The Switch Powers World’s Largest Marine Battery

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Mfame Editor
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Credits: Roberto Sorin/Unsplash

The Switch, a Helsinki-based power electronics specialist, will supply its DC-Hub and advanced protection devices, ECL and BSCL, for the world’s largest fully electric RoPax ferry ordered by Buquebus, an Argentine ferry operator.

Revolutionizing Marine

Wärtsilä, a technology group, will equip the vessel with e-motor driven waterjets. This ship features a battery and energy storage system four times larger than any other electric/hybrid ship currently in operation.

Corvus Energy will provide a substantial 40 MWh Dolphin NextGen lightweight Energy Storage System, the largest ever installed on a ship.

Words Of GM

  • “We’re very proud to be contributing to this milestone project at a time when marine battery systems are getting bigger and bigger,” says Paul Atherton, General Manager Operation Unit Norway at The Switch.
  • “The project represents a big leap for the industry, which our proprietary DC-Hub power distribution drives and protection technology are helping to enable. Without our game-changing protection devices, it simply wouldn’t be possible to make battery systems safe on this scale.”

DC Power

  1. DC power distribution is known for its energy efficiency compared to AC systems in many ship applications.
  2. With larger batteries, ultra-fast and fail-safe protection is crucial to handle larger short-circuit currents while reducing the system’s size.

“Our suite of ultra-fast disconnect devices are specifically designed to guarantee safe DC distribution under all sailing conditions. Our protection devices also help to find optimal and compact solution especially with large batteries. This makes DC increasingly attractive for future-flexibility,” says Teemu Heikkilä, Head of Product Line Converters at The Switch.

Ultrafast Devices

The 4 ultrafast devices protect inside The Switch DC-Hubs, between DC-Hubs, and to and from batteries.

  • ECL
  • BSCL
  • EDCB
  • EBL

ECL: The Switch Electronic Current Limiter handles faults toward the batteries from the DC-Hub, protecting them from external failure and ensure ride-through.

BSCL: The Switch Battery Short-Circuit Limiter restricts any short-term current from batteries, immediately blocking the short-circuit system. This allows more batteries to be connected to the electrical system and fewer DC-Hubs, making the entire system more compact.

EDCB: The Switch Electronic DC Breaker protects against short-circuit faults inside a DC-Hub and ensures ride-through. This semiconductor-based device disconnects any failing drive module within 10 microseconds from the common DC link.

EBL: The Switch Electronic Bus Link connects the vessel’s DC-Hubs and protects against faults between DC-Hubs. The DP3-rated and DNV-approved EBL provides protection outside the DC-Hub by splitting onboard grids in microseconds to isolate any faulty DC-Hub.

With an overall length of 130 meters and a width of 32 meters it will be able to carry 2,100 passengers and 226 cars on services between Argentina and Uruguay. Delivery is scheduled for 2025.

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Source: The Switch