055 DDG Large Destroyer Thread

[Blitzo]

A main advantage of IEP is structural flexibility it affords the designers. On a conventional gas turbine powered vessel, turbines have to align with the shaft, which limit options for turbine and engine room placement. On a IEP ship, that requirement is removed. Turbine and generator are attached to drive motor by flexible wires, so the turbine and generator set can be located anywhere in the ship subject to space availability and weight and stability concerns. GTs don’t weigh much. It is indeed possible to locate the gas turbines in an IEP ship in the superstructure to reduce space occupied by intake and exhaust ductwork.

To fully take advantage of the structural flexibility afforded by IEP, the designer should not leave the gas turbines in the same location as on a conventional gas turbine powered ship. Instead the designer have the opportunity to optimize hull structural efficiency, space utilization, and eliminate single large athwart ship open spaces in the hull, as well as cater to other design specific considerations in engine placement

So while it is possible to fit an IEP using a conventional shaft and propeller arrangement into a hull that was designed was designed for pure gas turbine propulsion, that would sacrifice much of the potential structural benefit resulting from not having to Aline the GTs with drive shafts.

To fully benefit from IEP, one should start with a clean slate hull design.

As Iron Man wrote, there is nothing which suggests a ship which can accept IEPS internally should not do so merely for a clean sheet hull design.

IEPS does offer advantages in internal ship subsystem organization, in terms of positioning the electric motor driving the main shafts, allowing a substantial reduction of the main shaft length.
But the main powerplants (gas turbines) will likely still be in the same place.


I see no significant "structural flexibility" advantage in IEPS allows which suggests that a new hull needs to be designed to seek to attain those "advantages" which an existing hull cannot mostly or fully accommodate with conservative internal redesign.

 

[kurutoga]

I believe Chinese designers already reserve IEPS for 055 ... just unfortunately the technology wasn't mature enough at that time .... but I believe new iteration of 055 (055A) is ready to be fitted for IEPS, ..... even 055 I believe is able to be modified easily to be fitted with IEPS module

Rumor for the IEP ships are in the following order: 054B, 052E, then the next 055

 

[Richard Santos]

Uhh, no. There is no "CGN 42 class". CGN 42 was a canceled Virginia that was planned to install Aegis, not an entire class of vessels. The Tico is the successor to both this ship and the strike cruiser program, both canceled because they were nuclear and had higher operating costs that the USN felt was no longer worth keeping.

Uhhh, No. CGN 42 was not meant to be a one off. It was intended as a class of cheaper replacement for the strike cruiser, along with a heavily modernized Long Beach with Aegis installed. Ticos were planned before there were ever a need for CGN 42. Ticos were not successors to these. Ticos are survivors of the early 1970s vision from which higher end strike cruiser were axed for budget reason. The Arleigh Burke class were planned with CGN42. Arleigh Burke are the survivors of the late 1970s vision from which the Aegis modernized Long Beach and CGN42 were axed.

In both cases, the USN realized the necessary numbers could not be afforded along with higher end ships.

 

[Blitzo]

Uhhh, No. CGN 42 was not meant to be a one off. It was intended as a class of cheaper replacement for the strike cruiser, along with a heavily modernized Long Beach with Aegis installed. Ticos were planned before there were ever a need for CGN 42. Ticos were not successors to these. Ticos are survivors of the early 1970s vision from which higher end strike cruiser were axed for budget reason. The Arleigh Burke class were planned with CGN42. Arleigh Burke are the survivors of the late 1970s vision from which the Aegis modernized Long Beach and CGN42 were axed.

In both cases, the USN realized the necessary numbers could not be afforded along with higher end ships.

The "CGN-42 class" should better be called the "CSGN" or "Strike Cruiser" as that is what the project back then was better known as IMO.

 

[Skywatcher]

Rumor for the IEP ships are in the following order: 054B, 052E, then the next 055

Personally I don't think we'll see a Type 052E, the hull's probably all played out.

 

[antiterror13]

Personally I don't think we'll see a Type 052E, the hull's probably all played out.

I still can see it ... perhaps 052D++ with IEPS

 

[Richard Santos]

Personally I don't think we'll see a Type 052E, the hull's probably all played out.

Keep in mind with the Chinese navy, vessels sharing the same project number may be intended to fill approximately the same niche, but may not be extremely closely related in terms of naval architectural design.

When the current hull first introduced with 052B is judged to have exhausted its potential, who is to say the Chinese won’t design a largely new hull but call it by the same project number with just a change to the suffix?

 

[Iron Man]

I still can see it ... perhaps 052D++ with IEPS

IMO the continued production of both the 055 and the 052D simultaneously suggests the likelihood of there being a follow-on class to the 052D to be more likely than not, whether it's called "052E" or something else.

 

[latenlazy]

IMO the continued production of both the 055 and the 052D simultaneously suggests the likelihood of there being a follow-on class to the 052D to be more likely than not, whether it's called "052E" or something else.

Hmmm...unless the ramp up we saw of 052D production was meant to cover an eventual transition gap in force structure. Hard to say where we are right now, given that any potential change in intended force structure that might be prevalent now would be happening in the midst of a rapid acceleration in fleet expansion. These sorts of situations will tend to generate some mixed signals.

 

[Iron Man]

Hmmm...unless the ramp up we saw of 052D production was meant to cover an eventual transition gap in force structure. Hard to say where we are right now, given that any potential change in intended force structure that might be prevalent now would be happening in the midst of a rapid acceleration in fleet expansion. These sorts of situations will tend to generate some mixed signals.

Not saying I have a crystal ball, but if the 055 was truly meant to be the successor class to the 052D there shouldn't be any new orders for this class since money and resources used for the 052D is that much less that could be used to build more 055s instead, especially if as some people claim the costs of the 052D and the 055 aren't too dissimilar from each other. And it isn't like they have totally different facilities for the 052D and the 055; both are produced in the same shipyards. It's also not like they are testing the 055 waters by building a few and seeing how they work out for the next 5-8 years. They are clearly satisfied with this design and are going all in here. To me it looks like fleet expansion, but with a 3-tier 055X/052X/054X surface combatant structure.