How one 200kVA Shore Power Supply Generated Good Result For Marine Applications

The Challenge: Power Supply Between Frequencies

When I first visited the artificial island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the challenge was immediately clear. This magnificent engineering marvel, built to support the facilities and critical infrastructure, was caught between two power standards. While the turbine power activate the generator operates at 60Hz,  the specialized equipment—particularly marine systems and facilities—required stable 50Hz power to operate efficiently.

The existing solution? Customer needs a clean, reliable shore power supply that could continuously convert frequencies while withstanding the harsh marine environment.

The Solution: A Tailor-made 200kVA Frequency Converter System

We designed and implemented a robust 200kVA static shore power supply specifically engineered for this demanding application. Here’s what our solution delivered:

• Precise Frequency Conversion: Using advanced IGBT/SPWM sinusoidal pulse width modulation technology, the system reliably converts the turbine incoming power 440Vac 60Hz to output 400Vac 50Hz output, perfect for powering all vessel systems and sensitive island equipment.
• Designed for Marine Environments: we utilized metal enclosure with IP54 / NEMA 4 protection rating , with Moisture proof and salt spray resistant for PCBs.
• Voltage Stability: The power supply system maintains voltage stability within ±0.5% in load regulation and voltage stability within ±1% in line regulation, even when supporting equipment with high inrush currents like Cranes and Air-cons.
• Intelligent Monitoring: With a digital control interface HMI, to provide real-time monitoring of voltage, current, frequency, power, and power factors, to have completely protection against over-voltage, under-voltage, overload and overheating.

Key Benefits to Customer

The change was remarkable. The new 200kVA frequency converter provided:

• Significant Cost Savings: 12 pulse rectifier was introduced to the 200kva shore power supply configuration, with power factor ≥0.93 and overall efficiency ≥90%.
• Reliability: The system’s dynamic response to load changes (≤3% voltage stabilization, recovery within ≤0.5s ) eliminated power disruptions to sensitive equipment.
• Operational Flexibility: The system can also function in reverse, converting three phase 50Hz to 60Hz with output voltage adjustable when needed, making it invaluable for testing equipment.

Key Points for Marine Power Projects

Several principles revealed that are crucial for any marine power supply installation from this project:

1. Environmental Protection Isn’t Optional: In marine environments, IP54 rating or higher is essential for a long time to run .
2. Understand the Load Characteristics: Proposing a applicable power rating without to analyze both steady-state and peak current when load start-up—especially motor and pump starting currents .
3. Optimize Serviceability: Design for easy maintenance and consider the durability, as marine environments accelerate the salt-spray corrosion, cable ageing and fray.
4. Plan for Batteries back-up: Critical operations may require backup systems to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Conclusion

This 200kVA shore power supply project demonstrates how the right power conversion technology can significantly enhance operational efficiency, and provide critical infrastructure reliability. For any maritime facility facing frequency conversion challenges—whether for shore power and vessel power, static solid-state frequency converter technology offers a proven, sustainable solution.

Whether you’re looking for a frequency converter 60Hz to 50Hz or vice versa, the key is associated with experienced engineers who understand both power systems and marine applications.