South Korea’s HD Hyundai Co., the parent of the world’s top shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., said on Tuesday it has developed a high-capacity low-voltage drive, a key part in ship electrification, according to KED Global.
The component, known as low voltage variable frequency drive (LV VFD), is a device that maximizes power production efficiency by adjusting motor speed.
It plays a key role in a ship’s shaft generator system, which produces electricity by utilizing part of the power generated from a ship's propulsion engine.
The newly developed ship VFD incorporates grid-forming technology to enhance the efficiency of power usage and can precisely control motors without the need for an additional speed sensor, according to the company.
With the development of LV VFD, HD Hyundai said it is now able to produce all components of the shaft generator system with its technology.
On Monday, HD Hyundai, together with its three affiliates and tech partners – HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE), HD Hyundai Electric Co. and HD Hyundai Plaspo Co., held a demonstration of a 3 megavolt-ampere (MVA) class VFD for ships at HD Hyundai Electric’s plant in Ulsan, south of Seoul.