Development for the hybridization of ships in Galápagos

Abstract Currently, surveillance activities are being conducted in the Galápagos Archipelago, recognized as a protected natural reserve and a World Heritage site. These tasks are carried out using Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), whose conventional propulsion systems are powered by diesel engines, generating an environmental impact within the protected area due to the use of fossil fuels. According to the operational profile of the OPV, it navigates at a speed of 12 knots for 85% of the time during patrol missions. In this context, the aim of this work is to establish a development of a theoretical–experimental system of a hybrid propulsion that incorporates clean energy sources to reduce the ecological impact on the environment. The methodology used includes: (1) the conventional propulsion system simulation in Maxsurf and MATLAB-Simulink; (2) the simulation of the proposed hybrid system in MATLAB-Simulink which allows reaching a speed of 12 knots; (3) a towing test with a dynamometer (in direction of the wind, and against it) was conducted to obtain the actual power vs. speed values of the OPV; (4) $${\text{CO}}_{2}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mtext>CO</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> emissions and fuel consumption analysis; and (5) a cost–benefit analysis of the proposed system. The results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid propulsion system allows for more efficient surveillance operations, with a lower environmental impact.