A Diesel Engine Modelling Approach for Ship Propulsion Real-Time Simulators

A turbocharged diesel engine numerical model, suitable for real-time ship manoeuvre simulation, is presented in this paper. While some engine components (mainly the turbocharger, intercooler and manifolds) are modelled by a filling and emptying approach, the cylinder simulation is based on a set of five-dimensional numerical matrices (each matrix is generated by means of a more traditional thermodynamic model based on in-cylinder actual cycle). The new cylinder calculation approach strongly reduces the engine transient computation time, making it possible to transform the simulation model into a real-time executable application. As a case study, the simulation methodology is applied to a high speed four stroke turbocharged marine diesel engine, whose design and o design running data are available from the technical sheet. In order to verify the suitability of the proposed model in real-time simulation applications, a yacht propulsion plant simulator is developed. Numerical results in ship acceleration and deceleration manoeuvres are shown, reducing the simulation running time of 99% in comparison with the corresponding in-cylinder actual cycle engine model.