Photo By John Banfield | Since 2015 NSWCPD has been working to update and automate the condenser cleaning...... read more read more
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The Warfare Centers of the Naval Sea Systems Command are part of the Navy team striving for on-time delivery of combat ready ships, submarines and systems. The team is implementing new solutions. Case in point: improving the safety and efficiency of condenser tube cleaning during the shipyard overhauls of submarines.
On a submarine, after steam provides the energy for propulsion or electric power generation the steam enters a heat exchanger where it is cooled and condensed into water and returned to the steam generator to repeat the process. Depending on its size, the heat exchanger, called a condenser, consists of hundreds or thousands of tubes through which sea water is pumped to provide the cooling necessary to condense the steam. The warm surfaces of the tubes cause chemical deposits and biological growth which decreases overall condenser efficiency.
During a shipyard overhaul, condensers are cleaned using a process called hydrolancing. A shipyard worker manually pushes a high pressure lance equipped with a spray nozzle through each condenser tube. The high pressure waterjet (5,000 pounds per square inch) removes the deposits and biological growth. The process is labor and time-intensive. Inexperience or fatigue can result in incomplete cleaning. Improper handling can result in injuries. Frequent inspections of the tubes are required and the process may have to be repeated to achieve the desired level of cleanliness. The warm water at locations such as Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) significantly accelerates the rate of biological growth, requiring multiple cleanings during an overhaul.
In 2015, during a visit of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)/Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) team, PHNSY Community of Practice Lead Roy Rapoza, proposed a conceptual solution to update the hydrolance process making it more efficient and safer.
Taking up the challenge, Joe Hungerbuhler, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) for condensers, began an industry survey. Commercially available hydrolance equipment required extra man hours of work to remove the end of the outer condenser shell for access. Hungerbuhler sought a solution that would operate inside the condenser. A custom hydrolance design would be necessary. Hungerbuhler acted as the technical point of contact for a contract awarded to StoneAge, a company in Durango, Colorado.
In late 2018, StoneAge began phase one of the contract. Applying their expertise in high pressure waterblast tools and automated industrial cleaning equipment they created a prototype design. Commencing phase two in the summer of 2020, StoneAge began final prototype design and fabrication. Functional testing is scheduled for the second quarter of 2021, with delivery of the prototype and training for PHNSY personnel in the third quarter.
When asked whether time, safety, or efficiency was the most important aspect of this project, Hungerbuhler said, “I’d have to say safety. It advances all three, but worker safety always comes first, and getting the high pressure waterjet lance out of their hands is a big safety improvement. The automation increases efficiency as it cuts time by eliminating a labor and fatigue-intensive manual practice. Because it employs an automated feeder process it also holds the potential for a more consistent cleaning and potentially less rework.”
“I am very excited! StoneAge Tools is well along in their task to design and build a prototype that will work onboard a Navy submarine,” said Dr. E. Michael Golda, NSWCPD’s Chief Technology Officer. “If the prototype is successful, it will help improve shipyard production efficiency. Equally important, it will relieve shipyard workers from performing a potentially hazardous, repetitive, and highly fatiguing task in a cramped, unpleasant location.”
“This project was identified for prioritized funding by the efforts of Michael Robinson and Dr. Golda here at NSWCPD and Brian Mahoney at NUWC Keyport as part of the Warfare Center Naval Shipyard Innovation Program,” said Hungerbuhler. “Contracting for the efforts with StoneAge were due to efforts of (NSWCPD’s) Peter Duong, Diana Yurkow, Peter Palma, and Kevin O’Shaughnessy and constant support in pursuing the effort from the condenser ISEA Branch Head, Bill Shapiro.”
Hungerbuhler continued to reiterate that this project’s success happened because of a team effort.
“This is really something that PHNSY can be proud of,” he said. “Rapoza was instrumental in identifying the problem and a conceptual solution. Our portion included finding a way to getting someone that could make that happen and organize that effort. PHNSY’s Tom Scaffidi, Mike Uherek, and Charissa Higashi have provided input on options and features that are best suited for the tool as well as validating StoneAge’s model for mock-up construction.”
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,700 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2021 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 393983 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NSWCPD Contributes to New Hydrolance Solution, by Brentan Debysingh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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