New British navy ships breaking down due to Gulf heat.

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Squidly-Diddly, Jun 13, 2016.

  1. rustybarge
    Joined: Oct 2013
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    rustybarge Cheetah 25' Powercat.

    I believe you're correct about the extra Genny, as they are 100% electrically controlled boats. The problem seems to be that when they activate the radar jamming 'RF power surge generator ' it trips out the rest of the electrical system.

    So the ship can only operate in passive mode, or it grinds to a halt! Lol.
     
  2. serow
    Joined: Mar 2016
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    serow Junior Member

    ......The Type 45 uses a pioneering system called Integrated Electric Propulsion (IEP). There are many advantages associated with IEP, fuel efficiency, flexibility in locating the engines and a supposedly reduced maintenance and manning requirement. In basic terms, two WR-21 gas turbines (GTs) and two Wartsila 2MW diesel generators provide AC power for the motors that propel the ship as well as the power for the ships systems – weapons, sensors lighting etc. The WR-21 GTs were designed in an international partnership with Rolls Royce and Northrop Grumman Marine Systems. The turbines are of a sound design but have an intercooler-recuperator that recovers heat from the exhaust and recycles it into the engine, making it more fuel-efficient and reducing the ship’s thermal signature. Unfortunately the intercooler unit has a major design flaw and causes the GTs to fail occasionally. When this happens, the electrical load on the diesel generators can become too great and they ‘trip out’, leaving the ship with no source of power or propulsion......

    I can't find a link at the moment but recently read that exacerbating the problem is the small print in the deal meaning that the RN cannot do whatever it likes to remedy the problem [if it has the answers] because of effects it might have on intellectual property regarding the control system.
     
  3. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    Back in 1990 while I was temporarily a civilian, I worked on the MCM class ships. They had a similar problem. They were equipped with a very powerful electromagnetic pulse generator to explode mines. However when they would "pulse" it would burnout all the electronics on the ship.
     
  4. rustybarge
    Joined: Oct 2013
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    rustybarge Cheetah 25' Powercat.

    If you detect incoming missiles, which would you choose propulsion or radar jamming?
     
  5. serow
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    serow Junior Member

    Shouldn't you be welding?
     
  6. rustybarge
    Joined: Oct 2013
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    Location: Ireland

    rustybarge Cheetah 25' Powercat.

    My ancient oil cooled welder is tripping the ELT fuse board ; really, lol.

    First i need to find a place to start building my project....
     
  7. Dave40
    Joined: Jun 2016
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    Dave40 New Member

    its all about the money. If they complete it before its time, they get the balance due as a bonus. This is passed on only to the main supervisors. The normal workers would only get a, attaboy for a great job but they don't tell us this at all, just that the contract amounts came in on time. then they let the navy personnel work out the bugs and keep most of these secret from the public. as our new Littoral's go.
     
  8. kach22i
    Joined: Feb 2005
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    kach22i Architect

    I just read on Facebook that the heat index got up to 165 F in Iran, 115 air temp, the rest is humidity coming off the 90 degree Persian Gulf water.

    Yea, 90 degree water is a little warmer than the North Sea.:D

    Armidale-class boat
    Nocookies | The Australian
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/21577236@N06/2129279561/
    [​IMG]

    Nocookies | The Australian
    They ride them hard down under.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armidale-class_patrol_boat
    [​IMG]

    Naval Analyses: Armidale class patrol boats of the Royal Australian Navy
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  9. serow
    Joined: Mar 2016
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    serow Junior Member

    Expect a similar problem to occur in the 2 new aircraft carriers when they eventually put to sea.
     

  10. SukiSolo
    Joined: Dec 2012
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    SukiSolo Senior Member

    One advantage though - 4+ years of sea trials before any aircraft come aboard.....;)
     
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