Hybrid Shaft Generator on cruiseships?
Towards an evolution of propulsion on cruise ships? Let’s discover together the HSG!
The Hybrid Shaft Generator (HSG) from Rolls-Royce is a propulsion system that aims to offer notable advantages to the ships on which it is installed. In fact, this system produces electric energy from the motor’s propulsion instead of from traditional electric generators.
The characteristics of the HSG mean that it offers multiple advantages compared to a normal diesel-electric system: the production of energy on board is optimized, the amount of fuel consumed is reduced (up to a very significant 8%), and emissions are reduced.
But a system such as this even allows for saving space on board. In fact, today the mechanical part is made up of both the diesel motors for electricity generation as well as the propulsion motors. With the HSG there is just one motor for both the propulsion and the generation. Already with the installation of azipods the machine space had been reduced; in fact this system allowed for the elimination of traditional propeller shafts. The propulsion motor is located within a pod that can be rotated 360° (that also acts as a rudder) on which the propeller is installed.
Today with the HSG a further step has been taken in the technological development of marine propulsion, it will be necessary to wait and see how many owners will opt for this system that adapts to any offshore unit. To date, the cruise world is divided between azimuth propulsion (diesel engine + pod) and traditional propulsion (diesel engine + electric motor): will Rolls-Royce be able to convince some ship owners to take a step in a different direction? The HSG has been on the market for some time now and therefore its reliability is proven, but for now the large cruise ships have opted for the two solutions mentioned above.