A New Approach to Gas Turbine Systems in the All Electric Warship Era

This paper will focus on discussions of new concepts for integration of gas turbines into advanced warship designs. The advancement of the electric warship creates several revolutionary opportunities in ship design concepts. The Integrated Power System (IPS) combines propulsion and auxiliary loads such that any electric generator can supply any load including electric propulsion, combat and hotel loads with light areo derivative gas turbines serving as prime movers for power generation. A combination of small and large gas turbine generators are fitted so that the operator can match the on-line generation capacity to the demand thereby keeping the gas turbines loaded to efficient levels. The IPS, or All Electric Warship concept, although a matter of much interest and study, will not be discussed in this paper. This paper will discuss how the light aero engine coupled with the IPS concept allows greater flexibility in overall design of the machinery plant as well as several new concepts for gas turbine systems in warships.Copyright © 2003 by ASME