In early February 2020, during mooring trials at the Baltic Shipyard (St. Petersburg), a rowing electric motor (GED) on the right shaft of the Arctic icebreaker failed. According to Kommersant, during the commissioning of the electromotor system, when the voltage was supplied from the frequency converter to the right HED, the protection tripped, and the frequency converter failed. A short circuit to the housing of the stator nasal stator winding was detected, the winding was damaged. Now a special commission is investigating the causes of the breakdown, but it has already been established that engine repair on board is not possible.
According to the director of ANO Bellona (Murmansk) Andrei Zolotkov, the failure of such an important unit during mooring tests at the mooring wall is a very sad fact. In the Arctic, in real ice, operating conditions will be much tougher.
“I think we are not informed of all the details of this incident. The constant failure to meet the deadlines for putting into operation a new nuclear icebreaker is already a loss of reputation. And the failure of the GED added one more big minus to the builders, ”said Zolotkov, who worked for several decades at the Atomflot FSUE, including nuclear icebreakers.
Recall that for new icebreakers, the construction of which is in full swing, an innovative set of electrical equipment was specially developed: two generators with excitation control systems and three propeller motors. Each of the GED has a capacity of 20 MW (27 thousand horsepower). And it weighs about 300 tons.
The contract for the construction of the lead icebreaker of project 22220 between FSUE Atomflot and Baltic Plant LLC was signed in August 2012. The cost of the ship is 37 billion rubles. The commissioning of the Arctic icebreaker was originally scheduled for late 2017. Subsequently, the postponement of the dates was announced for December 2019, then - for May 2020. In addition to the Arctic, the Baltzavod is to build four more serial nuclear-powered icebreakers of project 22220 of the LK-60Y type, two of which Sibir and Ural are already under construction.
At present, “50 years of Victory” remains among the long-term nuclear-powered icebreakers. It was laid down on October 4, 1989 under the name “Ural” and launched on December 29, 1993. Further construction was suspended due to lack of funds. In 2003, construction was resumed, and on February 1, 2007, the icebreaker entered the Gulf of Finland for sea trials, which lasted two weeks. The flag was raised on March 23, 2007, and on April 11, the icebreaker arrived at the permanent home port of Murmansk.