Author Topic: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines  (Read 24438 times)

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Offline Rod

Re: Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #15 on: Apr 23, 2014, 11:15 PM »
Thanks for the info, I understand all of her steam power plant now. Thanks! :)

Adam, I was on there nearly 20 years and I still dont get all of it!

Offline Adam Hodson

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Re: Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #16 on: Apr 23, 2014, 11:34 PM »

Adam, I was on there nearly 20 years and I still dont get all of it!

Yes I was definitely over exaggerating there. More like I understand in a simple way how the steam power plant worked. E.g boilers, and then where the steam went, what drove turbines for electricity and the prop turbines etc... Yes I'm sure she was very difficult to understand, hundreds of valves, gauges and controls I'm guessing Rod? :)
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Offline Adam Hodson

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Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #17 on: Apr 23, 2014, 11:38 PM »
Hi Adam
Take a look at this!
Any help?
Rosie

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Steam+Turbines+QE2&client=firefox-a&hs=746&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=YDpYU5ntH8z6yAOs6IG4AQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1163&bih=626

Thanks Rosie. A particularly good site was this one that shows the engine rooms of the three queens (QM, QE & QE2). Some of the pictures of QE2's  turbine/engine and boiler rooms look quote cluttered and complicated compared to the diesel electric power plant. Was it very cluttered Rod? By cluttered I am referring to lots of pipes everywhere. Also would you be able to tell me why sometimes she nearly filled the sky with black smoke in the steam days?

(Yes lots of questions I know).
« Last Edit: Apr 23, 2014, 11:44 PM by Adam Hodson »
"The QE2 is one of the last great transatlantic liners, and arguably the most famous liner in the world"

"QE2 and Concorde, a partnership that lasted almost 30 years... two stunning pieces of engineering, never to be forgotten!"

Offline Rod

Re: Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #18 on: Apr 24, 2014, 12:00 AM »
Yes I was definitely over exaggerating there. More like I understand in a simple way how the steam power plant worked. E.g boilers, and then where the steam went, what drove turbines for electricity and the prop turbines etc... Yes I'm sure she was very difficult to understand, hundreds of valves, gauges and controls I'm guessing Rod? :)

Then, things like de-aerators, low pressure steam plants, methods of producing clean steam, where does all this steam go after its useful cycle.

Offline Adam Hodson

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Re: Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #19 on: Apr 24, 2014, 12:03 AM »

Then, things like de-aerators, low pressure steam plants, methods of producing clean steam, where does all this steam go after its useful cycle.

That's why that was definitely over exaggerating. Although, I would have thought the steam would go to a condenser coil to be 're boiled'?
"The QE2 is one of the last great transatlantic liners, and arguably the most famous liner in the world"

"QE2 and Concorde, a partnership that lasted almost 30 years... two stunning pieces of engineering, never to be forgotten!"

Offline Greg Rudd

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #20 on: Oct 24, 2017, 12:05 AM »
During the design stage were they any studies done into competing turbine designs and why the Pametrada design was chosen over competing designs both from the UK, Europe or the US. The reason I ask this if Cunard had access to the same US Westinghouse turbines sets as used in the Kittyhawk class aircraft carriers would they have gone for that, over Pametrada which in QE2 service would/could/should have been totally bullet proof. As we know the SS US turbines was the prototype for the Forestal Class aircraft carriers and they were close to bullet proof.

Online Thomas Hypher

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Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #21 on: Oct 24, 2017, 02:06 AM »
During the design stage were they any studies done into competing turbine designs and why the Pametrada design was chosen over competing designs both from the UK, Europe or the US. The reason I ask this if Cunard had access to the same US Westinghouse turbines sets as used in the Kittyhawk class aircraft carriers would they have gone for that, over Pametrada which in QE2 service would/could/should have been totally bullet proof. As we know the SS US turbines was the prototype for the Forestal Class aircraft carriers and they were close to bullet proof.

I suspect it was a desire to make her completely British built (quite right!) that led to Pametrada being chosen (influenced by the government of the time too, who had a lot of say in her design and construction as they were mostly paying for her! It's a pity Parson's wasn't chosen providing they were in the running by the 1960s?
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Offline Greg Rudd

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #22 on: Oct 24, 2017, 03:37 AM »
I suspect it was a desire to make her completely British built (quite right!) that led to Pametrada being chosen (influenced by the government of the time too, who had a lot of say in her design and construction as they were mostly paying for her! It's a pity Parson's wasn't chosen providing they were in the running by the 1960s?

Pametrada was a research wing of Parsons and the British shipbuilding industry. In a way it was a British attempt to catch up with/overtake the Americans/Europeans who it was generally viewed to have more efficient turbine designs being built by specialist manufacturers e.g. Westinghouse/GE/BBC/AEG/ASEA/Siemens than those that were being designed and built by the UK shipyards themselves using Parsons patents. Compare the British post war fleet to the US post war passenger fleet and note that the US built liners that were delivered new in the same period had incredibly long lives through various owners and were generally reliable. 
« Last Edit: Oct 24, 2017, 05:56 AM by Greg Rudd »

Offline Pete Hamill

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #23 on: Oct 24, 2017, 12:18 PM »
PAMETRADA - Parsons And Marine Engineering Turbine Research And Development Association

Offline Clydebuilt1971

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #24 on: Oct 24, 2017, 01:10 PM »
PAMETRADA - Parsons And Marine Engineering Turbine Research And Development Association

Every day is a school day for me!!!!

 :D

Offline June Ingram

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Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #25 on: Oct 24, 2017, 06:27 PM »
Me too !   :)
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Offline Bob van Leeuwen

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #26 on: Oct 24, 2017, 08:34 PM »
Pametrada was a research wing of Parsons and the British shipbuilding industry. In a way it was a British attempt to catch up with/overtake the Americans/Europeans who it was generally viewed to have more efficient turbine designs being built by specialist manufacturers e.g. Westinghouse/GE/BBC/AEG/ASEA/Siemens than those that were being designed and built by the UK shipyards themselves using Parsons patents. Compare the British post war fleet to the US post war passenger fleet and note that the US built liners that were delivered new in the same period had incredibly long lives through various owners and were generally reliable.


Didn't the British liners of the same area also not have the same reliability? For example some of the Cunard 1950's vessels build during the 50's and served in one way ore another until the end of the decade.

Offline Greg Rudd

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #27 on: Oct 24, 2017, 11:48 PM »

Didn't the British liners of the same area also not have the same reliability? For example some of the Cunard 1950's vessels build during the 50's and served in one way ore another until the end of the decade.

Oriana, and some of the Union Castle ships had Pametrada while the Canberra had AEI turbines whether they were in house or derivatives of US designs seeing AEI had connections to US Westinghouse/GE is another matter.
 
It was often known that at that time US heavy engineering designs were often simpler and easier to work on than their UK equiv's and the RAN found this out when they purchased the  Charles F. Adams Class Guided Missile Destroyer from the US in the 1960's. I remember my brother (who has worked at a Naval dockyard since the early 80's) telling me that the US built/designed ships were a lot simpler mechanically than the UK derived Darling class. But it was a testimony to the quality of the UK industry that a lot of the 1950's liners bar P&O's lasted until the end of the 20th century. A marvellous achievement, and the sign of a quality product. Tell me of any Fincantierri ship that will make 45-50 

And in the railway world compare an ALCO DL500/EMD G16 against an English Electric BR 37 class (The only European Diesel other than the Deltic that worked) and their Australian derivatives (They are hood locos than ran in Western Australia). When it came to dieselisation on the railways in Australia came in the 50's British designs were very much in the minority against US.
« Last Edit: Oct 25, 2017, 02:29 AM by Greg Rudd »

Online Thomas Hypher

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Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #28 on: Oct 25, 2017, 12:33 AM »
Oriana, and some of the Union Castle ships had Pametrada while the Canberra had AEI turbines whether they were in house or derivatives of US designs seeing AEI had connections to US Westinghouse and BTH to GE is another matter.
 
It was often known that at that time US heavy engineering designs were often simpler and easier to work on than their UK equiv's and the RAN found this out when they purchased the  Charles F. Adams Class Guided Missile Destroyer from the US in the 1960's. I remember by brother (who has worked at a Naval dockyard since the early 80's) telling me that the US built/designed ships were a lot simpler mechanically than the UK derived Darling class. But it was a testimony to the quality of the UK industry that a lot of the 1950's liners bar P&O's lasted until the end of the 20th century. A marvellous achievement, and the sign of a quality product. Tell me of any Fincantierri ship that will make 45-50 

And in the railway world compare an ALCO DL500/EMD G16 against an English Electric BR 37 class (The only European Diesel other than the Deltic that worked) and their Australian derivatives (They are hood locos than ran in Western Australia). When it came to dieselisation on the railways in Australia came in the 50's British designs were very much in the minority against US.

Daring class (from the late 1940s/early 1950s, of which one survives (HMAS Vampire) not to be confused with the Daring class, Type 45 destroyers now in Royal Navy service.

Exactly Greg, I don't see many or any "Tincantieri" ships reaching 30 or 40 years old let alone more. Mechanical objects being built to last seems to be a thing of the past these days in many cases, unfortunately, planned obsolescence comes to mind (is the same in technology albeit on a much shorter timescale).
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Offline Greg Rudd

Re: QE2's Boilers & Steam Turbines
« Reply #29 on: Oct 25, 2017, 05:09 AM »
The US ships I was referring to were the Post War Matson liners which were quite advanced both in their styling and mechanically compared to the contemporary UK product although Union-Castle and Shaw Savill appeared to be more adventurous than Cunard P&O/Orient.

These were quite advanced for steam in the 50's

https://56packardman.com/2016/06/26/steamship-sunday-the-matson-twins-mariposa-and-monterey/