What Are The Main Types of Ship Propulsion Systems?

The type of propulsion system used on a ship depends on the vessel's requirement. The article describes the main types of propulsion systems that have been used on ships. Also find out the advantages and disadvantages of the electrical ship propulsion, which is extensively used on ships these days.

Introduction
The main engine of a ship is connected to its propeller with the help of a shaft. This whole system, along with other vital machineries is known as the ship propulsion system. The type of propulsion system used in a ship depends on several factors such as speed, power, ship type etc. Since the time man started using ships, various types of propulsion systems have been used depending on the ships requirement. In this article, we will try to have a brief overview of the kind of propulsion systems that are available in the market and their selection procedure according to the requirement.

Direct drive propulsion system

Direct propulsion system is the most commonly used system on ships. Direct propulsion system is an invariable choice for low speed diesel engines and has a very basic arrangement. It consists of a propeller, which is connected to the main engine with the help of the shaft. Maneuvering of the ship is done by controlling the speed of the main engine and by changing the direction of rotation of the propeller. Initially this system was used in almost all the ships. Direct drive propulsion system is generally used by ships plying in confined waters and in areas wherein higher speeds are not allowed.

Geared Drive Propulsion System

Geared drive propulsion system is extensively used nowadays. The system can be associated with almost all kinds of prime movers. Gearing has more than one function; it reduces the number of revolutions from the engine output in such a way that the system can derive maximum propeller efficiency. Gearing can also be used to connect one shaft to two prime movers or can be used to share power between two shafts or to connect a shaft alternator to the shaft connected to the propeller. The reversing can also be done easily by using controlled pitch propeller. However, gearing can make the task way easier.

Electrical propulsion system

Electrical propulsion was used extensively during the days of Second World War, when the ships had steam turbines as their prime movers, along with electrical drives and large gearboxes. However, nowadays most electrical drives have medium or high speed diesel engines as their prime movers.The only disadvantage of the electrical drive is that it is extremely expensive in the first cost when compared with geared drive. This is mainly because of lower mechanical efficiency, which leads to more fuel consumption and cost. In earlier times, DC motors were used with the electrical drives and the ships used to have completely separate electrical system for propulsion and other purposes. But after the invention of marine type thyristor converters the ships are able to connect all their machineries to one single electrical system, just as in a power station. Thus the power for the propulsion system, marine auxiliary machineries, and ships hotel load all comes from a common energy pool. Generators are also used with the main engine to get the near peak efficiency. Also, combining all the electrical power sources into one system has drastically helped in reducing the extra costs and method is chosen for almost all the ships now. The system is suitable especially for ships with high power requirements such as large cruise liners and specialist ships such as research vessels, ice breakers, fish factory ships, oil production and drilling vessels, cable laying ships etc. An electrical drive is thus advantageous for a ship that has a large non propulsion electrical load or for a ship wherein the number of propulsion devices are installed throughout the ship e.g. dynamically positioned offshore vessel. Apart for this, advantages of electrical propulsion also include drastic reduction in noise and vibration levels, power for the occasional use of bow thrusters without the help of any other power source, and smooth operate on very low speeds with high level of reliability. Moreover, an electrical propulsion system can be easily maintained and repaired. It provides the facility of using all machineries on one fuel type. The requirement of spares is also absolutely low. The system can work on low grade fuels, increasing the cost efficiency of the whole operation.

Different Types of Marine Propulsion Systems Used in the Shipping World

Today ship propulsion is not just about successful movement of the ship in the water. It also includes using the best mode of propulsion to ensure a better safety standard for the marine ecosystem along with cost efficiency. Some of the various types of propulsion systems used in ships can be enumerated as follows: Diesel Propulsion: Diesel propulsion system is the most commonly used marine propulsion system converting mechanical energy from thermal forces. Diesel propulsion systems are mainly used in almost all types of vessels along with small boats and recreational vessels.

Wind Propulsion: Wind propulsion emerged as an alternative to those systems which emit huge quantities of CO2 gases in the marine atmosphere. However, the usage of wind turbine marine propulsion has not started extensively in large commercial ships because of a requirement of constant windiness. Two wind propulsion systems for ships that have become lately are- kite propulsion and sail propulsion for merchant ships.

Nuclear Propulsion: Naval vessels incorporate the usage of nuclear maritime propulsion. Using the nuclear fission process, nuclear propulsion is a highly complex system consisting of water reactors and other equipments to fuel the vessel. The nuclear reactors in the ships are also used to generate electricity for the ship. Several merchant ships are also being planned to be constructed with this propulsion system

Gas Turbine Propulsion: Gas turbine propulsion is used for naval as well as non-naval ships. In case of naval ships, the gas turbine propulsion system aids in faster movement of the ships which is necessary in case of the ship coming under attack.

Fuel Cell Propulsion: Fuel cell propulsion systems use hydrogen as the main fuel component. Electricity is created in the fuel cell without any combustion whatsoever. The process is clean and therefore has been regarded as a very important alternative marine propulsion system. There are various types of propulsion under the fuel cell propulsion head like PEM (Photon-Exchange-Membrane) and the molten-carbonate systems.

Biodiesel Fuel Propulsion: Biodiesel propulsion has been deemed as a potential marine propulsion system for the future. Currently tests are being carried out to find out about the viability of this propulsion system which is expected to be in full operation by the year 2017.

Solar Propulsion: Solar propulsion for ships was utilised for the first time in the year 2008. Solar propulsion benefits include a high reduction in the poisonous carbon dioxide emissions. Solar propulsions are capable of generating a capacitance as high as 40 kilowatts (kW).

Steam Turbine Propulsion: Steam turbine propulsion involves the usage of coal or other steamgenerating fuels to propel the vessel. Steam turbine maritime propulsion system was highly utilised between the late 19th and the early 20th century.

Diesel-Electric Propulsion: In simple terms, diesel-electric ship propulsion systems use a combination of a generator operated by electricity attached to a diesel motor. The technology has been in use since the early 1900s. In todays times, submarines and merchant ships incorporate the diesel -electric propulsion system to propel themselves.

Water-Jet Propulsion: Water-jet propulsion has been used since the year 1954. The most important advantage of water-jet propulsion is that it does not cause noise pollution and offers a high speed to the vessels. In contrast the water-jet propulsion as a ship propulsion system is costlier to maintain which can cause problems to the user.

Gas fuel or Tri Fuel Propulsion: LNG fuel is now utilised to be burnt in the Main Engine after adopting some modification in the propulsion engine to reduce emission from the ship. It is known as tri fuel because it can burn gas fuel, diesel and heavy fuel.

The various types of propulsion systems offer their own unique advantages to a vessel. Depending on the necessity and the requirement, the best type of ship propulsion system needs to be fitted. Only then the vessel will be able to offer its optimum service capacitance.