Enhancement of Reactive Power and Efficiency Using Hybrid Compensation Approach for Supply Vessels

Reactive power compensation (RPC) in ships is critical for the stability, efficiency, and safety of the electric power system. It ensures voltage stability, reduces generator and alternator load, and adapts to dynamic and variable loads. This study evaluates the ship’s electrical power system. The implementation of advanced compensation strategies across three distinct operational scenarios is intended to systematically mitigate reactive load demand, thereby contributing to the enhancement of overall power utilization efficiency and ensuring improved stability of the vessel’s energy management framework. Three real-life data sets (148, 120, and 102 min) were analyzed to extract reactive power variations. MATLAB R2023b is used to calculate and graph required compensation and capacitance, generated time-series responses, and produced comparative graphs, enabling evaluation of the most effective compensation strategy for a shipboard microgrid in diesel–electric supply vessel systems. The findings highlight the importance of advanced control algorithms, predictive management, and hybrid compensation topologies in achieving reliable and efficient reactive power management in ships. There were three distinct situations in which the goal power factor (PF) values of 0.90, 0.95, and 0.98 were analyzed. These values were determined under three load conditions. Within the context of operations, compensating just up to 0.90 resulted in savings of 6.26%; however, optimizing up to 0.98 resulted in an increase in savings to 13.91%, which is over double the amount.