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A GREAT BRITISH POLAR EXPLORER EMERGING TECHNOLOGY The rapid melting of polar ice caps could have catastrophic consequences for oceans across the globe. To understand the role that the polar oceans play in our changing world, Britain is debuting the RRS Sir David Attenborough – one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world, which will operate in some of the most remote and inhospitable regions on Earth. Science writer Sarah Griffiths discovered the ship’s impressive features. vessel’s ability to support science most engineering challenges. with additional snow cover, in extreme environments. Engineers working on the at a minimum speed of three It includes instruments and ship, together with scientists knots. It will do this by using a laboratories that will enable from BAS and UK universities, clever arrangement of powerful scientists to study the ocean, had to design a ship that engines and its specially-shaped seafloor and atmosphere. When makes minimal underwater hull. The shape of the vessel’s it becomes operational in 2019, radiated noise (URN) while silent hull is developed from the ship will be capable of producing extreme force other icebreakers designed by spending 60 days at sea without when breaking ice and cutting Rolls-Royce, and is informed resupply over a range of 35,000 through towering ocean by the company’s experience kilometres. It will also be able to waves to achieve its missions, gained from designing more deploy, operate and control a all while carrying supplies. than 1,000 fishing, seismic range of remote-piloted, state- While icebreaking is of vital research and offshore vessels. of-the-art robotic technologies. importance to the ship, it is only Engineers used advanced Commissioned by the UK’s part of its operating profile; the computer modelling techniques National Environmental Research vessel must behave predictably and multiple model tests to Council (NERC), built by Cammell and be fuel efficient in all come up with the hull shape, Laird to a Rolls-Royce design and operating modes during a year which is a refinement of the operated by the British Antarctic of operation. typically flat bow. However, Survey (BAS), it is the result of a When it comes to it is not too flat, as the flatter £200 million investment from icebreaking, the RRS Sir David the bow, the higher the risk of the UK government. The polar Attenborough can cut through ‘slamming’, the term used to The new RRS Sir David Attenborough can break through ice and is designed to enable scientific investigations in some of the most remote and inhospitable ship will operate throughout ice up to 1.5 metres thick describe the juddering crash regions in the world © Rolls-Royce Attempts to understand and the year, supporting an Arctic respond to the challenges of research cruise in the northern climate change depend on VITAL STATISTICS summer and carrying out • Length: 129 metres; beam: 24 metres; weight: 15,000 gross improving our understanding research programmes and tonnes of the processes involved. The transporting people and • Scientific cargo volume of approximately 900 cubic metres climate research community supplies to BAS research stations • Endurance: up to 60 days (Polar regions) in the UK now has a new tool, in Antarctica during the austral • Range: 19,000 nautical miles at 13 knots (24 kilometres an the Royal Research Ship (RRS) summer. hour) cruising speed – more than enough for a return trip from Sir David Attenborough, which England to Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, A GREAT BRITISH will replace two ageing polar or to circle the entire Antarctic continent twice! research ships and enable world- SPECIALLY-SHAPED • Ice breaking capability: up to 1 metre thick at 3 knots (5.6 leading research in Antarctica HULL kilometres an hour) and the Arctic for the next The combination of • Bow and stern thrusters for excellent dynamic positioning in 25 years. Like many ‘scientific untraditional requirements challenging conditions instruments’, this 129-metre- and multifunctionality of polar • Launch and recovery of aerial and ocean robotic systems long vessel pushed maritime research vessels makes the RRS POLAR EXPLORER • Crew: approximately 30 engineering to its limits, in Sir David Attenborough’s hull • Accommodation for up to 60 scientists and support staff a design that optimises the special, but also created the 12 INGENIA INGENIA ISSUE 76 SEPTEMBER 2018 13 A GREAT BRITISH POLAR EXPLORER EMERGING TECHNOLOGY Engineers have designed the ship’s hull so that it breaks the ice by pushing it down and shoving as much as possible below and to the side of the unbroken ice sheet. By doing this, less ice will follow the water flow at the bottom of the vessel and end up in the propellers, which creates noise, power peaks and loss in thrust, as well as in the broken channel behind the vessel. This area should be as open as possible to allow towing of equipment for scientific work and reversing if necessary. The underwater design of the aftship, which houses the two large propellers, is also designed for maximum strength and to allow ice to flow behind the ship without risk of it jamming between the specially designed twin ‘skegs’ (the tapering after the keel) © Rolls-Royce when a hull that has risen computational fluid dynamics onboard, which provide the the transmission of noise into upwards as it moves through a (CFD) study that looked at mechanical propulsion to push the hull. The RRS Sir David wave falls back into the water – underwater analysis for different the ship through the ice. Two Attenborough also has two Rolls- The RRS Sir David Attenborough is the first British polar research ship to have a moon pool – its location on the ship is indicated by the orange coloured it is noisy, slows the ship down sea states and at various speeds of them are nine cylinder and Royce five-bladed controllable squares on the image above. A watertight, hydraulically-operated single leaf door secures the moon pool, and opens to leave a four metre by four metre and can even damage the through the water. As a result, two six cylinder, which together pitch propellers, which form part clear space through to the bottom of the ship. The trolley arrangement that is used to guide equipment into the ocean can be seen just above the coloured structure. connections were carefully produce 18 megawatts of energy of a Rolls-Royce Promas unit. box on the top image © Rolls-Royce Both the water flow around welded and smoothed to avoid to drive two propeller shafts. This unit integrates the propeller will each provide a peak output through the vessel so it is open there are a further two rails at Southampton. The AUVs include the hull and the airflow over vortexes so that bubbles will Propellers and the main with a hubcap, rubber bulb of 2750 kilowatts, as well as at deck level and the sea at the the aft end of the trunk itself the long-range autosub named the structure were computer not interfere with scientific engine are normally the biggest and a special rudder profile to fulfilling a blackout prevention hull. Moon pools are becoming that give greater stability to Boaty McBoatface as a result of modelled in detail to understand transducers and sensors fitted source of noise, so engineers provide very high steering forces function in the event that a more common feature on deployed equipment. a public vote. Despite being a how the shape would interact on the hull. The team developed designed both the foundations and minimise drag and noise. the running generator trips research vessels as they enable third the weight of older models with its environment. This bow and bottom shapes that and the ship structure to reduce The ship uses variable valve off the switchboard. This will the ships to operate in more sea Autosub3 and Autosub6000, was important from the ship’s will lead bubbles away from the the noise and vibration levels timing, an intelligent system enable more efficient use of states, including ice flows, where MARINE ROBOTICS Boaty can travel for more than running prospective and also sensors, known as ‘sweep-down’. in a wide frequency range, that responds to load, to ensure the generators by providing previously submarines and During its polar missions, the 10 times the distance and stay for the scientific measurements. enabling the vessel to meet the engines always receive the safety backup that would other instruments could not be RRS Sir David Attenborough in the water for longer. The key The generation of bubbles from the strictest noise and vibration the ideal amount of air for otherwise require running a deployed over the side of ships. will deploy a new generation to this performance is efficient the hull’s movement through QUIETER ENGINES levels possible. Engineers used maximum responsiveness and second generator. The moon pool’s purpose is of autonomous and remotely propulsion at a slow speed and the water and how they flow One of the key challenges of finite element method (FEM) efficiency. Running at a fixed The vessel has two to allow scientific equipment to operated vehicles. Its ocean by keeping tight control of the around the hull’s surface could designing the ship was to make analysis when developing the speed of 720rpm, they use low completely separate engine be deployed and recovered at gliders and submersible vehicles power used by the AUV sensors have a significant negative effect it powerful enough to break ice, critical steel structure, which sulphur fuel and have good rooms with duplicated systems the most stable part of the hull, will enable scientists to access and control systems.