What is diesel-electric propulsion?
In a conventional diesel drive system, a diesel engine is connected to a transmission (to provide gear reduction and reversing capability) which, in turn, is directly coupled to the propeller shaft. The speed of the engine and the speed of the propeller are directly proportionate. In a diesel-electric propulsion system, the main propulsion engine is replaced with a diesel generator. The electricity produced by this generator is used to power a motor which is directly coupled to the propeller shaft. The idea is to use one or more generators to feed electrical power to a main grid or “power buss”. From this power buss, any number of propulsion motors or on-board accessories such as battery charging, air conditioning, cooking, etc. can be operated. In more sophisticated systems, the amount of power provided to the power buss can be varied to match the load at any given time. This is done by using multiple generators (which are started and shut down as needed) or by using variable speed (c
