NAVY SUPERCONDUCTIVE MACHINERY PROGRAM

The arrangement and operational advantages of electric ship drives can be realized with superconductive dc machinery, without the traditional weight and efficiency penalty of conventional electric motors and generators. The Navy is developing the technology base for superconductive drive machinery to 60 MW per shaft, with operational evaluation of a 30 MW system planned for the 1982-1984 period. Content and status of this development program is presented and a twin 30 MW drive, reflecting current technology, is described. The superconductive electric system with fixed pitch propellers is compared with a geared CRP drive in a large gas-turbine destroyer, with resultant reductions of 30% in propulsion fuel, 14% in full load displacement and 9% in ship building costs for vehicles of equivalent mission capacity.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Spring Meeting/STAR Symposium, New London, Connecticut, April 26-29, 1978. Available only in bound proceedings.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

  601 Pavonia Avenue
  Jersey City, NJ  United States  07306-2907
• Authors:
  • Doyle, T J
  • Harrison, J H
  • Chaikin, A
• Publication Date: 1978

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric drives; Generators; Motors; Propellers; Ships; Superconductivity
• Old TRIS Terms: Advanced propulsion; Diesel electric propulsion; Fixed pitch propellers; Superconductive ship propulsion; Turboelectric propulsion
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00174001
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. 20
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 3 1978 12:00AM