MARINE ENGINE POWER - NOT JUST ABOUT KNOTS

Navies not only want more engine power, there are also coming under increasing pressure to become environmentally conscious.

- Tim Fish

The power and propulsion (P&P) systems for naval vessels have advanced considerably in recent decades. This feature aims to highlight the latest developments in the design and operation of the prime movers in those P&P systems. The prime movers are the gas turbines, diesel engines, and steam turbines that convert the energy in fuel into mechanical energy that is used for propulsion or electrical systems.

For modern naval vessels, the steam turbine has largely been replaced by arrangements of gas turbines (GTs) and diesel engines. Depending on the operating profile of the warship it will need different types of prime movers to generate the necessary power and propulsion to perform its mission sets. Because these systems are so important to a ship’s capability and are in essence its defining characteristic, designs of new ships have to consider the power and propulsion system first and foremost before anything else.

Diesel engines

Most naval vessels will use diesel engines to provide standard levels of power for propulsion, sensors, weapons and the ‘hotel load’ to sustain the living conditions of the sailors such as heating/ cooling, lighting, charging, cooking etc. Diesel engines can provide ships with speeds up to a maximum of about 28 knots although they are generally used to provide much lower patrolling or transit propulsion speeds.