Serck heat transfer oil coolers for new Astute Class submarines

Citation

(2000), "Serck heat transfer oil coolers for new Astute Class submarines", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 52 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2000.01852ead.004

Serck heat transfer oil coolers for new Astute Class submarines

Serck heat transfer oil coolers for new Astute Class submarines

Keywords Coolers, Oils, Subsea

Serck Industrial has been chosen to manufacture high integrity oil coolers for the new Astute Class attack submarines (see Plate 3), currently on order at BAE SYSTEMS for the Royal Navy.

Plate 3 Astute Class submarines to be fitted with Serck Heat Transfer oil coolers

The first of the class is already under construction at Barrow-in-Furness. Two further boats are scheduled, one to be called Ambush and the other Artful. An option for two more was confirmed in 1998.

Serck is supplying two high-integrity, seawater-cooled 410 oil coolers per boat set, one primary and one stand-by. The 410 oil cooler is a proprietary Serck design of the shell and tube type, specially developed to meet the MoD's stringent performance requirements, including a high degree of shock resistance. Both coolers are mounted on the main machinery raft and are designed to process all the oil used throughout the various systems on board the submarine. Effective cooling ensures that engine components operate at lower temperatures, so improving reliability and service life.

The Serck coolers offer exceptional thermal performance within a compact, rugged body shell. During construction the tube is expanded by a mechanical process to achieve a high integrity bond with the tubeplate. The resulting structure is not only highly resistant to vibration and steep thermal gradients but also ensures efficient thermal transfer. The cooling element is easily demountable for routine maintenance and cleaning.

The 7,500 tonne Astute Class submarines will be powered by nuclear reactors that never need to be refuelled and will provide all the power the submarines need for a lifetime. The Astute submarines will have a speed of approximately 32 knots under water and are designed to dive to over 300 metres. They will carry a total of 38 weapons, including Tomahawk and Sub Harpoon missiles and Spearfish and Tigerfish torpedoes or mines.

The Astute submarines' primary roles are intended to be anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel warfare, but they could also be used for minelaying or land attack. The maximum length of patrol will be around 90 days and the complement in the region of 100, with 12 officers.

BAE SYSTEMS has been created by bringing together British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems and is now believed to be the second largest defence manufacturer in the world.

Serck Industrial is a division of Serck Heat Transfer, a leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of heat exchangers, particularly for diesel power related applications in the automotive, off-highway, rail traction, compressor and power generation markets. Marine charge air and oil cooling are major areas of specialisation.

For more information contact Serck Heat Transfer, Warwick Road, Birmingham B11 2QY. UK. Tel: +44 (0) 121 766 6666; Fax: +44 (0) 121 766 6014.