Diesel electric propulsion system with PM generator and new combined rectifier and braking chopper topology

The conventional diesel electric propulsion system uses a separately-excited synchronous generator to transform the mechanical power of the diesel engine into electrical power. This paper presents an innovative diesel electric propulsion system employing a 2500kW permanent magnet (PM) generator, which has several benefits such as lower weight, higher efficiency and mechanical robustness. Further, a new braking chopper topology is introduced, which integrates the braking chopper into the pulsed rectifier. Therefore, less IGBTs are needed and the system costs are reduced. The pulsed rectifier offers potential for further fuel savings and additional features such as the diesel engine start function. The paper gives an overview of the PM generator and the new braking chopper topology and also the results from a system test.