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China has developed a 20 MW generator for their warships
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
As reported by the Global Times on December 25, China's 20 MW steam turbine generator (turbo generator, TG) for use in warships has successfully undergone technical evaluation. Developed by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) the generator will provide four times more electrical power than currently used units mounted on ships of the People's Liberation Army of China.
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Created by 704 CSIC Research Institute, the generator is intended to be one of the key components of the currently developed integrated electric drive (Integrated Electric-Propulion, IEP) of Chinese naval ships. Although media reports indicate that the new generator—is on a par with the most advanced generators developed by the U.S. and European states—its power is less than 36 MW produced by each of the two main generators installed on a Royal Navy aircraft carrier of the type Queen Elizabeth, but will be close to the performance of the major destroyers type 45.
Some analysts believe that the new generator can provide a solution for the huge electricity demand needed for electromagnetic catapults to be located on future Chinese aircraft carriers and electromagnetic cannons mounted on future destroyers. After the technical evaluation, the new generator will be mounted on a experimental ship to be available to naval units within 1-2 years.
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– 20 megawatts is enough to power ships with a displacement of up to 10,000 tons and larger units such as aircraft carriers may have several such generators," said military expert Song Zhongping. – On traditional units generators that provide energy for propulsion and electricity are separate and the energy generated for the propulsion system is not used for electric power supply. Ships rarely swim at full speed, so a significant part of their potential power is not used, while the electrical system can be overloaded, providing the energy of electronics on the ship," Song added.
Powerful enough generators, like the one developed by CSIC, can be used for both propulsion and electrical systems. Ship electrics are more efficient when one system is used to allocate power where necessary.
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