FISHERIES PROTECTION VESSEL MEERKATZE - A DIESEL-ELECTRIC SHIP WITH A SIEMENS THYRISTOR-RECTIFIER SYSTEM

The single-screw Diesel-electric fisheries protection vessel Meerkatze, which entered the service of the West German Government in Dec. 1977, was designed by the ZSM <the centre for ship and machinery technology in Hamburg> and built by the Lurssen shipyard at Bremen-Vegesack. Her design is largely based on that of the Frithjof, which went into service in 1968. Principal particulars of the two ships are:- Length, o.a. 76.5 m; Breadth, moulded 11.75 m; Depth, to main deck 7.1 m; Draught, maximum 5.45 m; Speed, trials 15.5 knots. Instead of having a Ward-Leonard system, as in the Frithjof, the Meerkatze's propulsion motor is supplied through a thyristor system. This rectifier arrangement, and the electricity generation and distribution arrangements throughout the ship, form the main subject of the article. The generating capacity in the Meerkatz is 4.16 MVA. There are three 1150 kVA and one 710 kVA 1500 rpm Diesel-alternator sets; the alternators are brushless, self-exciting, synchronous machines with Thyripart automatic voltage regulation <this thyristor system is briefly described>.The generator output voltage, 660 V, is the operating voltage of the larger consumers such as the propulsion motor, bow thruster and air-condit- ioning system. The ship's mains are supplied through two 250 kVA transformers; operating voltage is 380/220; radio and other sensitive equipment is supplied through a 25 kVA motor-generator. The d.c. propulsion motor is a 2 x 1150kW, 165 rpm double machine, with a thyristor rectifier for each of its two sections. After listing the operational requirements in this type of ship, together with the advantages of the electrical arrangements in the newer ship as compared with those in the Frithjof, the article describes and dis- cusses in detail the Meerkatze's electrical arranegments. Block diagrams are included of the propulsion-system arrangements and their thyristor-rectifier circuits. The ship has now completed over a year of arduous but satisfactory service.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hansa, 116 <l979>, p. 983 <No. 12, June> (6 pp., 5 ref., 2 diag., 3 phot.)
• Authors:
  • Dobinski, H
  • Lang
  • W
  • Buschen, R
• Publication Date: 1979

Language

• German

Subject/Index Terms

• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00683309
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM