The National Shipbuilding Research Program, 1992 Ship Production Symposium Proceedings, Paper No. 3A-1: Microbial Biofilm Effects on Drag - Lab and Field
Abstract
Marine fouling on US Navy hulls causes increased propulsive fuel use and refueling frequency, and decreases ship range and speed. Modern antifouling (AF) coatings are effective against hard fouling for relatively long periods, but do accumulate marine microbial biofilms. Therefore, with respect to drag, the focus has recently shifted from hard fouling to microbial biofilms since even thin films can contribute significantly to drag. Antifouling paints are being evaluated in the laboratory for drag minimization and are ranked based on drag performance with and without biofilm. All paints experienced increased drag after accumulating biofilm. Significant variations in drag and resistance to biofilm accumulation were noted. Two full scale ship trials were also conducted on U.S. Navy ships to determine the effect of microbial biofilms on ship power and fuel consumption. A significant change in power consumption, ranging from 8 to 18%. was measured by power trials before - - and-after underwater cleaning to remove microbial biofilms from the hull. These data were compared to laboratory experiments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA457860
Entities
People
- Elizabeth G. Haslbeck
- Gerard S. Bohlander
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division