The mystery of the speed of the aircraft carrier is revealed, surprisingly close to your electric car! **The distance traveled by the aircraft carriers of China, the United States and France in one day reveals the astonishing ability of this giant of the seas to move.
Let's focus on the U.S. maritime supremacy - the aircraft carrier lineup, the United States has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier fleets in active service, represented by the USS Ford, whose displacement is a staggering 100,000 tons.
As the jewel of the Navy, the nuclear-powered heart of the USS Ford is undoubtedly an important pillar of its global influence. With cutting-edge nuclear technology, the Ford has achieved near-limitless endurance, allowing it to continue its mission in the vast oceans far from its homeland.
The USS Ford relies on its unique"Heart"- Highly enriched uranium-235 nuclear fuel, an energy gem that powers it with incredible efficiency and energy intensity.
Its A1B pressurized water reactor technology is like an offshore power plant, with just two units bursting out as high as 50The power of 40,000 kilowatts is equivalent to all the electricity that a large city needs on a daily basis.
It is this super output that ensures that the aircraft carrier flies like a wind and waves, and the seamless take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft, showing the perfect combination of technology and power.
The USS Ford has a staggering top speed of 30 knots, and its superior maneuverability gives it unrivalled agility and adaptability on the battlefield. The heart of power is not only powerful, but also backed by unrivalled security.
Thanks to its cutting-edge nuclear reactor technology, it is able to travel the oceans in a long and steady way while maintaining absolute safety, enough to circle the earth for several weeks without stopping. This is a clear sign that the US Navy is far ahead in the field of global nuclear-powered aircraft carrier technology.
Albeit at 55 per hourThe speed of 6 kilometers does not seem to be amazing, and it can gallop 1,335 kilometers per day, but this is an amazing extreme speed for a giant ship weighing 100,000 tons, which is no less than the extreme performance of a top domestic electric vehicle.
The unique charm of the USS Ford is that it can always maintain peak performance without worrying about fuel efficiency, and it is the norm to go all out.
Although the French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is slightly compact in terms of standard displacement (35,000 tons) and full load displacement (42,500 tons, smaller than China's Shandong) compared with the American Ford-class, its uniqueness lies in the fact that as one of the world's few nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the strength of the Charles de Gaulle should not be underestimated, and its performance can still be compared with the American aircraft carrier, showing a strong strength beyond conventional tonnage.
The core of Charles de Gaulle gives it a near-infinite endurance that allows it to sail on the vast oceans. The powerful output of a single nuclear reactor and the energy tide of up to 160,000 kilowatts drive the aircraft carrier to sail at high speed, while easily carrying the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft.
In addition, two steam turbine generator stations and four emergency power supplies are used as strong backing to ensure the stability and abundance of electricity**, so that Charles de Gaulle is as fearless as a lion and proud of the sea.
Why is it necessary to have nuclear power and also have an additional steam turbine generator station? The reason is that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier follows the same K-15 nuclear reactor technology as the Triumph-class nuclear submarines, which has bottlenecks in power and power performance.
It is this technical constraint that directly limits its maximum speed performance.
Greased"Old turtle in the sea"The Charles de Gaulle, whose fleet operations often required destroyers to follow closely. Although the Charles de Gaulle was officially claimed to have a maximum speed of 27 knots, it may have been only 21 knots, meaning that it could only travel about 932 kilometers per day.
However, this steady pace is enough to make it easily 15 round trips back and forth to the English Channel, which is not fast, but it is reliable.
China's Shandong aircraft carrier, with its advanced conventional power system, is equipped with eight steam boilers heated by heavy oil, and the high-heat and high-pressure water vapor evaporated by the transpiration drives four powerful steam turbines, giving it amazing propulsion.
With a steady speed of 32 knots, it is proud of its peers, although it is not as fast as the extreme speed of the Ford class, but it is enough to show the strength of China's aircraft carrier. However, compared to the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the Shandong still maintains a steady pace of improvement.
Despite the strength of the Shandong, its most significant challenge was the long start-up time, which took 48 hours from boiler start-up to full speed. Imagine that if the two aircraft carriers faced off, the Shandong might still be setting sail in port, while the Ford would have galloped more than 2,000 kilometers.
Theoretically, the maximum range per day can be 1,420 km, but this is not the limit, and the Shandong is not always at full speed. In practice, by optimizing the power system, such as adding nuclear power options (the existing four steam turbines provide room for retrofits), the Shandong's speed gain potential is limited, comparable to that of Charles de Gaulle, and there is still room for improvement.
In a duel in the far seas, the ship's speed advantage is no longer everything. Equipping advanced radar systems is more critical than simply pursuing high speeds, because those who see the opportunity often win the war.
With the emergence of 055 and 052D, the focus of aircraft carriers seems to be shifting. Foreshadowing the future, aircraft carriers may focus on land strike missions. Before the advent of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, 055 will become a key force in China's confrontation.