EnPro Industries’ company Fairbanks Morse has received a contract to manufacture main propulsion diesel engines (MPDEs) for the US Navy’s first Flight II-class landing platform / dock (LPD) ship, LPD 30.
Under the deal, Fairbanks will deliver four MPDEs and support the installation, testing and sea trials for the naval vessel.
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Equipped with the common rail (CR) fuel injection technology, the propulsion engines are slated for delivery to shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in the second and third quarters of 2020.
In August, the US Navy awarded a $165.5m advance procurement contract to HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division to purchase long-lead-time materials and major pieces of equipment for LPD 30. The four sequentially turbocharged 16-cylinder FM | Colt-Pielstick PC 2.5 diesel engines with CR fuel injection will generate more than 31MW of propulsion power.
The CR system technology uses a common high-pressure fuel header, high-pressure pumps, electronically controlled fuel delivery, electronic governing system and a new control system to provide a precise amount of fuel throughout all engine operations.
In addition, the technology will deliver improved specific fuel consumption at all operating points, saving millions of dollars for the US Navy over the operational lifetime of the engines.
Fairbanks Morse president Deepak Navnith said: “This contract is particularly special as it is for the first LPD Flight II class ship.”
Navnith added: “The common rail fuel injection technology on the LPD PC 2.5 engines will lower total lifecycle costs for the navy by reducing fuel consumption, lowering emissions, and reducing engine maintenance, enabling the navy to spend more time at sea at a lower cost.”
The engines will be manufactured at the Fairbanks Morse facility in Beloit.
Based on the US Navy’s San Antonio-class hull, the newly designed LPD 30 is upgraded with a fully capable flight deck and hangar, a well deck, and the vehicle and cargo capacities to support and sustain more than 500 combat-equipped Marines for up to 30 days.
In January, the company received a contract to build and deliver MPDE to power the San Antonio landing platform dock (LPD)-class ship LPD 29.
