OCT29-05: NAVSEA Researching Fuel Saving Initiative with Clean Propellers
From Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications
WASHINGTON - Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Fleet Readiness Research & Development Program (FRR&DP) Propeller Coating initiative continues evaluations onboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) the Navy said Oct. 28.
Propellers on naval ships experience marine growth during periods of inactivity. The coating initiative by NAVSEA's FRR&DP office is designed to easily remove the accumulation of marine growth while underway, thereby avoiding a fuel penalty associated with fouled propellers and supporting fleet readiness at a lower cost to taxpayers. The detailed coating assessment will include evaluation of paint application and how the coating reacts to various cleaning methods.
"Barnacles and other shell organisms significantly impair propeller performance, resulting in higher fuel consumption. The coating initiative could also reduce the number of propeller cleanings required to maintain performance and the costs associated with those cleanings," said NAVSEA FRR&DP Program Manager Petter Kristiansen.
The assessment is scheduled to conclude in calendar year 2010. The initiative could be expanded to include coating propellers on transport dock ships (LPDs), general-purpose assault ships (LHAs and LHDs) and possibly surface combatant ships.
Established in October 2007, FRR&DP operates under NAVSEA's Washington, D.C.-based Fleet Readiness Engineering Office (FREO) and focuses on reducing shipboard energy consumption by identifying and evaluating fuel-saving technologies for fleet implementation.