New Approach to Analysis of Selected Measurement and Monitoring Systems Solutions in Ship Technology

This paper is dedicated to certain types of measurement in ship systems, analyzed based on selected case studies. In the introductory part, a simplified structure of a modern cargo ship as an object of measurement and control is presented. Next, the role of measurement in the ship’s operation process is described and commented on, with focus on specifics of local and remote control, both manual and automatic. The key part of the paper is dedicated to a short overview of selected examples of measuring and monitoring systems. The basic criteria for the aforementioned selection are the vital role of the considered systems for safe and effective ship operation as well as documented innovative contribution of Gdynia Maritime University (GMU) in development of the state-of-the-art in the analysed area of measurement. Based on these criteria, the monitoring of operational parameters of main engine and temperature measurement in the ships hazardous areas have been chosen. The aforementioned measurement and monitoring systems are analysed, taking into account both innovation of technical solutions together with their ship technology environment conditions and related legal requirements. Finally, some concluding remarks are formulated

Case-Study-Based Overview of Methods and Technical Solutions of Analog and Digital Transmission in Measurement and Control Ship Systems

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of possible solutions to improve the performance of measurement and control processes in maritime engineering applications. This improvement can be basically provided by adopting techniques to enhance the reliability of measurement/control systems based on the 4–20 mA analogue standard. This aspect will be discussed through a Simscape Simulink model illustrating methods of noise and ground loops elimination for pressure measurement of a 4–20 mA current loop in the tank level measurement system on a bulk carrier commercial ship. Alternatively, improved measurement and control processes can be rendered by utilizing smart transmitters based on wired hybrid analogue–digital (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART)), wired digital (Foundation Fieldbus (FF)) or wireless (wireless HART) communication protocols. A brief theoretical description of these protocols will be presented in this article. As an example of using smart transmitters, a simulation-based case study will analyze the possible options to implement non-intrinsically safe as well as intrinsically safe FF models for the tank level measurement system on a bulk carrier commercial ship. Conclusions obtained through analysis of the simulation results will characterize the behavior of FF segments in safe as well as explosive hazardous areas, highlighting the characteristics of field barriers and segment protectors used in conjunction with the HPTC (High-Power Trunk Concept) intrinsically safe model