GE Marine has delivered its first new lightweight LM2500 composite gas turbine module to Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., for the future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32). The new module, which was certified by the Navy in 2019 after shock qualification provides a 5,500-pound weight savings - 50% wall weight reduction and 60% quieter enclosure. The new composite module design was bestowed Austal Supplier Innovation Award in 2018. GE is supplying 38 LM2500 gas turbines to Austal for its Independence variants up to LCS hull number 38. The future USS Santa Barbara will be powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbines arranged in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines. A significant design feature provides a safer environment and improved access for sailors, according to Kris Shepherd, VP/GM of GE Marine. “By using lightweight composites, versus its steel enclosure predecessor, wall temperatures are 25-to-50 degrees cooler in the engine room. The Module Modernization Program was a four-year collaborative with the Navy, Bath (Maine) Iron Works, and GE. The LM2500 marine gas turbines are built at GE’s manufacturing facility in Evendale, Ohio. (Source: GE Aviation 06/10/20) GE’s marine gas turbine business is part of GE Aviation and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. https://www.geaviation.com/press-release/marine-industrial-engines/ge-delivers-first-lm2500-lightweight-composite-gas-turbine
See previous blog note at https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6723484481089631024/6576523161225257719?hl=en
