Optimal Generator Set Loading for Energy Effciency

Shipboard power systems have typically shared electrical power equally among paralleled generator sets. While this strategy provides system robustness with respect to being able to handle sudden, large changes in load, it is not necessarily the most fuel efficient way to operate the generator sets. With modern advanced controls, possibly augmented with energy storage, generator set loading can now be based on optimal fuel efficiency while still providing system robustness. This paper presents an analytic approach to determining the optimal loading, with respect to fuel economy, of a set of paralleled generator sets for a given total load.