Navy warships and pleasure cruise ships are similar in the sense that they’re both like self-sustained, floating cities. But, they’re also quite different in many regards.
On the deck of a cruise ship, you’ll see the glistening bodies of sun bathers. On a naval warship, .50 caliber machine guns and ship-to-ship missiles glisten in the sunlight.
You’ll hear the sounds of shuffle board pucks sliding on the decks of a cruise ship. You’ll hear the roar of F-14 Tomcat jets blasting off the deck of an aircraft carrier.
If a cruise ship has its electrical power disrupted or reduced from, say, an engine room fire, it may drift aimlessly at sea. If a modern-day naval warship has its power disrupted or reduced, it will likely be capable of completing its mission.
What gives modern-day naval warships the ability to keep going even if power is disrupted or reduced as the result of an explosion or other potentially cataclysmic event? The latest naval ships are being built with integrated fight through power (IFTP) technology. IFTP is the electrical distribution system for the next generation of naval ships that provides redundant power and isolates electrical disturbances, thereby improving the quantity, quality and reliability of electrical power. If power is suddenly and unexpectedly disrupted at one location on a naval ship, the power will be redirected and the ship’s electrical systems will continue operating.
Power quality for naval ships is becoming more vital with the advent of main propulsion electric drives, variable speed motor drives and pulsed loads associated with high-energy weapon systems. Ohio Semitronics, located in Hilliard, Ohio, designs and manufactures hundreds of current sensors for the U.S. Navy which helps make IFTP technology a reality for the Navy’s latest generations of war ships. With OSI’s current sensors, the ability to continually monitor power over the entire ship is provided. That’s no small achievement when you consider one Navy estimate projects modern, “all-electric” ships will require at least 10,000 electrical sensors per ship to properly monitor and regulate power flow.
The U.S. Navy has plans to retrofit older ships with IFTP technology, as well. The “all-electric” ship of the future will provide the Navy with fighting ships that are lighter, faster and, with the help of OSI’s current sensors and power monitoring solutions, more reliable and economical to build. At OSI, that’s our pleasure.
Flickr Photo Credit: EandJsFilmCrew
