The revelation from the development of foreign marine steam turbine power plants

During the last 4 decades, the steam turbine power plant has been gradually substituted with the gas turbine or diesel engine power plant along with the development of warships such as destroyers and frigates in many countries. Even so, the important role of the steam turbine power plant cannot be denied yet, particularly in big aircraft carriers, or in nuclear-powered submarines, where the marine steam turbine power plant is still an irreplaceable marine power. In recent years, the marine power in China is beginning to enter a new stage of development, where the gas or diesel engine has gained a dominant position in warships, and, as a result, not only the investment on traditional steam engines has been cut down, but the revolved colleges and universities have reduce the number of relevant subjects and courses as well. This would inevitably induce difficulties into the development and application of the steam turbine technology in the warship field. In this paper, the technical characteristics, application status, and development trend of marine steam turbine power plants in the relevant countries are introduced step by step, while the goal is to call attention onto the significance of the marine steam turbine power once again. Certain advice concerned about the development of the technology in the marine steam turbine power plant is presented in order to serve as references for future domestic development.