Comprehensive evaluation of power and propulsion schemes for inland waterway vessels based on TOPSIS and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA)

To accommodate the complex operating conditions of inland waterway vessels and address the needs for green and intelligent development in the shipping industry, this paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation method for selecting ship propulsion schemes based on the entropy weight method and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution)-Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). The power required for ship propulsion is estimated using the fundamental theory of ship-engine-propeller matching. Based on this, the power of the propulsion system and the selection and configuration of four power and propulsion schemes during actual ship navigation are determined. An evaluation index system is established for ship propusion options, in which the weight of each indicator is determined by the entropy weight method. The four power and propulsion schemes of an inland bulk carrier are then comprehensively evaluated using the TOPSIS and GRA. The results indicate that scheme 4 (diesel-gas-electric hybrid propulsion) performs best among the alternatives. The findings of this study can provide a reference for the selection of propulsion schemes for efficient and green ships.