This is the first time that a spacecraft has come that much close to the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has passed into the Sun’s upper atmosphere (the corona) and collected particles and magnetic fields samples.
Scientists made the announcement at a conference of the American Geophysical Union on Tuesday 14th Dec 2021.
The Parker Solar Probe and solar research have taken a huge stride forward with this new milestone. Scientists will be able to learn more about the Sun and the solar system as a whole by contacting the Sun’s core, much as they were able to do after landing on the Moon.
The First Time this much Close
To better understand the secrets of the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 and traveled closer to the Sun than any other mission. After three years of development and decades of planning, Parker’s mission has finally come true.
The Sun does not have a solid surface like Earth. A superheated atmosphere, formed of solar material connected to the Sun by gravity and magnetic forces, exists on the surface of the Sun. As the material moves away from the Sun, gravity and magnetic fields lose their ability to hold it in place.
Images of the corona (Sun’s upper atmosphere) have suggested that the probe is between 10 and 20 solar radii from the Sun’s surface – around 4.3 to 8.6 million miles away from the Sun’s surface.
Why didn’t the Probe Melt?
Parker Solar Probe is built to resist the mission’s extreme climate conditions and wide temperature swings. With its unique heat shield and an autonomous mechanism that protects the probe yet allows coronal material to “touch” the spacecraft is the most critical feature.
Moreover, the corona through which Parker Solar Probe passes has a very high temperature but a low density. As an illustration, think about the difference between placing your hand in an oven and a pot of boiling water (don’t do this at home!). Hands can survive far higher temperatures in the oven for longer periods of time than they can in boiling water since they must deal with much more particles.
Similarly, the corona is less dense than the visible surface of the Sun, so the spacecraft encounters fewer hot particles and does not get as much heat as it would on the visible surface.
As a result, the heat shield facing the Sun on Parker Solar Probe will only be heated to roughly 2,500 F (1,400 C) while it travels through the corona atmosphere with temperatures of several million degrees.
The Protective Shield Properties
There is no doubt that thousands of degrees Fahrenheit are still an enormous amount of heat. To put this into perspective, the temperature range of volcanic lava is between 1,300 and 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (700 and 1,200 C).
The thermal Protection System (TPS) is 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter and 4.5 inches (115 millimeters) thick to protect Parker Solar Probe from the intense heat generated by the Sun. Even though the shield provides just a few inches of protection, this allows the spacecraft to maintain a temperature of 85 F (30 C).
The shield is made using a carbon composite foam sandwiched between two carbon plates, and it can withstand up to 3,000 F (1,650 C).
Not All the Probe is Shield Protected
Two instruments aboard Parker Solar Probe will not be shielded by the heat shield: the Solar Probe Cup, and the electric wires, which both extend over the heat shield.
The Solar Probe Cup (Faraday cup) is a sensor that measures the ion and electron fluxes and flow angles in the solar wind with this device.
Molybdenum alloy is used to make the cup, which has a melting point of around 4,260 F (2,349 C). Tungsten, a metal with a melting temperature of 6,192 F (3,422 C), is used to make the Solar Probe Cup’s electric field grids.
Another issue was the electrical wiring, which would melt if exposed to heat radiation at such close proximity to the Sun. The scientists developed sapphire crystal tubes to suspend the wiring, and niobium wires were used to make the connections.
Powerful Cooling System
The closer you get to the Sun, the more protection you’ll require. As the solar panels (that power the spacecraft) get closer to the Sun, they might get overheated.
The panels are protected by a simple cooling system that has a heated tank, two radiators that will keep the coolant from freezing, aluminum fins that increase the cooling surface, and pumps. This cooling system may keep solar panels and other equipment cold and operational, and it is strong enough to cool an average-sized living room.
The cooling system uses around a gallon (3.7 liters) of deionized water as a coolant for the system. Temperatures on the spacecraft range from 50 F (10 C) to 257 F (125 C). Few liquids are capable of operating at such a wide temperature range. As a precaution, the water will be pressurized in order to increase its boiling point to over 257 F (125 C).
These precautions proved that we were able to protect the probe from the extremely high temperatures at this close distance from the Sun. Could we now say that these advancements could let people reach this point close to the Sun one day? Why not? Let’s wait and see.
Watch the following video to know more about the topic and why the Nasa probe didn’t melt:
If you’ve ever gone to a root cellar, you probably thought it was quite cool. A root cellar is a structure underground that is used for the storage of vegetables, fruits, nuts, or other foods.
When it comes to keeping food fresh, a root cellar serves as nature’s fridge. To put it another way, they’re just holes drilled into the earth that is filled with food throughout the year. In the winter, it won’t freeze, and in the summer, it won’t be too hot.
A Dutch designer has created Groundfridge, a prefabricated structure designed to fit in your yard hole, bringing root cellars back to life. The Groundfridge, like old-fashioned root cellars, maintains a steady, chilly temperature year-round for food storage.
What is New in Groundfridge?
It’s a new twist on the traditional root cellar for today’s sustainable businesses and urban cosmopolitans who want to live self-sufficient lifestyles with their own vegetable garden. The Groundfridge takes advantage of the ground’s insulating properties and the colder nighttime temperatures to keep food fresh.
Source: groundfridge
With this, the temperature inside the Groundfridge remains constant and cold throughout the year, which is ideal for storing fruits, vegetables, wine, or cheese. Permits are not needed for the Groundfridge because it is lightweight and portable, unlike a traditional cellar.
The Start of the Idea
The Weltevree Groundfridge, a finalist in the 2015 Dutch Design Awards, addresses the needs of those who wish to produce their own food and lead a modernized, self-sufficient lifestyle. Floris Schoonderbeek, the founder of Weltevree, constantly discovers and investigates new angles and possibilities in this field.
New world residents who wish to manage their food autonomously and independently can use the Groundfridge. A conventional cold cellar in an innovative product shape makes perfect sense as more and more individuals choose a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Source: groundfridge
It is vermin-proof, airtight, watertight, and equipped with a ventilation system that measures temperature and humidity through an app. A hardwood railing and shelf are installed in the hand-laminated polyester shell. It also has LED strip lights inside of it.
How does it Work?
Source: groundfridge
The Groundfridge is an underground, self-contained refrigerator. The ground’s insulating and cooling properties are utilized by the Groundfridge. As a result, the temperature within the Groundfridge stays between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius (50 and 53 degrees Fahrenheit) all year round, making it ideal for storing foods including fruits, vegetables, wine, and cheese.
Source: groundfridge
Without using a refrigerator and electricity, you can keep your food cool. The Groundfridge can hold as much as 20 refrigerators’ worth of food.
The Chiller
Source: groundfridge
Additional active cooling (chiller) circulates and cools the air within the Groundfridge during the hottest months of the year. The extra cooling power ensures that the Groundfridge maintains a steady temperature that may be adjusted to suit the user’s needs.
Installation
Source: groundfridge
After being transferred, the Weltevree Groundfridge is placed in its new location, dug in, and then covered with soil. In addition to the extra cooling provided by the subsurface water, this 1 meter-thick soil layer offers adequate insulation to keep the Groundfridge’s core temperature stable at all times.
Additionally, there are no permits required for Groundfridge installation, and no soil is removed from the site during the digging process.
This video shows quickly the installation process:
Technical specifications
Source: groundfridge
Size globe diameter: 228 cm
Standing height: 210 cm
Total volume: 7.85 m3
Volume sphere: 6.21 m3
Storage capacity: 3.000 liters
Weight: 300 kg
The entrance is broad and high for your safety, making it easy to enter and exit. The structure is simple, resembling an old cellar, yet with a few pleasant, modern touches. It’s a beautiful addition to your yard and a nice place to spend time.
The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C is the world’s largest and most powerful diesel engine.
The fourteen cylinders of the RT-flex96C, built in Finland, can create 107,389 HP and more than 7,000,000 Nm of torque, enough to power an entire suburban town.
The engine weighs 2,300 tons, is 44 feet (13.4 m) tall, and 90 feet (27.4 m) long — taller than a four-story building. The redline is 102 RPM, but the torque is enough to rip a tank apart.
How’s that for a turbocharger?
Each of the 14 built-in cylinders consumes 6.5 ounces (184 gram) of fuel in a single cycle that generates 5700 kW of power. That may appear to be a lot, but the engine is really quite efficient and one of the least polluting of its kind.
You might be wondering what type of giant need that much electricity. The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C engine was fitted and ultimately set sail aboard the Emma Mrsk in 2006, a cargo ship capable of carrying 11,000 20-foot (6 m) shipping containers at a rapid speed of 31 knots (57.4 km/h 35.7 mph), when most other ships in her class cruise at 20 knots (37 km/h 23 mph).
Source: Hummelhummel, CC BY-SA 3.0
The ship transports cargo from China to the United States regularly, and it may deliver four days earlier than its competitors, saving a significant amount of money. There are already 25 such engines operating in the world’s seas, with an additional 86 on the way.
Overall, this is one of the most incredible works of human engineering.
A revolutionary material based on carbon nanotubes can create power by absorbing energy from its surroundings.
MIT engineers have developed a new approach of producing energy using microscopic carbon particles that may generate a current just by contact with the liquid in their area.
According to the researchers, the liquid, an organic solvent, sucks electrons out of the particles, providing a current that may be used to drive chemical processes or power micro- or nanoscale robots.
“This mechanism is new, and this method of generating energy is new,” says Michael Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. “This technology is interesting because all that is required is the flow of a solvent through a layer of these particles. This permits you to conduct electrochemistry without the need of wires.”
In a new paper explaining this phenomenon, the researchers demonstrated that they could utilize this electric current to drive an organic chemical process known as alcohol oxidation – an essential organic chemical process in the chemical industry.
Strano is the paper’s senior author, published in Nature Communications today (June 7, 2021). Albert Tianxiang Liu, an MIT graduate student, and Yuichiro Kunai, a former MIT researcher, are the study’s primary authors. Graduate student Anton Cottrill, postdocs Amir Kaplan and Hyunah Kim, graduate student Ge Zhang, and recent MIT grads Rafid Mollah and Yannick Eatmon are among the other contributors.
Unique characteristics
Strano’s study on carbon nanotubes — hollow tubes consisting of a lattice of carbon atoms with unique electrical characteristics — led to the unexpected finding. Strano proved for the first time in 2010 that carbon nanotubes might produce “thermopower waves.” When a carbon nanotube is covered with a fuel coating, moving bursts of heat, known as thermopower waves, move up the tube and generate an electrical current.
Strano and his students discovered a similar property of carbon nanotubes as a result of their research. They found that coating a portion of a nanotube with a Teflon-like polymer causes an imbalance that allows electrons to flow from the coated to the uncoated portion of the tube, resulting in an electrical current. These electrons can be extracted by immersing the particles in an electron-hungry solution.
To make use of this unique property, the researchers ground up carbon nanotubes and formed them into a sheet of paper-like material before shaping them into electricity-generating particles. The researchers coated one side of each sheet with a Teflon-like polymer before cutting off microscopic particles of any form or size. They created particles that were 250 microns by 250 microns for their study.
When these particles are immersed in an organic solvent, such as acetonitrile, the solvent sticks to the particles’ uncoated surface and begins to take electrons from them.
“The solvent removes electrons, and the system attempts to equilibrate by moving electrons,” Strano explains. “There is no advanced battery chemistry inside. It’s just a particle, and when you put it in a solvent, it begins to generate an electric field.”
“This study cleverly demonstrates how to extract the widespread (and often unnoticed) electric energy stored in an electronic material for on-site electrochemical synthesis,” states Jun Yao, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who was not involved in the study. “The beauty is that it points to a generic methodology that can be easily expanded to the use of various materials and applications in various synthetic systems.”
Particle energy
The particles in their current form may create around 0.7 volts of electricity per particle. The researchers showed that they could create arrays of hundreds of particles in a tiny test tube in this study. This “packed bed” reactor produces enough energy to fuel an alcohol oxidation process, converting alcohol to an aldehyde or a ketone. Typically, this reaction is not carried out via electrochemistry since it would need an excessive amount of external current.
“Because the packed bed reactor is compact, it has more application flexibility than a large electrochemical reactor,” Zhang explains. “The particles can be made very small, and the electrochemical reaction can be driven without the use of any external wires.”
Strano plans to employ this type of energy generation in the future to create polymers using only carbon dioxide as a starting ingredient. He has already made polymers that can replenish themselves using carbon dioxide as a building ingredient in a solar-powered process in a related effort. This piece is inspired by carbon fixation, a series of chemical events that plants employ to create sugars from carbon dioxide while utilizing solar energy.
In the long run, this method might be utilized to power micro- or nanoscale robotics. Strano’s group has already begun developing small-scale robots that might be used as diagnostic or environmental sensors in the future. He finds the notion of scavenging energy from the environment to power these kinds of robots fascinating.
“It means you don’t have to put energy storage onboard,” he explains. “What we like about this mechanism is that you can get energy from the environment, at least in part.”
Filtration devices come to mind when considering measures to battle water pollution. However, a surprise enemy is becoming a helpful ally: microorganisms that consume pollutants.
Oh, and they also generate power.
A group of microbiologists from Washington State University made the discovery of the bacterium in August 2018. The 7-mile (11.2-kilometer) journey across Yellowstone National Park’s Heart Lake Geyser Basin was led by Abdelrahman Mohamed. There are hot springs in this area with water temperatures ranging from 43.4 to over 93.3 degrees Celsius, containing the rare bacterium.
A New Friend Discovered
Source: AmericanSouthwest.net
It took a lot of work to gather all of these microbes. In order to regulate the electrodes submerged in the pools, Mohamed developed an inexpensive, portable, and extremely heat-resistant potentiostat (electronic hardware required to control a three-electrode cell and run most electroanalytical experiments).
The electrodes were kept in the water for 32 days by the researchers. In the end, the experiment was a success in that it was able to capture bacteria in their natural habitat.
They “breathe” electricity by employing extending wire-like hairs to transfer electrons to outer metals or minerals. The bacteria were pulled to the electrodes’ solid carbon surfaces because of this. This electricity might be used to power low-power devices as the bacteria exchange electrons. Theoretically, bacteria can continue to create energy indefinitely as long as they have access to food.
Pollution Eater
Source: WSU.edu
Animals and people alike are suffering because of water pollution.
The trash from land-based sources accounts for 80% of all ocean pollution. Environmentalists say these contaminants have affected 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of seabird species, and 43% of all marine animal species.
This newly discovered bacteria may hold the key to solving some of the world’s most serious environmental problems, such as pollution and renewable energy. Toxic chemicals might be transformed into less dangerous ones by these bacteria, which would “eat” pollution. In addition, they may be able to create power!
What do you think of this discovery? Would it be true that someday we will be producing energy and reducing pollution with the help of small microorganisms?!
Wind Catching Systems, a Norwegian business, has invented a floating offshore wind power system that generates electricity at a far cheaper cost than traditional wind turbines, thanks to creative engineering.
Reduced costs for offshore wind turbines
Source: Wind Catching Systems
Using 126 tiny rotors on a 1,000-foot-high (324-meter) structure, the floating Windcatcher can generate enough power for 80,000 households, according to Wind Catching’s website. The company claims that 5 Windcatcher units can create the same amount of electricity as 25 conventional wind turbines for a fraction of the cost of those 25 traditional turbines.
To put it another way: The system’s Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) is around $105 per megawatt-hour, according to the manufacturer. If all goes according to plan, it may be a system that unlocks the potential of offshore wind, allowing governments throughout the world to meet their net-zero targets.
Source: Wind Catching Systems
According to Engelhart-Willoch, the VP of Industry and Government Affairs at Wind Catching, this exceptional efficiency may be summarized in three basic points:
To reduce maintenance and operating expenses, autonomous service systems and simpler turbines are necessary to achieve this goal.
Another advantage of shorter blades is their ability to increase wind speed, allowing companies to “take advantage of exponential expansion in wind’s power content.”
Finally, “a modular system that provides for a considerably longer design life than what makes sense for single-turbine technology.”
This new Windcatcher 126-rotor will “dramatically reduce costs” for wind energy, according to its makers.
Better than traditional wind turbines
Source: Wind Catching Systems
Floating turbines, as opposed to those with permanent foundations in shallow water, may use the stronger winds that blow over the wide ocean.
However, because of their enormous blades, which can reach a length of 115 meters, these floating wind turbines typically only operate at 11 meters per second of wind speed.
By utilizing a greater number of smaller turbines with 15-meter-long blades, Wind Catching Systems wants to increase the efficiency of floating wind farms by capturing winds up to 17 to 18 meters per second and generating more electricity.
At 11 m/s, the wind has a power density of 350 watts per square meter, according to Heggheim.
Thanks to the wind’s energy density, it’s possible to tap into 13,000 watts of wind energy at 17 meters per second.
Humanity’s future is in danger, and it’s time for radical change
With a 50-year lifespan, Wind Catching claims that its modules can produce 400 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year, which is 30 years longer than the average offshore wind farm. This implies that not only will the system create more energy, but it will also produce less waste and need a smaller footprint since each unit will run for longer durations, decreasing the number of installation procedures necessary.
Though the business has not yet chosen a specific date or location for a pilot operation, it has stated that it may take place in 2024.
David Yanez, the co-founder of the startup Vortex Bladeless, invented the bladeless wind turbine, a slender vertical and simple piece of machinery that oscillates to collect wind kinetic energy rather than rotating or spinning.
He claims that it converts that energy into electricity at roughly 30% of the cost of traditional wind energy sources.
“What we want to do is attempt to discover a niche that traditional wind power does not sufficiently fill,” Yanez explained as he stood next to an oscillating 2.75-meter bladeless prototype set up in the countryside outside Avila, Spain, where Vortex Bladeless is based.
“The niche… we perceive might be [the] little wind sector, since the lack of maintenance, dependency on oil, and low cost might be the components that make this notion a good instrument for distributing energy, creating energy at the point of consumption.”
Yanez was an engineering student in 2012 when he saw a video of the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse in Washington state in 1940. He was inspired to create his invention after witnessing the ill-fated bridge oscillate in a storm.
Vortex Bladeless was created in 2015, and Yanez and his team have been working to develop the bladeless turbine in the hopes of commercializing it.
Their original design has since evolved, and they are currently working on prototypes that measure 2.75 meters and 85 centimeters and are intended for use in urban areas.
It makes no noise
Source: Reuters
Vortex Bladeless wind turbines can be used alone or in tandem with solar panels.
Solar panels could provide energy during the day and when there isn’t much wind. According to Yanez, when the wind comes up in the evening, the bladeless wind turbine might come in to offer electricity around the clock.
“The urban environment looks to match nicely with this concept for all those urban regions that do not have as much solar resource as Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean area,” Yanez added.
In addition, it produces no noise and requires little maintenance compared to traditional wind turbines, he claims.
According to CEO Rodrigo Ruperz, the company’s current prototypes can also be helpful in more remote environments.
“We feel there is a niche market that has yet to be created,” Ruperz said at Salamanca University, where a modest 85-cm prototype is mounted on the top of one of the buildings.
Humidity and salt will not rust it
Yanez hopes that his invention will be used in the offshore wind industry in the long run.
“This technology may have an advantage because it does not contain elements that can be rusted by humidity or salt, and perhaps this space is best suited for it,” he said.
Vortex Bladeless currently has five patent families worldwide, and Yanez estimates that they could commercialize their prototypes in 12 to 18 months with the right investor.
Previous bladeless wind turbine designs include Delft University’s Electrostatic Wind Energy Converter and the French firm New World Wind’s Aeoleaf “wind tree.”
An icebreaker is a special-purpose boat or ship made to move through ice-covered seas and open up navigable channels for other vessels. Although the phrase typically refers to ships that break the ice, Icebreakers may also be used to describe smaller boats, such as the icebreaking boats that were historically used on the canals in the United Kingdom. Icebreakers break through frozen water or pack ice to open up pathways.
The bow of an icebreaker can be driven onto the ice in extremely thick ice that would crack under the ship’s weight. Sea ice often breaks without considerably changing the ship’s trim since it has such a low bending strength. Icebreakers have a specifically crafted hull to steer the fractured ice beneath or surrounding the boat, as an accumulation of broken ice in front of a boat can slow it down much more than actual ice breaking.
Below is a list of the largest Ice Breakers in the world.
14. Taymyr
Taymyr is a shallow-draft nuclear-powered icebreaker. She was constructed in 1989 by Wärtsilä Marine on behalf of the Murmansk Shipping Company in Helsinki, Finland, for the Soviet Union.
Launch Date
April 10, 1987
Length
498 ft
Speed
18.5 knots
Propulsion
Nuclear-Turbo-Electric
Displacement
21,000 tons
Status
Active
KLT-40M nuclear fission reactor with a 171 MW thermal output powers Taymyr. The nuclear power plant on board the icebreaker generates superheated steam, which produces heat to maintain operational capability at 50 °C (58 °F) and electricity for the propulsion motors and other shipboard customers.
Taymyr-Image courtesy of Wikipedia
13. USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10)
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is a heavy icebreaker for the US Coast Guard. The ship was put into service in 1976 and was constructed by the Seattle, Washington-based Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company with her sister ship, the USCGC Polar Sea.
The United States Coast Guard’s Ice Operations Section manages Polar Star’s Seattle-based operations, which the Coast Guard Pacific Area coordinates.
The USCGC polar Star-Image courtesy of Military.com
Polar Star was the sole heavy icebreaker operating in the US after Polar Sea was decommissioned in 2010. Despite being categorized as a “medium icebreaker,” the only other icebreaker in the Coast Guard’s fleet, USCGC Healy, is more significant than “Polar Star” (13,623 LT versus 16,000 LT).
A gas turbine or diesel-electric prime mover turns the ship’s three shafts. A 16-foot (4.9 m) diameter, four-bladed propeller with variable pitch is attached to each shaft. The gas turbine plant can generate 75,000 shaft horsepower, and the diesel-electric plant has 18,000 shaft horsepower (13 MW).
Name
USCGC Polar Star
Launch
November 17, 1973
length
399 ft
Speed
18 knots (3 knots in 6-foot ice)
Propulsion
Combined Diesel
Displacement
10,863 long tons
Status
In service
12. Shirase
The fourth icebreaker used by Japan for trips to Antarctica is called Shirase and is managed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Her predecessor left her with a name. With the hull number AGB-5003, she was launched in April 2008 and put into service in May 2009. She set out on her first journey on November 10, 2009.
Name
Shirase
Launch
April 16, 2008
Length
452 ft
Speed
19.5 knots (3 knots in ice)
Propulsion
Diesel-electric
Displacement
Approximately 20,000 TONS
Status
Active
Shirase-Image courtesy of Japantimes
11. Vaygach
The nuclear-powered icebreaker Vaygach has a shallow draft. She was constructed in 1989 for the Soviet Union by the Finnish shipyard Wärtsilä Marine Helsinki under contract with the Murmansk Shipping Company. Taymyr is her sister ship. One KLT-40M nuclear fission reactor with a 171 MW thermal output, placed amidships, powers Vaygach.
Vaygach-Image courtesy of cruisemapper.com
Name
Vaygach
Launch
February 26, 1998
Length
498 ft
Speed
18.5 knots
Propulsion
Nuclear-turbo-electric
Displacement
21,000 tons
Status
Active
The nuclear power plant on the icebreaker produces superheated steam, which is used to create heat to keep operational capability at -50 degrees, and electricity for the propulsion motors and other shipboard customers.
Each of Vaygach’s two primary turbogenerators, made up of Soviet-built steam turbines connected to Siemens generators and providing 18,400 kW of energy at 3,000 rpm for the propulsion motors, is located aft of the reactor compartment.
While the icebreaker was escorting commercial ships from Dudinka to Murmansk on December 15, 2011, a fire on board Vaygach claimed that two crew members were lost, while a third was seriously hurt.
10. Sibir
Sibir is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker from Project 22220. Sibir was laid down in 2015, launched in 2017, and delivered in December 2021 by Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg. Sibir uses a nuclear-turboelectric propulsion system.
Two 175 MWt RITM-200 pressurized water reactors powered by up to 20% enriched Uranium-235, and two 36 MWe turbogenerators make up the onboard nuclear power plant.
Sibir-Image courtesy of cruisemapper.com
The propulsion system uses three 6.2-meter (20-foot) four-bladed propellers powered by 20-megawatt (27,000 hp) electric motors, the standard design for polar icebreakers. When operating in deep water at design draught, Sibir is expected to break through 2.8 meters (9 ft) of level ice at a constant speed of 1.5-2 knots (2.8-3.7 km/h; 1.7-2.3 mph). It has a total propulsion capacity of 60 megawatts (80,000 horsepower).
Name
Sibir
Launch
September 22, 2017
Length
569 ft
Speed
22 knots (2 knots in ice)
Propulsion
Nuclear-Turbo-electric
Displacement
33,530 Maximum
Status
Active
9. RV-Polarstern
The RV Polarstern, which translates to “polar star,” is a research icebreaker operated by the Bremerhaven, Germany-based Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Polarstern, constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and Nobiskrug in Rendsburg and launched in 1982, is mainly used for polar research.
RV Polar Stern-Image courtesy of global security.org
The icebreaker’s length is 118 meters (387 feet), and it has two hulls. She can function in a room as cold as 50 °C (58 °F). Polarstern can move at a pace of 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) over ice 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) thick. Ramming can break thicker ice up to 3 m (9.8 ft) thick.
Name
Polarstern
Launch
February 6, 1982
Length
386 ft
Speed
15.5 knots
Propulsion
diesel power
Displacement
17,300 tonnes
Status
Active
8. Ikaluk
For BeauDril, the drilling division of Gulf Canada Resources, she was constructed in 1983 as an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) Ikaluk to aid in offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea. The ship was bought by Canadian Marine Drilling (Canmar) in the 1990s, and its new name is Canmar Ikaluk.
Smit International bought her in 1998, and as Smit Sibu, she worked in the Sakhalin oil fields. She was purchased by FEMCO Management in 2009 and received her old name back in 2012. In February 2018, Ikaluk was sold to China and renamed Beijing Ocean Leader.
Ikaluk-shipspotting.com
The yacht was sold to its present owner in late 2021. The vessel is intended to shatter 1.2 meters (3.9 ft) level of ice at a speed of 3 to 4 knots (5 to 7 km/h; 3.5 to 4.6 mph) when operating at maximum power.
An additional tool for icebreaking is the OmniThruster unit’s active hull lubrication system, which uses nozzles along the forward half of the ship to discharge an air/water combination between the hull and the ice to keep the ship from getting trapped.
The icebreaker can cruise at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) with two engines while in the open sea at a speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) with four engines running.
Name
Ikaluk
Launch
November 15, 1982
Length
259 ft
Speed
15.5 knots (3 knots in ice)
Propulsion
Two shafts
Displacement
5,050 tons
Status
Active
7.USCGC Healy(WAGB-20)
The largest and most sophisticated icebreaker in the United States and the largest ship in the US Coast Guard’s fleet is the SCGC Healy (WAGB-20). The Coast Guard has assigned her the designation of a medium icebreaker. She was commissioned in 1999 and had Seattle, Washington, as her homeport.
SCGC Healy-Image courtesy of United States Coast Guard
Healy offers up to 50 scientists’ lodging, more than 4,200 square feet (390 m2) of scientific laboratory space, a wide array of electronic sensor systems, and oceanographic winches. Healy can function in low temperatures and is designed to break ice up to 10 ft (3.0 m) thick when backing and ramming. It can also continuously break ice up to 4.5 ft (1.4 m) thick at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).
Name
Healy
Launch
November 15, 1997
Length
420 ft
Speed
17 knots
Propulsion
Diesel-Electric
Displacement
16,000 tons
Status
Active
6. CCGS Louis S.St-Laurent
CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent Louis S. St-Laurent is a heavy icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). It is the CCG’s flagship and largest icebreaker. Canadian Vickers Limited launched the Louis S. St. Laurent on December 3, 1966, in Montreal, Quebec, and it was put into service in October 1969.
CCGS Louis S.St.Laurent-Image courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard
Name
Louis S. St-Laurent
Launch
June 3, 1966
Length
393 ft
Speed
16 knots
Propulsion
Diesel-electric
Displacement
15,324 tons
Status
Active
5. USCGC Mackinaw
The 240-foot (73 m) multipurpose vessel USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30) was constructed for the United States Coast Guard’s activities on the North American Great Lakes with a heavy icebreaker as its primary role.
Two Azipod units, an ABB brand of electric azimuth thrusters, are used as the main propulsion of the Mackinaw, making it distinct from other vessels in the US Coast Guard fleet. Thanks to them and a 550 hp (410 kW) bow thruster, the ship is incredibly maneuverable.
Mackinaw-image courtesy of Wikipedia
As the thrusters can be turned 360 degrees around their vertical axis to direct their force in any direction, the Azipod units also do away with the requirement for a conventional rudder. The Mackinaw doesn’t have a typical ship’s wheel either. The Finnish Maritime Cluster supplied a large portion of the ship’s technology, including the Azipod thrusters.
Additionally, at 3 or 10 knots, the Mackinaw can travel unhindered through freshwater ice up to 32 inches (81 cm) thick. She can also shatter 42 inches (107 cm) of continuous, smooth ice by standing on top of it and stomping down on it with the weight of her bow.
Name
Mackinaw
Launch
April 2, 2005
Length
240 ft
Speed
16 knots
Propulsion
Integrated main propulsion and electrical plant
Displacement
3500 tons
Status
Active
4. 50 Let Pobedy.
On October 4, 1989, work on Project No. 10521 at the Baltic Works in Leningrad, then known as Saint Petersburg, USSR, began. The ship’s original name was Ural. Due to a lack of funding, construction was put on hold in 1994, and when Victory Day’s 50th anniversary rolled around in 1995, the ship was in an abandoned state. In 2003, construction resumed back up.
Ural-Image courtesy of cruisemapper.com
Name
50 Let Pobedy
Launch
December 29, 1993
Length
524 ft
Speed
18.6 knots
Propulsion
Nuclear-turbo-electric
Displacement
25,168 tons
Status
Active
3. S.A. Agulhas 2
The Department of Environmental Affairs owns the South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship S. A. Agulhas II (DEA). To replace the outdated S. A. Agulhas, removed from Antarctic service in April 2012, she was constructed in 2012 by STX Finland Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland.
The ship includes a diesel-electric propulsion system with two 4,500 kW Converteam propulsion motors that propel 4.5-meter (15-foot) KaMeWa controllable pitch propellers, which is a somewhat unique feature in diesel-electric ships that typically utilize fixed-pitch propellers.
S.A Agulhas 2-Image courtsy of sanap.ac.za
Her operating range is 15,000 nautical miles at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), which is slightly slower than the propulsion system’s maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) in open water (28,000 km; 17,000 mi).
Additionally, S. A. Agulhas II is built to shatter level ice at a speed of 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) with a thickness of 1 meter (3.3 ft). She features two Rolls-Royce bow thrusters and one Rolls-Royce stern thruster for dynamic positioning and port maneuvering.
Name
S.A. Agulhas II
Launch
July 21, 2011
Length
440 ft
Speed
16 knots
Propulsion
Diesel-electric
Displacement
13,687 tons
Status
Active
2. Yamal
Yamal is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Arktika class that Atomflot runs. The twin hull of Yamal is present. The exterior hull has a polymer covering to decrease friction and is 48 mm (1.89 in) thick when ice is encountered and 25 mm (0.98 in) thick elsewhere.
Water ballast can be moved between the inner and outer hulls to help in icebreaking. An air bubbling system delivering 24 m3/s (850 cu ft/s) of air from jets 9 m (30 ft) below the surface also helps with icebreaking.
Yamal-Image courtesy of usni.org
A crew member perished on December 23, 1996, when a fire started on the icebreaker. The fire did not impact the nuclear reactor that powered the ship. Within 30 minutes, the crew put out the fire. In the Yenisei Gulf of the Kara Sea on March 16, 2009, the Yamal collided with the product tanker MT Indiga.
No damage was noted for Yamal. However, the tanker’s main deck sustained a 9.5-meter (31-foot) break. Amal can move either forward or backward while breaking through ice.
Name
Yamal
Launch
1989
Length
486 ft
Speed
20.6 knots
Propulsion
Nuclear-turbo-electric
Displacement
23,00 tons
Status
Active
1. Arktika
In the Baltic Shipyard in what was then Leningrad, work started on a conceptual design for a larger nuclear icebreaker on July 3, 1971. Moscow and Leningrad learned by radio on December 17, 1975, four years after the sea experiments began, that they had been successful. At the time, the Arctic was prepared for the newest and largest nuclear icebreaker.
Arktika-Image courtesy of highnorthnews.com
The propellers’ combined output of 18–43 MW (25,000 shaft horsepower) [total: 55.3 MW (75,000 hp)] can lift 480 tons of bollards. On open water, this translates to a top speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph), a full speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), and an average speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) while icebreaking ice that is 2-3 meters (7-10 ft) thick on the level.
