Evaluation of voltage drop in harbor electrical distribution systems with high voltage shore connection

For a variety of reasons, it is becoming an increasingly common requirement for ships to shut down ship generators and connect to high voltage shore power for as long as practicable while in port. Ship electrical equipment shall only be connected to shore supplies that are able to maintain harbor distribution system voltage quality. Voltage drop, which is produced by the possible loading conditions of a ship when connected to a shore supply, may result in unsatisfactory operation of, and damage to, electrical and electronic equipment on board and thus, must be considered in the harbor distribution system design in order to comply with the requirements of international standards. A simple and fast method able to estimate the expected magnitude of voltage drops and provide information about the effectiveness of the various mitigation methods is essential. This paper presents the methodology and results for evaluation of the voltage drops of a practical harbor electrical distribution system with high voltage shore connection (HVSC). The potential voltage drops of the implemented HVSC are quantified using standard analytical formulas. Sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the critical parameters that significantly affect voltage drops. The parameters that have great improvement benefits should have high priority for implementation in other distribution systems with HVSC. The results obtained in this paper can provide engineers with useful information regarding the actual magnitude of voltage drops, as well as on the effectiveness of mitigation options for voltage drops, which would greatly enhance HV shore supply quality.