Engineering news
The largest warship ever built in the UK, the HMS Prince of Wales, has been fitted with its second MT30 gas turbine alternator (GTA) at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife.
The Rolls-Royce GTA, the most power-dense marine gas turbine has been installed into the carrier by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and will generate 36MW (around 50,000 horsepower), a key feature for naval ships where high power occupying minimum space is essential.
Two MT30s, the first of which was installed in March this year, are installed in each ship and when running will provide two thirds of the 109MW needed to power the 65,000 tonne ships – enough energy to power a town the size of Swindon.
Each 120 tonne GTA package consists of a GE supplied alternator coupled to a Rolls-Royce supplied MT30 Gas Turbine contained within an enclosure.
Angus Holt, delivery director of HMS Prince of Wales, said: “It was only three weeks ago that the Aircraft Carrier Alliance achieved a UK record when 26,500t of the forward half of the ship was mechanically skidded back to the rear of the vessel. Now to have successfully lifted, for the second time, the most powerful engine in the Royal Navy onto the biggest ship ever built for the Royal Navy, using one of the biggest capacity gantry cranes in Europe, symbolises the scale and pace at which the programme is moving. Everyone involved should take huge pride in their contribution to this national endeavour.”
Don Roussinos, Rolls-Royce, president – naval, said: “The installation of the second MT30 for HMS Prince of Wales marks yet another significant milestone in the Queen Elizabeth-class programme. These aircraft carriers will be the backbone of the Royal Navy’s capability for decades to come."
The installation involved the lifting of the MT30 gas turbine and associated ancillary equipment housed in a steel package known as the gas turbine enclosure onto the ship structure. With the enclosure in place, the large alternator, which is driven by the gas turbine to produce electrical power, was then hoisted into place.
Once operational, the GTAs will supply high voltage power to the four propulsion motors as well as the 13 ship service transformers. These transformers distribute low voltage power to the weapons systems, mission systems equipment and navigation systems, as well as power to the hotel services required to run the Queen Elizabeth-class.
The aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are being delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, a partnering relationship between BAE Systems, Thales UK, Babcock and the Ministry of Defence.
Each 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four-acre military operating base, which can travel up to 500 miles per day to be deployed anywhere around the world. Operating the Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II jets and a number of types of helicopter, the Queen Elizabeth-class will be versatile enough to be used in various military activity, to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
The HMS Prince of Wales will continue to be assembled and fitted out at Rosyth Dockland ready for handing over to the navy in 2017.