Blog

Revolutionizing Ships and Ports: The Rise of Renewable Microgrids

February 22, 2023
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on making marine power systems more energy efficient and green. One way to achieve this is through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, a technique that allows engineers to validate control algorithms for optimization of efficient energy use and that supports the integration of various distributed energy resources (DERs) into a well-functioning whole. Read t…

Design Solutions When Your Vessel is a Microgrid

November 3, 2022
As vessels of all types and sizes become increasingly electrified and digitally controlled, new technology and solutions are required for systems/lifecycle engineering. This article describes Typhoon HIL’s Controller Hardware in the Loop (CHIL) solution and makes an argument for why the technology must be adopted for success.

The Ship is a Microgrid Part II: Why is This so Hard to Design and Build?

June 24, 2019
This is an extension of our previous blog relating a ship’s power system to a microgrid – interconnected loads (propulsion, C4ISR, propulsion, and auxiliary) and distributed energy resources (power generation, distribution, and energy storage) acting as a controllable entity. We will be describing a layman’s perspective on digital engineering as it applies to microgrid design, building, commissioning, ope…

The Ship is a Microgrid Part I: Why is This so Hard to Design and Build?

August 8, 2017
In the realm of naval and merchant marine ships, the concept of a ship as a microgrid—comprising interconnected loads and distributed energy resources—has gained significant importance due to increasing electrification and computerized control. The complexity of power electronic design at both the component and system levels is magnified by multi-physics interactions and the long service life of these v…

5 Problems Controller HIL Solves in Shipboard Power System Testing

September 23, 2016
Modern shipboard power systems (SPS) are increasingly complex, filled with digital control, protection, and communication hardware and software. As ships become smarter and more electric, the complexity of these systems will only grow. This complexity has led to costly commissioning delays for sophisticated vessels due to SPS software issues. To address these challenges, advanced testing tools like the Mari…