Pavel Burov, a designer from Moscow's Kommunarka, has patented a ship's hybrid power plant in which the main engine can be changed without completely redesigning the system. Moreover, it is proposed to use not only a conventional internal combustion engine as an energy source, but also a Stirling engine, a hydrogen engine, or a gas turbine engine.
The architecture itself is unusual: the primary engine is mechanically connected to the generator and is not obliged to directly drive the propulsion system. The generator generates electricity, which can be supplied to the battery and simultaneously to the electric motor.
The authors have provided for three independent power lines. One connects the generator to the battery, the second - the generator to the electric motor, the third - the battery to the electric motor. Therefore, the failure of one circuit should not automatically stop the installation.
The system is built on a modular principle. The engine, generator, battery, and electric motor are considered as separate blocks that can be replaced or upgraded without a global restructuring of the entire energy architecture.
The ratio of the main engine power to the electric motor can range from 0.1 to 1.5. Not only a battery, but also a supercapacitor or a hydrogen fuel cell is allowed as an energy storage device.