Research of the Optimal Propulsion System for a Polar Scientific Icebreaker

It’s very impending for our country and scientists to build a new polar scientific icebreaker in order to take the place of the scientific icebreaker “Snow Dragon”, which is not suitable for more and more scientific researches in the polar areas in future, because many latest technologies and equipments, which improve icebreaker performances and research abilities, have appeared in recent years. To ensure icebreakers break ice and sail normally in atrocious polar environment, propulsion systems must be analyzed and designed particularly. According to the relative classification rules, many propulsion systems for a new polar scientific icebreaker are analyzed and compared with each other carefully in the process of project designs. And with a view to the vessel specification and work assignments in the polar areas, Azipod units are selected as the optimal propulsion systems for the icebreaker at last.