Thursday, 5 March 2015

Rolls-Royce and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance have successfully completed the installation of both Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines into the Royal Navy's latest aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, at Babcock's Rosyth shipyard in Scotland.

Both gas turbine alternators were installed into the ship in one day, halving the time taken to install them into sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The MT30, at 36 megawatts (around 50,000 horsepower), is the world's most power-dense marine gas turbine, a key feature for naval ships where high power in the minimum space is essential.

Two MT30s are installed in each ship and will provide two thirds of the 109 megawatts needed to power the 65,000 tonne ships - enough energy to power a town the size of Swindon.

Each of the Gas Turbine Alternators (GTA) consist of a Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine and an alternator supplied by GE. They also include an alternator and gas turbine enclosure, which together weighs a total of 120 tonnes.

Jim Bennett, Power & Propulsion Director for the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, said: "The Power & Propulsion Sub-Alliance is immensely proud of this significant milestone in the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) project. It has been the culmination of many years of hard work to ensure the timely delivery of both complete MT30 gas turbine alternators to HMS Prince of Wales, in a single day, which will deliver around two thirds of the electrical power generated onboard. Congratulations to all involved, this is British engineering at its best!"

Angus Holt, Delivery Director, HMS Prince of Wales, said: "The successful achievement of this major milestone is systematic of the progress we are making with the build of the second Queen Elizabeth Class carrier. To have successfully lifted 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, is an important event in the construction of HMS Prince of Wales. Everyone involved should take huge pride in their contribution to this national endeavour."

Don Roussinos, Rolls-Royce, President - Naval said: "The installation of the MT30s 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 and we're proud to be working alongside such a strong team in the Power & Propulsion sub Alliance, as these highly capable ships get closer to entering service.

"We installed the very first marine gas turbine more than 60 years ago, and are delighted to continue that long and proud history of delivering advanced marine gas turbine and propulsion technology to the Royal Navy."

The installation involved the lifting of the MT30 gas turbines and associated ancillary equipment - housed in steel packages known as the gas turbine enclosures - 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 ships.

Key facts:

  • The MT30 gas turbine is derived from the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 aero engine which powers the Boeing 777 aircraft, with around 80 per cent of the parts being the same.
  • Pairs of MT30 gas turbines currently power the US Navy's Freedom Class variant of the Littoral Combat Ship and will power their new DDG-1000 destroyers.
  • Single MT30s will also power each of the UK Royal Navy's new Type 26 frigate, and the Republic of Korea Navy's new FFXII frigate.
  • The MT30 is also being considered for a number of key international naval programmes, including Italy and Japan, where the demand for high power matches the move to 'all-electric' ships.
  • Modular production of the MT30 begins on the same production line as the Rolls-Royce Trent aero engines in Derby, before the modules are assembled into the marine configuration, and put through a rigorous test and certification programme at the Rolls-Royce Marine Test Facility in Bristol.
  • The power generated will meet the aircraft carrier's demand for energy, which includes the propulsion and ship systems, weapons, aircraft and navigation systems as well as the entire low voltage requirements for operating such a large vessel.
  • The four GTA packages (two per ship) are assembled by Cullums Detuners of Derbyshire. Due to the size, the alternator and gas turbine enclosure are shipped to Rosyth separately.
  • The alternators are manufactured by GE at their RMR site in Rugby, weighing around 70 tonnes.
  • With a rated power output of 35MWe, the alternators are a unique machine built for the Queen Elizabeth Class.
About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
  1. Rolls-Royce's vision is to create better power for a changing world via two main business divisions, Aerospace and Land & Sea. These business divisions address markets with two strong technology platforms, gas turbines and reciprocating engines. Aerospace comprises Civil Aerospace and Defence Aerospace. Land & Sea comprises Marine, Nuclear and Power Systems.
  2. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 120 countries, comprising more than 380 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
  3. Our business is focused on the 4Cs:
    • Customer - placing the customer at the heart of our business
    • Concentration - deciding where to grow and where not to
    • Cost - continually looking to increase efficiency
    • Cash - improving financial performance.
  4. Annual underlying revenue was £14.6 billion in 2014, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £73.7 billion at the end of 2014.
  5. In 2014, Rolls-Royce invested £1.2 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
  6. Rolls-Royce employs over 54,000 people in more than 50 countries. Over 15,500 of these are engineers.
  7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2014 we employed 354 graduates and 357 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes. Globally we have over 1,000 Rolls-Royce STEM ambassadors who are actively involved in education programmes and activities; we have set ourselves a target to reach 6 million people through our STEM outreach activities by 2020.

For further information, please contact:

Craig Taylor
Communications Manager - Marine
Tel : +44 (0) 1332 632 612
Email : craig.taylor2@rolls-royce.com

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