Self Cleaning Fuel Oil Purification System on the U.S. Navy DD-963 Class Ships

摘要

The Spruance Class Destroyers (DD 963) in the United States Navy uses two fuel oil purifiers to process dirty fuel for their main propulsion plants. When these ships were built, they were outfitted with the Sharpies Model DDN-2500 belt driven centrifugal fuel oil purifiers rated at 135 gallons per minute. By the mid 1990's, it had become apparent that logistical support for the DDN-2500 fuel oil purifiers was unacceptable; with the units being out of production, no spare bowl assemblies available, and the overall degradation of the units. It was determined that a suitable replacement for the older Sharpies units was necessary. Research and investigation led the U.S. Navy to the Westfalia Fuel Oil Purifiers. These units contain a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and technological advancements that allow for full automation in the areas of fuel oil purification. This paper will outline the background, theory, shipboard installation, testing, and lessons learned of a fully automatic self cleaning Westfalia OSB-35 Fuel Oil Purifier.