mass of product of structure plus systems 500kg
|System Feasibility:
Using the key values from Technical specifications. We need a power generator/APU which can
generate enough power to operate several functions on dock. The first step to determine how
much power generation needs to be fitted to a vessel is to estimate the amount of power that is
used onboard.
Loading analysis of the Yacht:
Photo: Delatbabel
In the table above:
 Current drawn by any equipment is considered in Amps in the 2nd column.
 In 3rd and 4th column the usage of the respective equipment is considered in hours per
day when anchored and while usage on passage respectively.
 In the 5th and 6th column the Current drawn is multiplied by the usage in hours per day
when anchored and passage respectively. This gives us a total Amp hours of around
230Amps per day when on passage.
 A good idea would be to have a battery capacity that was no less than 2x the daily load
of all of the equipment that uses power that is around 450 Amp hours per day.
Therefore total power requirement for the system to produce per hour
Watt-hours = Amp-hours * Volts
Total Wh(at 120V) = 450*120 = 54000Wh/day
Therefore the system needs to produce 5400watt of power per hour to charge a battery with
100amp capacity which requires 232Ah/day and provide continuous current to the 53 meter
Yacht which requires 230Ah/day.
Only considering power usage when anchored:
Total amp hours = 56
Total watt hours =56*12= 6720Wh/day
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|System component List:
Petrol/Diesel Electric generators:
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Diesel/Petrol Engine - This is the source of the mechanical energy produced by burning fuel.
Alternator- the alternator takes mechanical energy created by the diesel engine, which drives the
rotor to create a magnetic field that moves around the stator, which in turn generates an
alternating current.
Fuel system- The fuel system mainly consists of a fuel tank with a pipe that connects it to the
engine. Here, diesel can be supplied directly to the engine.
Control panel- This is simply where the generator is controlled and operated.
Main assembly Frame- It keeps everything together, and it can be an open design - or closed
(canopied) for added protection and sound attenuation.
Battery Charger- The battery charger keeps charge inside it, either by an external source or the
generator itself. It helps kick starting the generator.
Wind turbine/ Solar Power combined generation set:
Wind turbine Tower - Made from tubular steel, concrete, or steel lattice. Supports the structure of the turbine.
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Rotor - Rotor is the rotating part of a turbine; it consists of (mostly) three blades and the central
part that the blades are attached to, the hub.
Nacelle- The nacelle is housing on top of the tower that accommodates all the components that
need to be on a turbine top.
Generator- The generator is the component that converts the mechanical energy of the rotor,
harnessed from wind to electrical energy. A generator has the same structure as an electric
motor.
Solar Power
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Solar photovoltaic panels- Solar panels are made out of photovoltaic cells, Photovoltaic cells
are sandwiched between layers of semi-conducting materials such as silicone.
Power Inverter- Converts DC electricity to AC electricity.
Battery - solar powered systems are built with a battery backup included for when the sun does
not shine such as on dull days or at night.
Small Gas Turbine (similar to Boeing 747 Auxiliary Power unit):
 Compressor - It draws air into the engine, pressurizes it, and feeds it to the combustion
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chamber at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour.
Combustor- in Combustor the fuel is mixed with the high-pressure air and burned.
The turbine (and exhaust) section. The turbine section of the gas turbine engine has the task
of producing usable output shaft power to drive the propeller and produce mechanical energy.
Fuel Cell Generation Set:
 Polymer electrolyte membrane: a specially treated material that looks something like ordinary
kitchen plastic wrap—conducts only positively charged ions and blocks the electrons.
 Catalyst Layers: On the anode side, the platinum catalyst enables hydrogen molecules to be
split into protons and electrons. On the cathode side, the platinum catalyst enables oxygen
reduction by reacting with the protons generated by the anode, producing water.
 Bipolar Plates: These plates, which may be made of metal, carbon, or composites, provide
electrical conduction between cells, as well as providing physical strength to the stack.
 Gaskets: Each MEA in a fuel cell stack is sandwiched between two bipolar plates, but gaskets
must be added around the edges of the MEA to make a gas-tight seal. These gaskets are usually
made of a rubbery polymer.
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System selection table:
Parameter/Features
System Choice
1
System
Choice 2
System
Choice 3
------------------------------
Petrol/Diesel
Electric
generators
Wind
turbine/
Solar
Power
combined
generatio
n set
Small Gas
Turbine
Fuel Cell
Generatio
n Set
Ratings
Performance
5
5
5
5
Performance all the same
Operational Duty
5
5
3*
4
*Due to lubrication could be an
issue in extremely humid
surrounding.
Life of Product
4
5
4
3*
*Gear wear issues due to
lubrication issues
Environment
3
5
2*
5
*noise may be too loud
Maintenance and
Servicing
4
5
2*
5
*Might require more servicing
stops
Numbers of
Products Produced
5*
4
3
4
*Easier to produce in high
quantities, engines mass
produced
Manufacturing cost/
unit
4
1*
1
1
Could cost more due to
additional/special equipment
required
Interface and
Physical Envelope
3
3
4
5**
Totals for each
system concept
33
33
24
32
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**This system could be the most
compact
Having rated and compared all the parameters for all 4 system choices in the selection table, it
turns out, that when considering all the parameters, the best and most appropriate system for the
APU ties down between Petrol/Diesel Electric genset and Wind turbine/ Solar Power combined
generation set.
However, we only looked at a sample System Selection Table. In real life, we would be
considering detail system parameters and values as worked out in the System Feasibility lecture
at detail level as well. But giving more importance to the environmental perspective Wind turbine/
Solar Power combined generation set would be considered best system as an APU.
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