Eltek ASA : Reduced Total Cost of Ownership with Eltek Total Power Solutions

As the ships and offshore rigs that serve the oil and gas industry get increasingly sophisticated, every system is evaluated for onboard safety, efficiency, reliability and operating cost. At Eltek, we think those evaluation standards should be in place also for the AC and DC systems that power these critical applications.

A large part of today's marine & offshore AC and DC power systems are based on solutions consisting of modified office equipment with poor management systems and insufficient design lifetime. These systems are provided by the application vendors, and thus are from different manufacturers and have different management, spares and battery back up's, resulting in increased complexity, operation and maintenance, and leading to a very high total cost of ownership (TCO).

The industry needs smarter, greener, integrated and more reliable power systems that deliver a lower total cost of ownership - contributing, in their own way, to the overall mission of marine and offshore business. To achieve this, a total view of the different power systems is required.

Eltek, a Delta Group Company, are among the largest power conversion companies in the world. The company has a global footprint that can support most relevant ports and locations in the world from one of our local offices.
The company has more than 40 years of experience in this business and is the technology driver in this field globally.
Driving lower TCO through better technology Eltek's total power solutions are optimized for use in marine and offshore applications. The system is based on key technologies and design principles shared by all of Eltek's DC power systems. These include:

System Modularity: Monolithic systems - where one charger, rectifier or inverter supplies the entire load - are inherently less reliable and less cost effective compared to a modular system. Eltek's modular system features a variety of modules and power shelves that allow a wide range of flexible configurations to suit most applications. Modularity also means N+1 redundancy for cost-effective reliability and for "hot-swappable" module replacement, that is to say a module can be replaced in a live system without affecting the load, which means faster system repairs.

High Efficiency: Every DC power system loses some power as heat during the power conversion process. Higher efficiency systems lose less power, thus reducing the amount of input power needed for a particular load. Eltek's industry-leading commitment to high efficiency means that its systems have the lowest energy loss on the market. This not only means much lower energy usage, but also allows for the compact design of Eltek systems as there is less need for extra and larger components to provide sufficient heat dissipation.

Advanced Controller: A wide variety of advanced controllers provide the "brains" of Eltek's DC power systems delivering complete system monitoring and management and advanced battery monitoring and management. From one location the operator, with a computer connected to the LAN/WLAN, has a full overview and can optimize the operational parameters of separate or multiple systems.

Easy Field Serviceability: In addition to the ability to "hot swap" modules, Eltek systems feature full frontal access to make installation and servicing of the system easy and cost effective. In the unlikely event of a component or module failure, available crew can easily replace the module on site.

Easy Installation: Eltek modular systems can be shipped partially configured so that they install easily and quickly, with modules installed later when the construction process is finished and the equipment is ready for commissioning

Long Lifetime: System lifetime is a key factor in delivering a low total cost of ownership. Eltek systems are engineered to provide service for up to 20 years in the field.

Safety & Approvals: Eltek is committed to safety, and offers a wide range of marine and offshore systems with DNV and ABS approval. The approved equipment makes the processes of designing and building vessels more effective, saving time and resources.

Given these technology advantages, let's take a look at how they are applied in Eltek's premiere marine and offshore system, the Total Power Solution.
Eltek Total Power Solution Many ships and offshore oil facilities rely on autonomous power systems where AC power is shipped from the mains to each shipboard system and converted into AC or DC power at the point of use. Each of these power systems are monitored separately and also requires their own battery installation.

This means a higher system cost than is necessary and makes it more time consuming to repair and monitor. This architecture must change in order to lower TCO and to support new, power-critical equipment.

The Eltek Total Power Solution is a DC and AC UPS system that takes into consideration all of a vessel's users and different voltage needs as well as back-up or clean power requirements.

If this system is designed into the ship at the planning stage, fewer application suppliers need to bring their own power and instead are able to use the power available from the Total Power Solution. By supplying the power to the applications when they are being installed, the vessel builders get control over the conversions and components used in the chain of power delivery.

By installing a high-efficiency system with centralized battery backup, the total system cost is lower than using autonomous systems, the cost of maintaining battery backup is dramatically reduced and the number of power conversions needed, and power wasted in those conversions, is reduced.

The Eltek Total Power Solution includes a variety of systems that convert the power into the voltage levels needed for each shipboard system. These include 24VDC, 48VDC, 60VDC, 110VDC, 220VDC, 380VDC and 230VAC.
Case Study During the construction of one new ship, Eltek's engineers had the opportunity to work closely with the ship and rig designers and deliver a Total Power Solution for this new vessel.

In the original ship design, the designers had specified many autonomous power systems. Eltek engineers saw that this solution would result in multiple power conversions from mains to load and the wasted electricity from this architecture would be significant.

Eltek proposed to replace these systems with a Total Power Solution concept where all unnecessary conversions and batteries were removed. The system was designed with high lifetime batteries and controller that provided battery and system management including the GMDSS and the dead start system.

The result of the new power system is that the the ship got a less complex uninterruptible power system (DC and AC UPS), a reduction of three battery systems and no need for a costly separate switchgear system.
Conclusion: Reliability and Lower Total Cost of Ownership The old marine perspective was that "I care about the power system only when it fails," is changing as ships and rigs become more sophisticated and running an efficient business becomes more important for success.

Total power solution thinking can contribute significantly to reducing total cost of ownership and deliver a safer power operation. To use a dedicated system instead of specifying that application providers use their own power system means fewer suppliers and dramatically simplifies the logistics, reduces the number of spares needed, and the modularity results in an easy solution to scale and operate. Overall, this contributes to a system that is less expensive to buy and operate and reduces electricity consumption.

Eltek's Total power solution combines the company's advanced technology and 40 years of experience to deliver the most advanced and reliable system with the lowest TCO. Want to find out more about the Eltek Total Power Solutions and how it can benefit your ship or rig? Email us at marine@eltek.com for more information.
About Ingar Sørensen Ingar Sørensen is the global director marine & offshore for Eltek, a Delta Group Company. He has nearly 30 years of experience at Eltek, having gotten his start in the company as a system design and project manager for marine and offshore solutions. In 2001, Sørensen was named manager for the Nordic business unit, and in 2010 he became responsible for the development of a range of standard marine and offshore solution with DNV and ABS approvals.

Sidebar:
Eltek's Latest Marine & Offshore System

The new Flatpack S Wallbox is designed for distributed power applications such as control and protection, SCADA, emergency lighting or diesel start. The modular system is 271 mm wide by 370 mm tall and 193 mm deep. It contains one or two Flatpack S rectifiers with 230V single-phase input between 85 and 300VAC/ DC. 24V modules are available in 500W, 1000W outputs; 48V modules are available in 1000W and 1800W outputs. The system features two pole load and battery distribution (LVBD). It fulfills the requirements for DNV 2.4 standard for shipboard communications and safety and automation systems. More information is at:eltek.com/fps

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