ShipCalculators.com

Auxiliary Engine Load Factor

Contents

Live calculator

Aggregates the major electrical and mechanical aux-consumers to get the average running load and resulting genset load factor.

Formula

$$ P_\text{AE} = P_\text{hotel} + P_\text{deck} + P_\text{nav} + P_\text{ER} + P_\text{reefer} + P_\text{pump} $$

$$ \text{Load factor} = \frac{P_\text{AE}}{P_\text{installed}} $$

Symbol legend

SymbolMeaningUnitSource
$P_\text{AE}$Average auxiliary-engine electrical loadkWresult
$P_\text{hotel}$Hotel, galley, HVACkWelectrical load analysis
$P_\text{deck}$Routine deck machinerykWelectrical load analysis
$P_\text{nav}$Bridge, navigation and communicationskWelectrical load analysis
$P_\text{ER}$Engine-room auxiliaries (pumps, fans, purifiers…)kWelectrical load analysis
$P_\text{reefer}$Reefer plugs at average utilisationkWcargo plan
$P_\text{pump}$Cargo pump / compressorkWcargo plan
$P_\text{installed}$Total installed aux generator capacitykWgenset nameplate sum

A well-designed plant sits at 50–70 % load factor with the largest genset running. Below 30 % means oversized plant with poor SFOC; above 80 % a single genset failure tips over to black-out.

Sources

  • IMO MEPC.231(65) - EEDI guidelines §2.5.6 aux power table.
  • ABS - Ship Energy Efficiency Measures Advisory.