EMERGENCY POWER AND SHORE SUPPLY AND SWITCH BOARD

REGULATIONS:
THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR MAY BE USED, EXCEPTIONALLY AND FOR SHORT
PERIODS, TO SUPPLYNON-EMERGENCY CIRCUITS DURING THE BLACKOUT
SITUATION, DEAD SHIP CONDITION, AND ROUTINE TESTING (TO CHECK ITS
PROPER OPERATION) PROVIDED THAT MEASURES ARE TAKEN TO SAFEGUARD
THE INDEPENDENT EMERGENCY OPERATION UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE
GENERATOR IS TO BE SAFEGUARDED AGAINST OVERLOAD BY AUTOMATICALLY
SHEDDING SUCH NON-EMERGENCY SERVICES SO THAT SUPPLY TO THE
REQUIRED EMERGENCY LOADS IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE.
FOR READY AVAILABILITY OF THE EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER,
ARRANGEMENTSARE TO BE MADE, WHERE NECESSARY, TO DISCONNECT
AUTOMATICALLY
NON-EMERGENCY
CIRCUITS
FROM
THE
EMERGENCY
SWITCHBOARD TO ENSURE THAT ELECTRICAL POWER IS AVAILABLE
AUTOMATICALLY TO THE EMERGENCY CIRCUITS.
THE EMERGENCY POWER SYSTEM SHOULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST SYSTEMS
THAT YOU BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH. IF THE POWER SHOULD FAIL
ONBOARD A VESSEL, VALUABLE LIVES AND PROPERTY ARE JEOPARDIZED.
MANY VESSELS REGAIN CONTROL OF THEIR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS THROUGH
THE USE OF AN EMERGENCY GENERATOR AND EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD; THE
EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER MAY ALSO BE AN ACCUMULATOR
BATTERY OR A COMBINATION OF THESE. THE EMERGENCY SOURCE OF
ELECTRICAL POWER WILL BE CAPABLE OF SUPPLYING ALL THOSE SERVICES
THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SAFETY IN AN EMERGENCY WITH DUE REGARD BEING
PAID TO SERVICES THAT MAY HAVE TO BE OPERATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHERE
THE EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER IS A GENERATOR, IT MUST
BE:
1) DRIVEN BY A PRIME MOVER WITH AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLY OF FUEL
HAVING A FLASH POINT
(CLOSED CUP TEST) OF NOT LESS THAN 43C (110F);
2) STARTED AUTOMATICALLY UPON FAILURE OF THE MAIN SOURCE OF
ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY;
AND
3) AUTOMATICALLY CONNECTED TO THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD IN NOT
MORE THAN 45 SECONDS.
THE POWER RATING OF AN EMERGENCY GENERATOR IS DETERMINED BY THE
SIZE AND THE ROLE OF THE SHIP. THIS SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER IS TO
BE CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING STARTING CURRENTS AND ALSO CATER TO THE
TRANSITORY NATURE OF CERTAIN LOADS.
ON SOME SMALL VESSELS A FEW kW WILL SUFFICE FOR EMERGENCY LIGHTING
ONLY. LARGER VESSELS, e.g. LPG CARRIERS, PASSENGER LINERS, ETC., MAY
REQUIRE HUNDREDS OF kW FOR ESSENTIAL EMERGENCY SERVICES.
THE LOCATION OF THE SELF-CONTAINED EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL
POWER, ASSOCIATED TRANSFORMING EQUIPMENT, IF ANY, THE TRANSITIONAL
SOURCE OF EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL POWER, THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD
AND EMERGENCY LIGHTING SWITCHBOARD IN RELATION TO THE MAIN SOURCE
OF ELECTRICAL POWER IS TO BE SUCH THAT A FIRE OR OTHER CASUALTY IN
THE SPACE CONTAINING THE MAIN SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER OR IN ANY
MACHINERY SPACE OF CATEGORY A WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE SUPPLY,
CONTROL AND DISTRIBUTION OF EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL POWER.

THE SPACE CONTAINING THE SELF-CONTAINED EMERGENCY SOURCE OF

ELECTRICAL POWER AND ITS ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT AS STATED ABOVE
INCLUDING TRUNKS TO SUCH SPACES ARE NOT TO BE CONTIGUOUS TO THE
BOUNDARIES OF MACHINERY SPACES OF CATEGORY A OR THOSE SPACES
CONTAINING THE MAIN SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER.
THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD IS TO BE INSTALLED AS NEAR AS IS
PRACTICABLE TO THE EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER. WHERE
THE EMERGENCY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER IS A GENERATOR, THE
EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD IS TO BE LOCATED IN THE SAME SPACE UNLESS
THE OPERATION OF THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD WOULD THEREBY BE
IMPAIRED. NO ACCUMULATOR BATTERY MEANT TO SERVE AS A TRANSITIONAL
SOURCE IS TO BE INSTALLED IN THE SAME SPACE AS THE EMERGENCY
SWITCHBOARD. AN INDICATOR IS TO BE MOUNTED ON THE MAIN
SWITCHBOARD OR IN THE MACHINERY CONTROL ROOM TO INDICATE WHEN
THESE BATTERIES ARE BEING DISCHARGED.
THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF AN EMERGENCY GENERATOR IS
SIMILAR TO THAT OF A MAIN GENERATOR. EXCITATION SUPPLIES, EITHER
STATIC OR ROTARY, WILL UASUALLY BE GOVERNED BY AN AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE
REGULATOR. IN SOME CASES WHERE A STATIC COMPOUNDED EXCITER
PROVIDES A REASONABLY CONSTANT GENERATOR VOLTAGE, THE AVR MAY BE
OMITTED.
GENERALLY, THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR OUTPUT VOLTAGE IS AT THE SAME
LEVEL AS THAT OF OF THE MAIN GENERATORS, e.g. 440 VOLTS, 60 Hz, 3-PHASE
A.C.. IN AN HV/LV SYSTEM, e.g. 6.6 kV/440 VOLTS, THE EMERGENCY
GENERATOR WILL USUALLY OPERATE AT 440 VOLTS AND THE EMERGENCY
SWITCHBOARD WILL BE INTERCONNECTED WITH THE ENGINE ROOM 440 VOLTS
SWITCHBOARD IN NORMAL OPERATION. AN EMERGENCY GENERATOR IS
CONNECTED TO ITS OWN EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD AND THEY ARE LOCATED
TOGETHER IN A COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE WATER-LINE, e.g. ON THE BOAT
DECK. IN NORMAL OPERATION THE EMERGENCY BOARD IS SUPPLIED FROM THE
MAIN BOARD BY A CABLE CALLED THE INTERCONNECTOR.
IT IS NOT NORMALLY POSSIBLE TO SYNCHRONISE THE EMERGENCY AND MAIN
GENERATORS. SPECIAL INTERLOCKS IN THE CONTROL CIRCUITS OF THE
CIRCUIT-BREAKERS, AT EACH END OF THE INTERCONNECTOR, PREVENT
PARALLEL RUNNING.
STARTING OF THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR PRIME MOVER IS GENERALLY
AUTOMATIC. THE RUN-UP IS INITIATED BY AN ELECTRICAL RELAY WHICH
MONITORS THE NORMAL VOLTAGE SUPPLY (e.g. 440 VOLTS). FALLING MAINS
FREQUENCY OR VOLTAGE CAUSES THE START-UP RELAY TO OPERATE THE
ENGINE STARTING EQUIPMENT. THE PRIME MOVER MAY BE ELECTRICALLY
CRANKED FROM ITS OWN 24 VOLTS BATTERY AND STARTER MOTOR OR AIR
STARTED FROM ITS OWN AIR RESERVOIR FITTED LOCAL TO THE GENERATOR
ENGINE.
A MANUAL START-UP MAY BE INITIATED BY PUSH BUTTONS IN THE MAIN
CONTROL ROOM AND IN THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR ROOM. SMALL
GENERATOR PRIME MOVERS CAN USUALLY BE MANUALLY CRANKED WITH A
STARTING HANDLE.
CORRECT FUNCTIONING OF THE AUTO-START EQUIPMENT IS OBVIOUSLY VITAL
TO THE PRODUCTION OF EMERGENCY POWER. WEEKLY TESTING OF THE
EMERGENCY GENERATOR SHOULD INCLUDE SIMULATION OF THE LOSS OF

NORMAL POWER. THE START-UP EQUIPMENT MAY PROVIDE A PUSH BUTTON TO

INTERRUPT THE NORMAL VOLTAGE SUPPLY TO THE CONTROL PANEL WHICH
THEN TRIGGERS THE START-UP SEQUENCE. LOSS OF MAIN POWER SUPPLY CAN
EASILY BE SIMULATED BY PULLING A FUSE IN THE AUTO START PANEL WHICH
SUPPLIES THE UNDER-VOLTAGE OR UNDER-FREQUENCY RELAY.
EMERGENCY GENERATORS SHOULD BE REGULARLY CHECKED AND RUN UP TO
SPEED FOR SHORT TEST RUNS TO COMPLY WITH SAFETY REGULATIONS. THESE
NO-LOAD RUNNING CHECKS SHOULD, WHEN PRACTICABLE, BE SUPPLEMENTED
OCCASIONALLY BY AN ACTUAL LOAD TEST. THIS REQUIRES THE
DISCONNECTION OF NORMAL MAINS POWER FROM THE EMERGENCY BOARD
WHILE THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR IS LOADED UP TO NEAR ITS RATED VALUE.
ONLY A PROPER LOAD TEST WILL PROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE
EMERGENCY GENERATOR, ITS PRIME-MOVER, AND THE CIRCUIT-BREAKER
OPERATION.
STARTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMERGENCY GENERATOR SETS:
THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR MUST BE CAPABLE OF BEING READILY STARTED IN
THEIR COLD CONDITION AT A TEMPERATURE OF 0C (32F). IF THIS IS
IMPRACTICABLE OR IF LOWER TEMPERATURE ARE LIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED,
HEATING ARRANGEMENTS MUST BE OPERATIONAL. THE FLASH POINT OF THE
FUEL MUST BE NOT LESS THAN 43C (110F) AS THE GENERATOR IS LOCATED
ABOVE THE UPPERMOST CONTINUOUS DECK. THIS MEANS THAT THE FUEL
SYSTEM CAN BE AFFECTED BY SOLAR RADIATION ESPECIALLY IN TROPICAL AND
EQUATORICAL CLIMATES. IN OTHER WORDS, THE MERE SELECTION OF SUCH A
FUEL WILL ALLEVIATE THE POSSIBILITY OF AN UNWARRANTED FIRE OR
EXPLOSION.
EACH EMERGENCY GENERATOR ARRANGED TO BE AUTOMATICALLY STARTED, IS
TO BE EQUIPPED WITH STARTING DEVICES WITH A STORED ENERGY CAPABILITY
FOR AT LEAST THREE CONSECUTIVE STARTS. THE SOURCE OF STORED ENERGY
IS TO BE PROTECTED FROM CRITICALDEPLETION (i.e., NOT TO BE DEPLETED
BEYOND A LEVEL WHERE STARTING BY MANUAL INTERVENTION IS STILL
POSSIBLE) BY THE AUTOMATIC STARTING SYSTEM, UNLESS A SECOND
INDEPENDENT MEANS OF STARTING IS PROVIDED. IN ADDITION, ANOTHER
SOURCE OF ENERGY IS TO BE PROVIDED FOR AN ADDITIONAL THREE STARTS
WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES UNLESS MANUAL STARTING CAN BE DEMONSTRATED
TO BE EFFECTIVE.
THE STORED ENERGY FOR STARTING THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR SET IS TO BE
MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES, AS FOLLOWS:
A) ELECTRICAL AND HYDRAULIC STARTING SYSTEMS ARE TO BE MAINTAINED
FROM THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD.
B) IF STARTED BY AIR, A DEDICATED AIR BOTTLE AND COMPRESSOR IS USUALLY
PROVIDED. COMPRESSED AIR STARTING SYSTEMS MAY BE MAINTAINED BY THE
MAIN OR AUXILIARY COMPRESSED AIR RECEIVERS THROUGH A SUITABLE NONRETURN VALVE OR BY AN EMERGENCY AIR COMPRESSOR WHICH, IF
ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN, IS SUPPLIED FROM THE EMERGENCY SWITCHBOARD.
C) ALL OF THESE STARTING, CHARGING AND ENERGY STORING DEVICES ARE TO
BE LOCATED IN THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR SPACE, THESE DEVICES ARE NOT
TO BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN THE OPERATION OF THE
EMERGENCY GENERATING SET. THE AIR RECEIVER OF THE EMERGENCY
GENERATOR MAY ALSO BE SUPPLIED FROM THE MAIN OR AUXILIARY

COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM THROUGH A NON-RETURN VALVE FITTED IN THE

EMERGENCY GENERATOR SPACE.
AC SWITCHBOARDS
THESE
HAVE PANELS INVARIABLY IN THE FORM OF CUBICLES BOLTED
TOGETHER TO GIVE A FLUSH APPEARANCE AT THE FRONT. REGULATIONS
REQUIRE THAT A PASSAGEWAY BE PROVIDED AT THE REAR OF THE
SWITCHBOARD, THE PASSAGEWAY IS TO HAVE A MINIMUM WIDTH OF 60cm AND
TO BE SCREENED OFF BY SHEET-STEEL OR WIRE-MESH DOORS. ALTHOUGH, THE
CUBICLES WILL CARRY COMPONENTS RELATED TO SPECIFIC PURPOSES SUCH
AS
CIRCUIT-BREAKERS,
SYNCHRONISING
GEAR,
INSTRUMENTATION
TRANSFORMERS, etc., THE BUSBARS BEING COMMON TO ALL CIRCUITS WILL
PROBABLY RUN THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE BOARD; THEY WILL BE CONNECTED
TO APPROPRIATE
PANELS BY RIGID CONNECTORS. SOME MERCHANT-SHIP
OPERATORS HAVE PREFERRED A SINGLE SOLID BUS-BAR SYSTEM WITH ALL
GENERATORS OPERATING IN PARALLEL. THIS DOES NOT ENSURE MAXIMUM
SECURITY OF SUPPLY, SINCE A FAULT ON THE MAIN SWITCHBOARD MAY CAUSE
A LOSS OF TOTAL POWER. WITH THE SOLID BUSBAR SYSTEM, MAINTENANCE
CAN BE CARRIED OUT ONLY WHEN THE WHOLE SHIP IS SHUT DOWN. THIS
CONCEPT HOWEVER IS GOING THROUGH A SEA CHANGE AND MODULAR TYPES
ARE BEING PREFERRED. SPLITTING OF THE BUSBARS BY ISOLATING LINKS IS
POSSIBLE. THESE ARE THE PRACTICALLY THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE IN THE
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AS THEY HAVE HIGH MELTING POINTS AND ALSO
PERMIT ISOLATION OF SECTIONS OF THE SWITCHBOARD IF SO DESIRED.