The nuclear icebreaker "Yamal" is one of ten icebreakers of the "Arctic" class, the construction of which began in 1986, back in Soviet times. The construction of the icebreaker "Yamal" was completed in 1992, but already at that time there was no longer a need for its use to ensure navigation along the Northern Sea Route. Therefore, the owners of this vessel, which weighs 23,455 tons and is 150 meters long, converted it into a vessel with 50 tourist cabins and capable of taking tourists to the North Pole.
The “heart” of the Yamal icebreaker is two sealed water-cooled reactors OK-900A, which contain 245 fuel rods with enriched uranium. The full load of nuclear fuel is about 500 kilograms, this reserve is sufficient for the continuous operation of the icebreaker for 5 years. Each nuclear reactor weighs about 160 tons and is located in a sealed compartment, protected from the rest of the ship's structure by layers of steel, water and high-density concrete. There are 86 sensors placed around the reactor compartment and throughout the ship that measure radiation levels.
Steam power reactor boilers produce superheated steam high pressure, which rotates turbines that drive 12 electric generators. Energy from the generators is supplied to electric motors that rotate the blades of the icebreaker's three propellers. The engine power of each propeller is 25 thousand horsepower or 55.3 MW. Using this power, the Yamal icebreaker can move through ice 2.3 meters thick at a speed of 3 knots. Although maximum thickness The amount of ice through which an icebreaker can pass is 5 meters; cases have been recorded of an icebreaker overcoming ice hummocks 9 meters thick.
The hull of the icebreaker "Yamal" is a double hull covered with a special polymer material, reducing friction. The thickness of the upper layer of the hull at the ice cutting site is 48 millimeters, and in other places - 30 millimeters. The water ballast system, located between the two layers of the icebreaker's hull, allows additional weight to be concentrated at the front of the ship, which acts as an additional ram. If the icebreaker's power is not enough to cut through the ice, then an air bubble system is activated, which throws 24 cubic meters of air per second under the surface of the ice and breaks it from below.
The design of the reactor cooling system of the Yamal nuclear icebreaker is designed to use sea water with a maximum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. Therefore, this icebreaker and others like it will never be able to leave the northern seas and go to more southern latitudes.
Nuclear icebreakers can stay on the Northern Sea Route for a long time without needing refueling. Currently, the operating fleet includes the nuclear-powered ships Rossiya, Sovetsky Soyuz, Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr and Vaygach, as well as the nuclear-powered lighter-container carrier Sevmorput. Their operation and maintenance is carried out by Rosatomflot, located in Murmansk.
1. Nuclear icebreaker - a sea vessel with a nuclear power plant, built specifically for use in waters covered with ice all year round. Nuclear icebreakers are much more powerful than diesel ones. In the USSR, they were developed to ensure navigation in the cold waters of the Arctic.
2. For the period 1959–1991. In the Soviet Union, 8 nuclear-powered icebreakers and 1 nuclear-powered lighter-container ship were built.
In Russia, from 1991 to the present, two more nuclear icebreakers were built: Yamal (1993) and 50 Let Pobeda (2007). Construction is currently underway on three more nuclear icebreakers with a displacement of more than 33 thousand tons, ice-breaking capacity of almost three meters. The first of them will be ready by 2017.
3. In total, more than 1,100 people work on Russian nuclear icebreakers, as well as ships based on the Atomflot nuclear fleet.
"Soviet Union" (nuclear-powered icebreaker of the "Arktika" class)
4. Icebreakers of the “Arctic” class are the basis of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet: 6 out of 10 nuclear icebreakers belong to this class. The ships have a double hull and can break ice, moving both forward and backward. These ships are designed to operate in cold Arctic waters, making it difficult to operate a nuclear facility in warm seas. This is partly why crossing the tropics to work off the coast of Antarctica is not among their tasks.
The icebreaker's displacement is 21,120 tons, draft is 11.0 m, maximum speed in clear water is 20.8 knots.
5. The design feature of the icebreaker “Soviet Soyuz” is that at any time it can be retrofitted into a battle cruiser. Initially, the ship was used for Arctic tourism. While making a transpolar cruise, it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy from its board.
6. Department of GTG (main turbogenerators). A nuclear reactor heats water, which turns into steam, which spins turbines, which energize generators, which produce electricity, which feeds electric motors that turn propellers.
7. CPU (Central control post).
8. The control of the icebreaker is concentrated in two main command posts: the wheelhouse and the central power plant control post (CPC). From the wheelhouse, general management of the icebreaker’s operation is carried out, and from the central control room, the operation of the power plant, mechanisms and systems is controlled and monitored.
9. The reliability of nuclear-powered ships of the Arctic class has been tested and proven by time - for more than 30 years of nuclear-powered ships of this class there has not been a single accident associated with a nuclear power plant.
10. Wardroom for meals for command personnel. The enlisted mess is located one deck below. The diet consists of four full meals a day.
11. "Soviet Union" was put into operation in 1989, with deadline service for 25 years. In 2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied equipment for the icebreaker that allows it to extend the life of the vessel. Currently, the icebreaker is planned for restoration, but only after a specific customer has been identified or until transit along the Northern Sea Route is increased and new work areas appear.
Nuclear icebreaker "Arktika"
12. Launched in 1975 and was considered the largest of all existing at that time: its width was 30 meters, length - 148 meters, and side height - more than 17 meters. All conditions were created on the ship to allow the flight crew and helicopter to be based. "Arktika" was capable of breaking through ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also moving at a speed of 18 knots. A clear difference was considered unusual coloring vessel (bright red), which personified a new nautical era.
13. The nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" became famous for being the first ship that managed to reach the North Pole. It is currently decommissioned and a decision on its disposal is awaited.
"Vaigach"
14. Shallow-draft nuclear icebreaker of the Taimyr project. A distinctive feature of this icebreaker project is its reduced draft, which allows it to serve ships traveling along the Northern Sea Route with calls at the mouths of Siberian rivers.
15. Captain's bridge. Remote control panels for three propulsion electric motors; control devices are also located on the remote control towing device, tug surveillance camera control panel, log indicators, echo sounders, gyrocompass repeater, VHF radio stations, windshield wiper control panel, etc., joystick for controlling a 6 kW xenon spotlight.
16. Machine telegraphs.
17. The main use of “Vaigach” is escorting ships with metal from Norilsk and ships with timber and ore from Igarka to Dikson.
18. The main power plant of the icebreaker consists of two turbogenerators, which will provide a maximum continuous power of about 50,000 hp on the shafts. s., which will make it possible to force ice up to two meters thick. With an ice thickness of 1.77 meters, the icebreaker's speed is 2 knots.
19. Middle propeller shaft room.
20. The direction of movement of the icebreaker is controlled using an electro-hydraulic steering machine.
21. Former cinema hall. Now on the icebreaker in each cabin there is a TV with wiring for broadcasting the ship’s video channel and satellite television. The cinema hall is used for general meetings and cultural events.
22. The office of the block cabin of the second first mate. The duration of stay of nuclear-powered ships at sea depends on the amount of planned work, on average it is 2-3 months. The crew of the icebreaker "Vaigach" consists of 100 people.
Nuclear icebreaker "Taimyr"
24. The icebreaker is identical to the Vaigach. It was built in the late 1980s in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard. Marine Technology") in Helsinki upon request Soviet Union. However, the equipment (power plant, etc.) on the ship was Soviet, and Soviet-made steel was used. The installation of nuclear equipment was carried out in Leningrad, where the icebreaker hull was towed in 1988.
25. "Taimyr" in the dock of the shipyard.
26. “Taimyr” breaks the ice in a classic way: a powerful hull leans on an obstacle of frozen water, destroying it with its own weight. A channel is formed behind the icebreaker through which ordinary sea vessels can move.
27. To improve ice-breaking capacity, the Taimyr is equipped with a pneumatic washing system that prevents broken ice and snow from sticking to the hull. If the laying of a channel is slowed down due to thick ice, the trim and roll systems, which consist of tanks and pumps, come into play. Thanks to these systems, the icebreaker can roll first to one side, then to the other, and raise the bow or stern higher. Such movements of the hull break up the ice field surrounding the icebreaker, allowing it to move on.
28. For painting external structures, decks and bulkheads, imported two-component acrylic-based enamels with increased resistance to weathering, resistant to abrasion and impact loads are used. The paint is applied in three layers: one layer of primer and two layers of enamel.
29. The speed of such an icebreaker is 18.5 knots (33.3 km/h).
30. Repair of the propeller-rudder complex.
31. Installation of the blade.
32. Bolts securing the blade to the propeller hub; each of the four blades is secured with nine bolts.
33. Almost all vessels of the Russian icebreaker fleet are equipped with propellers manufactured at the Zvezdochka plant.
Nuclear icebreaker "Lenin"
34. This icebreaker, launched on December 5, 1957, became the world's first ship equipped with a nuclear power plant. Its most important differences were high level autonomy and power. During the first six years of use, the nuclear-powered icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, carrying over 400 ships. Later, "Lenin" will be the first of all ships to be north of Severnaya Zemlya.
35. The icebreaker "Lenin" worked for 31 years and in 1990 was taken out of service and placed in permanent berth in Murmansk. Now there is a museum on the icebreaker, and work is underway to expand the exhibition.
36. The compartment in which there were two nuclear installations. Two dosimetrists went inside to measure the radiation level and monitor the operation of the reactor.
There is an opinion that it was thanks to “Lenin” that the expression “peaceful atom” was established. The icebreaker was being built in the midst of " cold war", but had absolutely peaceful purposes- development of the Northern Sea Route and passage of civilian ships.
37. Wheelhouse.
38. Main staircase.
39. One of the captains of the AL "Lenin", Pavel Akimovich Ponomarev, was previously the captain of the "Ermak" (1928-1932) - the world's first Arctic-class icebreaker.
As a bonus, a couple of photos of Murmansk...
40. Murmansk is the world's largest city located beyond the Arctic Circle. It is located on the rocky eastern coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.
41. The basis of the city’s economy is the Murmansk seaport - one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia. The Murmansk port is the home port of the Sedov barque, the largest sailing ship in the world.
Just a few years ago, the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg was experiencing serious difficulties and was on the verge of shutdown, and this summer the hull of the newest nuclear icebreaker “Arktika” - the namesake of the retired famous Soviet ship. This newest vessel with a two-reactor nuclear installation is designed with a double-draft design, that is, it will be able to escort transport vessels in both deep- and shallow-water sections of the Northern Sea Route. However, in addition to nuclear leviathans like the Arktika and its upcoming sisterships Sibir and Ural, not so powerful ships of more modest size are also in demand in our high latitudes. These icebreakers also have their own tasks.
The icebreaker is cramped
The phrase “modest size” is the last thing that comes to mind in the workshop of the Vyborg Shipyard, where the installation of blocks of the future icebreaker is taking place. Huge ocher-colored structures, the height of a three- to four-story building, reach right up to the ceiling of the dimly lit factory room. From time to time, here and there, a bluish welding flame flares up. VSZ's new products do not really fit into the old dimensions of the enterprise. “We had to redo the entire logistics chain of production,” says Valery Shorin, an honored employee of the enterprise, a senior specialist in business projects at VSZ. — Previously, ship hulls were assembled on a slipway, and then they entered a docking chamber, which was filled with water. The water sank, leaving the ship in a special channel through which access to the sea opened. Now this is impossible. The chamber is capable of receiving vessels no wider than 18 m.”
Construction of a multifunctional icebreaking support vessel for escorting oil tankers in the Gulf of Ob is underway.
Now at VSZ they are finishing the construction of the diesel-electric icebreaker “Novorossiysk”, belonging to the 21900 M series. Two sister ships - “Vladivostok” and “Murmansk” have already been transferred to the customer, which is “Rosmorport”. These, of course, are not superpowers like the “Arctic” (60 MW), but the power capacity of Project 21900 M ships is also impressive - 18 MW. The length of the icebreaker is 119.4 m, width is 27.5. The docking camera is still in place. Her gray concrete walls, in the seams of which small vegetation has settled, now they hospitably accept factory tugboats and other not too large vessels for repairs. The icebreaker will no longer fit there. Instead of building a second, wider chamber, the factory found a different solution. In ten months, the Atlant barge was built, an impressive structure with a length of 135 and a width of 35 m. The barge is a floating platform, at the corners of which technological towers rise white— they have markings on them. Now ready-made blocks are delivered to the barge from the workshop on heavy-duty trailers (the largest of them is capable of transporting parts weighing up to 300 tons). The hull is being assembled on the Atlanta, and as soon as it is ready for launching, the barge is taken by tug to a deep place in the sea and its ballast chambers are filled with water. The site goes under water, and the depth of its immersion is monitored precisely by marks on the technological towers. The future ship is afloat. He is taken to the pier, after which work continues. The barge is freed for a new ship.
The icebreaker Novorossiysk, which has already been launched, is the last of three icebreakers of Project 21900 M ordered by Rosmorport.
Raid against the ice
What makes an icebreaker an icebreaker? In principle, any vessel can break ice, even a rowing boat. The only question is how thick this ice is. The Maritime Register has a classification of ships that have special properties for crossing ice. The weakest category is Ice 1−3 (non-Arctic vessels), followed by Arc 6−9 (Arctic vessels). But only ships falling under the Icebreaker category can rightfully be considered icebreakers. There are four classes in the category. The highest class - the ninth - belongs to nuclear icebreakers, which are capable of continuously crossing the field smooth ice up to 2.5 m thick. What if the ice is thicker? This may well happen in the permanently frozen Arctic seas, where the ice does not melt in the spring, but grows over the years. Hummocks also complicate the passage. In this case, you have to abandon breaking the ice continuously. If the icebreaker does not have enough power to overcome the ice, the “raid” technique is used. The ship moves away from the obstacle several hulls back, and then again rushes forward and jumps onto the ice floe with a running start. There is also a method of breaking ice by the stern, where ballast water is pumped from other parts of the hull to increase the mass acting on the ice. The opposite option is also possible, when water is pumped to the bow of the vessel. Or into a tank on one of the sides. This is the work of the roll and trim systems, which help the icebreaker break the ice and not get stuck in the channel. The fourth method is available only to the unique, first-in-the-world asymmetrical icebreaker Baltika, which, due to the non-standard shape of the hull, can move sideways, breaking the ice and forming a channel of such a width that other icebreakers are inaccessible.
Two icebreakers - "Moscow" and "St. Petersburg", built at the Baltic Shipyard (St. Petersburg) within the framework of Project 21900, belonged to the Icebreaker 6 class. The modernized icebreakers of Project 21900 M, the production of which was mastered by VSZ, were strengthened and modified to the Icebreaker class 7. When moving continuously, they are capable of breaking ice with a thickness of 1.5-1.6 m, and when using the stern, they can handle a thickness of 1.3 m. This means that the Novorossiysk, which is currently being completed, will be able to work not only in the Baltic, where the thickness ice almost never exceeds 90 cm, but also in the Arctic seas - however, mainly in the spring-summer period.
It is from these huge blocks that icebreaker hulls are assembled on the Atlant barge at the Vyborg Shipyard, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. As soon as the hull is ready, it is launched into the water, and the completion of the vessel continues.
Pitching on clear water
Despite the fact that the icebreakers of Project 21900 M do not have the capabilities that the Icebreaker 9 class vessels have, structurally they have a lot in common, since the classic icebreaker design has long been invented and tested. “The icebreaker’s hull is shaped like an egg. - says Boris Kondrashov, captain of the VSZ tugboat, deputy captain of the plant. — There are almost no protruding parts on the bottom. This shape makes it possible to effectively push away the ice broken by the reinforced stem and to move the ice floes downwards, under the ice framing the channel. But one feature of icebreakers is associated with this shape: in clear water, the ship experiences powerful rolling even from a small wave. At the same time, when passing through ice fields, the ship’s hull occupies a stable position.” The ice field along which the icebreaker is moving does not stand still. Under the influence of current or wind, it can move and push against the side of the icebreaker. It is extremely difficult to resist the pressure of a huge mass; it is impossible to stop it. There are cases when ice literally crawled onto the deck of an icebreaker. But the shape of the hull and the reinforced ice belt running near the waterline do not allow ice to crush the ship, although large dents up to half a meter deep often remain on the sides.
1. In normal mode, the icebreaker breaks ice, moving continuously. The vessel cuts through the ice with a reinforced stem and pushes the ice floes apart with its specially rounded bow. 2. If the icebreaker encounters ice that the ship does not have enough power to break with continuous progress, the raid method is used. The icebreaker moves back, then runs onto the ice floe and crushes it with its weight. 3. Another option for dealing with thick ice is to move astern.
The changes made to the modified version of the icebreaker 21900 affected, in particular, the ice belt. It is reinforced with an additional 5 mm layer of stainless steel. Other components have also undergone modifications. Unlike classic ships with propellers, Project 21900 M icebreakers are equipped with two rudder propellers. These are not newfangled azipods, the gondola of each of which fits Electrical engine, but their functional analogue. The columns can be rotated 180 degrees in any direction, which provides the vessel with the highest maneuverability. In addition to the columns located at the stern, at the bow of the ship there is a thruster in the form of a propeller in a ring fairing. What is especially interesting is that the propellers not only act as propulsion, but also have sufficient strength to take part in the fight against ice. When operating astern, the propeller propellers crush the ice; the thruster is also capable of milling ice. By the way, it also has one more function - to pump out water from under the ice that the ship is attacking. Having momentarily lost support in the form of the water column, the ice breaks more easily under the weight of the nose.
New products for the Gulf of Ob
What will happen if an icebreaker of type 21900 M hits an iceberg, similar to that What sank the Titanic? “The ship will be damaged, but will remain afloat,” says Valery Shorin. “However, these days such a situation is unlikely. Even the Titanic disaster was a manifestation of negligence - the presence of icebergs in the disaster area was known, but the captain did not slow down. Now the ocean surface is constantly monitored from space, and this data is available in real time. In addition, there is a helipad in the bow of the 21900 M icebreakers. Taking off from it, the ship’s helicopter can regularly conduct ice reconnaissance and determine the optimal route.” But maybe it's time to replace heavy and expensive helicopters with lightweight drones? “We do not exclude the use of drones on board an icebreaker in the future,” explains Valery Shorin, “but we do not intend to abandon the helicopter yet. After all, in critical situation it can act as a life-saving device.”
Multifunctionality is the slogan of our time. Icebreakers produced by VSZ are capable of not only laying channels in the ice, ensuring the passage of transport ships, but also participating in rescue operations, performing various kinds work in areas of offshore hydrocarbon production, laying pipes, extinguishing fires. Such versatility is now especially in demand in areas of active economic development Arctic. While the Novorossiysk, the last icebreaker of the 21900 M series, is being completed at the berth, the hull of a multifunctional icebreaking support vessel for work in the Novoportovskoye oil field in the west of the Gulf of Ob is being assembled on the Atlant barge. There will be two such ships, both exceed the power of the 21900 M project (22 MW versus 16) and belong to the Icebreaker 8 class, that is, they will be able to break ice up to 2 m thick in a continuous motion and lead oil tankers. Icebreaking vessels are designed to operate at temperatures down to -50°C, meaning they will withstand the harshest Arctic conditions. The ships will be able to perform many functions, including placing a medical hospital on board.
There, on the Gulf of Ob, a large international project for the production of liquefied natural gas, Yamal LNG, is being implemented. Tankers with “blue fuel” will be intended primarily for European consumers. These ice-class tankers are being built at shipyards in Japan and South Korea, but it will be up to icebreaking vessels to navigate them through the ice. Russian production. The contract for the construction of two icebreakers for Yamal-LNG has already been signed by the Vyborg Shipyard.
To complete the picture of modern Russian icebreaker building, it is worth mentioning another new product expected soon - the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker. The Viktor Chernomyrdin vessel, which is being built at the Baltic Shipyard on behalf of Rosmorport, will have a power of 25 MW and will be able to break ice up to two meters thick by moving continuously backwards or forwards.
The largest and most powerful icebreaker in the world June 16th, 2016
Now let's start with the story...
The nuclear icebreaker Arktika went down in history as the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" (from 1982 to 1986 was named "Leonid Brezhnev") is the lead ship of the Project 10520 series. The keel of the vessel took place on July 3, 1971 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. More than 400 associations and enterprises, research and development organizations took part in the creation of the icebreaker, including the Experimental Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau named after. I. I. Afrikantov and Research Institute of Atomic Energy named after. Kurchatova.
The icebreaker was launched in December 1972, and in April 1975 the ship was put into operation.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" was intended for escorting ships in the Arctic Ocean to carry out various types icebreaking operations. The length of the vessel was 148 meters, width - 30 meters, side height - about 17 meters. The power of the nuclear steam generating plant exceeded 55 megawatts. Thanks to its technical characteristics, the nuclear-powered icebreaker could break through ice 5 meters thick and reach speeds of up to 18 knots in clear water.
The icebreaker Arktika's first voyage to the North Pole took place in 1977. This was a large-scale experimental project, within which scientists had to not only reach the geographic point of the North Pole, but also conduct a series of studies and observations, as well as test the capabilities of the Arktika and the stability of the vessel in constant collision with ice. More than 200 people took part in the expedition.
On August 9, 1977, the nuclear-powered ship left the port of Murmansk, heading for the archipelago New Earth. In the Laptev Sea, the icebreaker turned north.
And so on August 17, 1977, at 4 o’clock in the morning Moscow time, the nuclear icebreaker, having overcome the thick ice cover of the Central Polar Basin, for the first time in the world reached the geographical point of the North Pole in active navigation. In 7 days 8 hours, the nuclear-powered ship covered 2,528 miles. The age-old dream of sailors and polar explorers of many generations has come true. The crew and members of the expedition celebrated this event with a solemn ceremony of raising the State Flag of the USSR on a ten-meter steel mast installed on the ice. During the 15 hours that the nuclear-powered icebreaker spent on the top of the Earth, scientists carried out a complex of research and observations. Before leaving the Pole, the sailors lowered a memorial into the waters of the Arctic Ocean. metal plate with image State emblem USSR and with the inscription “USSR. 60 years of October, a/l “Arktika”, latitude 90°-N, 1977.”
This icebreaker has high sides, four decks and two platforms, a forecastle and a five-tier superstructure, and is propelled by three four-blade fixed-pitch propellers. The nuclear steam production plant is located in a special compartment in the middle part of the icebreaker. The icebreaker's hull is made of high-strength alloy steel. In places exposed to the greatest ice loads, the hull is reinforced with an ice belt. The icebreaker has trim and roll systems. Towing operations are provided by a stern electric towing winch. To conduct ice reconnaissance, a helicopter is based on the icebreaker. Control and management technical means power plant operations are carried out automatically, without constant watch in engine rooms, propulsion motor rooms, power plants and at switchboards.
Operation control and control of the power plant are carried out from the central control station; additional control of the propulsion electric motors is located in the wheelhouse and aft station. The pilothouse is the ship's control center. On the nuclear-powered ship it is located on top floor add-ons that offer greater visibility. The pilothouse is stretched across the vessel - 25 meters from side to side, its width is about 5 meters. Large rectangular portholes are located almost entirely on the front and side walls. Inside the cabin there is only the most necessary things. Near the sides and in the middle there are three identical consoles, on which there are control knobs for the movement of the vessel, indicators for the operation of the icebreaker’s three propellers and the position of the rudder, direction indicators and other sensors, as well as buttons for filling and draining ballast tanks and a huge typhon button for sounding. Near the left side control panel there is a chart table, near the central one there is a steering wheel, and at the starboard side control panel there is a hydrological table; All-round radar stands are installed near the navigation and hydrological tables.
At the beginning of June 1975, the nuclear-powered icebreaker guided the diesel-electric icebreaker Admiral Makarov along the Northern Sea Route to the east. In October 1976, the icebreaker Ermak with the dry cargo ship Kapitan Myshevsky, as well as the icebreaker Leningrad with the transport Chelyuskin, were rescued from ice captivity. The captain of the Arctic called those days the “finest hour” of the new nuclear-powered ship.
Arktika was decommissioned in 2008.
On July 31, 2012, the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first ship to reach the North Pole, was excluded from the Register of Ships.
According to information announced by representatives of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosatomflot to the press, the total cost of dismantling the Arktika a/l is estimated at 1.3-2 billion rubles, with funds allocated under the federal target program. Recently, there was a broad campaign to convince management of the refusal to dismantle and the possibility of modernizing this icebreaker.
Now let’s come closer to the topic of our post.
In November 2013, at the same Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the laying ceremony of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 took place. In honor of its predecessor, the nuclear-powered icebreaker was named “Arktika”. The universal double-draft nuclear icebreaker LK-60Ya will become the largest and most powerful in the world.
According to the project, the length of the vessel will be more than 173 meters, width - 34 meters, draft at the design waterline - 10.5 meters, displacement - 33.54 thousand tons. It will be the largest and most powerful (60 MW) nuclear icebreaker in the world. The nuclear-powered ship will be equipped with a two-reactor power plant with the main source of steam from the RITM-200 reactor plant with a capacity of 175 MW.
On June 16, the Baltic Shipyard launched the lead nuclear icebreaker “Arktika” of Project 22220,” the company said in a statement, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
Thus, the designers went through one of the most important stages in ship construction. "Arktika" will become the lead ship of Project 22220 and will give rise to a group of nuclear icebreakers necessary for the development of the Arctic and strengthening Russia's presence in this region.
First, the rector of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral baptized the nuclear icebreaker. Then Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, following the traditions of shipbuilders, broke a bottle of champagne on the hull of the nuclear-powered ship.
“It is difficult to overestimate what has been done by our scientists, designers, and shipbuilders. There is a feeling of pride in our country, the people who created such a ship,” Matvienko said. She recalled that Russia is the only country that has its own nuclear icebreaker fleet, which will allow it to actively implement projects in the Arctic.
"We are reaching for quality new level development of this rich region,” she emphasized.
“Seven feet under your keel, great “Arktika”!” - added the speaker of the Federation Council.
In turn, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy for the Northwestern Federal District Vladimir Bulavin noted that Russia is building new ships, despite the difficult economic situation.
“If you like, this is our response to the challenges and threats of our time,” Bulavin said.
General Director of the Rosatom state corporation Sergei Kiriyenko, in turn, called the launch of the new icebreaker a great victory for both the designers and the staff of the Baltic Shipyard. According to Kiriyenko, the Arctic opens up “fundamentally new opportunities both in ensuring the defense capability of our country and in solving economic problems.”
Project 22220 vessels will be able to conduct convoys of ships in Arctic conditions, breaking through ice up to three meters thick. The new ships will provide escort for vessels transporting hydrocarbons from the fields of the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, the Kara Sea shelf to the markets of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The double-draft design allows the vessel to be used both in Arctic waters and at the mouths of polar rivers.
Under a contract with FSUE Atomflot, the Baltic Shipyard will build three nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220. On May 26 last year, the first production icebreaker of this project, Siberia, was laid down. Construction of the second nuclear-powered submarine "Ural" is planned to begin this fall.
The contract for the construction of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 between FSUE Atomflot and BZS was signed in August 2012. Its cost is 37 billion rubles. The contract for the construction of two serial nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 was concluded between BZS and the state corporation Rosatom in May 2014, the cost of the contract was 84.4 billion rubles.
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While taking a bath, do not miss the opportunity to do the following experiment. Before leaving the bathtub, open the bathtub outlet while still lying on the bottom of the bathtub. As more and more of your body begins to protrude above the water, you will feel its gradual heaviness. You will most clearly see that the weight lost by the body in water appears again as soon as the body is out of the water.
When a whale involuntarily undergoes such an experiment, finding itself stranded during low tide, the consequences turn out to be fatal for the animal: it will be crushed by its own monstrous weight. It is not for nothing that whales live in the water element: the buoyant force of liquid saves them from the disastrous effect of gravity.
The above is closely related to the title of this article. The operation of the icebreaker is based on the same physical phenomenon: the part of the ship removed from the water ceases to be balanced by the buoyant action of the water and acquires its “land” weight. One should not think that the icebreaker cuts the ice while moving by the continuous pressure of its bow - the pressure of the stem. This is not how icebreakers work, but ice cutters. This method of action is only suitable for ice of relatively small thickness.
Genuine sea icebreakers - such as the Krasin or Ermak - work differently. Through the action of its powerful machines, the icebreaker pushes its bow onto the ice surface, which for this purpose is arranged strongly beveled under water. Once out of the water, the bow of the ship takes on its full weight, and this huge load breaks off the ice. To enhance the effect, more water is often pumped into the bow tanks of the icebreaker - “liquid ballast”.
The icebreaker operates in this way until the ice thickness exceeds half a meter. More powerful ice is defeated by the shock action of the vessel. The icebreaker retreats back and hits the edge of the ice with its entire mass. In this case, it is no longer the weight that acts, but the kinetic energy of the moving ship; the ship turns like an artillery shell of low speed, but of enormous mass, into a ram.
Ice hummocks several meters high are broken by the energy of repeated impacts from the strong bow of the icebreaker. Polar sailor N. Markov, a participant in the famous passage of the Sibiryakov in 1932, describes the work of this icebreaker as follows:
“Among hundreds of ice rocks, among a continuous sheet of ice, the Sibiryakov began the battle. For fifty-two hours in a row, the machine telegraph needle jumped from “full backward” to “full forward.” Thirteen four-hour sea watches of the Sibiryakov crashed into the ice from acceleration, crushed it with its nose, climbed onto the ice, broke it and moved back again. The ice, three-quarters of a meter thick, barely gave way. With each blow we penetrated a third of the hull.”
How does an icebreaker work?
While taking a bath, do not miss the opportunity to do the following experiment. Before leaving the bathtub, open the bathtub outlet while still lying on the bottom of the bathtub. As more and more of your body begins to protrude above the water, you will feel its gradual heaviness. In the most obvious way, you will be convinced that the weight lost by the body in water appears again as soon as the body is out of the water.
When a whale involuntarily undergoes such an experiment, finding itself stranded during low tide, the consequences turn out to be fatal for the animal: it will be crushed by its own monstrous weight.
It is not for nothing that whales live in the water element: the buoyant force of liquid saves them from the disastrous effect of gravity.
The above is closely related to the operation of an icebreaker, which is based on the same physical phenomenon: the part of the ship removed from the water ceases to be balanced by the buoyant action of water and acquires its “land” weight.
One should not think that the icebreaker cuts the ice while moving through the continuous pressure of its bow. This is not how icebreakers work, but ice cutters. This method of action is only suitable for ice of relatively small thickness. If the ice is more powerful, then it is defeated by the shock action of the vessel. The icebreaker retreats back and hits the edge of the ice with its entire mass. In this case, it is no longer weight that acts. The ship seems to turn into an artillery shell of low speed, but of enormous mass, into a ram. Ice hummocks several meters high are broken by the energy of repeated impacts from the strong bow of the icebreaker. Our country has the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world.
Icebreaker structure
Most ships have a narrow deck, a V-shaped hull, a nearly vertical bow, and are propelled by the rotation of a propeller that is connected directly to the ship's engine.
Not so with icebreakers. These vessels are specially adapted to navigate seas clogged with floating ice floes or bound by thick pack ice. Therefore, they are very heavy and are lined with steel on the outside, which allows them to break ice 35 feet thick without any dents or holes. Their wide bodies and rounded bottoms also help avoid such troubles.
Faced with pack ice, the powerful icebreaker lifts its curved bow and falls with all its weight onto the ice. Usually this is enough to make a pass. To perform such a maneuver, the propeller must push the ship forward with all its might and at the same time not be damaged. Therefore, the propeller of icebreakers is securely hidden under the ship’s hull and is driven not by the ship’s motor, but by an electric motor. This allows the screw to spin at an extremely low speed.
Japanese icebreaker "Shirazi" 440 feet long
The Japanese icebreaker Shirazi, 440 feet long, is equipped with three diesel engines, working in tandem with electric motors that rotate the propeller. The total power output of the icebreaker's engines is 90,000 horsepower.
Techniques for creating passages in icy seas
To open and navigate the Arctic seas: to oil developments, isolated scientific and military bases, to strategically important northern ports, the help of icebreakers is required. Thin ice easily gives in to these powerful ships, and they take it with a frontal ram. When it is necessary to break a floating ice floe or widen an open passage in the ice, the icebreaker, with the help of water flowing in the heeling tanks from one side to the other, tilts to one side - as shown in the right figure. With such swaying, the ship's hull cuts and crushes the ice fields. Some icebreakers have additional side thrusters mounted in the keel to facilitate rocking.
Performing icebreaking work using a roll
Having encountered pack ice, the icebreaker climbs onto it with its nose. In this case, fuel is transferred from the bow ballast tank to the stern one. Once the entire bow of the ship is securely perched on the ice, the pumps begin pumping fuel back into the bow ballast tank. This added weight is usually enough to cause the ice to give way and move away.
When the commander is on the hanging bridge, he can look down on his ship, which was created to awaken the polar seas to life. A typical icebreaker is wider than a typical ship of the same length. This adds stability and load capacity to it. The cup-shaped bottom profile makes it easy to climb onto such ice fields that would simply wipe out a regular ship. The steep bevel of the bow is made so that the icebreaker, when sliding, can easily climb onto the pack ice. And with the usual shape of the bow, the ship can only bump into such ice. A ship's icebreaker engine rotates an electric generator. The generator powers the engine, which turns the propeller. This allows the best way control the speed of the ship.
Nuclear icebreaker
Today, the port city of Murmansk is home to about 300 thousand residents. The figure is not impressive, but nevertheless it is the largest city in the world located above the Arctic Circle.
The port is located on the Kola Bay, which never freezes even despite the polar latitudes, thanks to which ships and vessels from all over the world can come here all year round. Thanks to warm ocean currents, the Barents Sea is not completely covered with ice, and the city itself is not so cold in winter. Originating in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf Stream rushes across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, washing the shores of Great Britain and Iceland along the way. The thermal power of this flow is equivalent to a million nuclear power plants. This is enough to keep the climate of Northern Europe mild and the Barents Sea to remain navigable all year round. Further, where there is no warm current east of Novaya Zemlya, the only ships that can sail freely are icebreakers. A very important transport corridor passes through the ice of the Arctic - the Northern Sea Route through the ports of Murmansk-Salekhard-Dudinka. It not only opens access to the territories of Eastern Siberia, but is also a promising route for international maritime transport. The route from the North Sea to the Sea of Japan through the Suez Canal past pirate Somalia is 23 thousand km, and if by icebreaker through the Arctic Ocean, then only 14 thousand.
The world's first nuclear-powered icebreaker was the Lenin, built in 1959. Of course, there were diesel and steam icebreakers before it, but it was the nuclear ones that made it possible to take a completely new look at the development of the Arctic spaces. With the advent of nuclear-powered ships, movement along the Northern Sea Route became possible all year round. The main advantage of a nuclear icebreaker is its autonomy. It does not need to replenish coal and diesel fuel reserves. This allowed the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Lenin" to cover 150 thousand km in the first 6 years of operation and carry more than 400 ships along the Northern Sea Route. It was replaced by the nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika, which laid the foundation for a whole family of icebreaking vessels of the same class. In 1977, the Arktika became the first ship in the world to reach the North Pole on the surface. The special design of the icebreaker's hull makes it possible to break through three-meter ice.
A nuclear icebreaker is very similar to a steamship. The principle of its operation can be briefly described as follows: a nuclear reactor turns water into steam, the steam spins the generator turbines, the generator generates electricity, which in turn goes to electric motors that rotate 3 propellers.
The icebreaker's hull reaches its strength, and it needs to be strong, because... with its weight it breaks and pushes ice blocks apart, due to the frames, or, as they are called in common parlance, stiffening ribs. The hull is made of double steel 5 cm thick, so that if the first layer is breached, water will not enter the compartments of the icebreaker itself, only one of the sectors of the hull plating will be filled.
The nuclear icebreaker "50 Let Pobedy" has 2 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 340 Megawatts. If the reactors operate around the clock, this will be enough to supply the city of Novosibirsk with a population of 2 million people with electricity. The reactors themselves are very well protected, and even if a passenger plane falls on the icebreaker, the reactor will not be damaged. They also work for a long time: the fuel lasts for 5 years.
Sources: allforchildren.ru, www.ljpoisk.ru, potomy.ru, information-technology.ru, korabley.net, vse-krugom.ru, forum.worldofwarships.ru
Recreation by savages in nature
Each of us is looking forward to the coming of summer so we can finally go on our long-awaited vacation. And here the question arises...
