DS-SEP22-PG46+47_Layout 1 21/09/2022 09:44 Page 1


INDUSTRY FOCUS MILITARY, AEROSPACE & DEFENCE


requirements oF emC solutions in naval platForms


While the technological demands of all defence applications – including land-based


facilities and vehicles, aircraft platforms and both surface and sub-surface naval vessels – are


constantly increasing, it is within naval platforms that UK EMC, EMP and TEMPEST filter


manufacturer MPE has seen some of the most


significant requirements develop in recent years. Paul Currie, director, comments


T


here has always been a requirement for effective naval command, control and communications, but such systems have


never been more critical than at present. Latterly, the growing reliance upon satellite- based technologies, the cluttered military communications environment, and the increasing number of onboard operational systems, have given rise to considerable compliance, interoperability and safety pressures. Systems must be available at any time and


operate safely and securely, without any interruption in service due to interference from


Astute Class submarine


nearby equipment systems. To help, MPE’s filter solutions address these compliance and safety demands. In fact one of its latest developments has been ultra-low earth leakage filters within shipborne applications, such as radio rooms and navigation, or command-and-control locations. In such locations, the risk of electrical shock


must be minimised for any personnel who may accidentally make contact with exposed phase lines in electrical systems. Such low earth leakage filters mitigate against this risk. Leakage current within electrical systems can also cause the unnecessary and intermittent tripping and


Royal Navy Type 26 frigate


incorrect operation of electrical safety protection devices. That could result in interruption of the power supply to mission-critical systems. MPE has been manufacturing low-leakage


filters for many years, for use on applications such as secure communications systems, computer installations and portable screened enclosures. Nevertheless, these filters are designed for use on mains supplies which have a dedicated neutral line and typical leakage current values between 15mA and 100mA. The very nature of naval platforms means that


at sea there is no such dedicated neutral line, so specific ‘floating earth’ filters are required.


meeting demands


In response to such demands, in 2016 MPE expanded its range of low-leakage EMC filters with the development and release of a range of ultra-low-leakage EMC powerline filters which have no neutral line. These were designed specifically for naval ‘floating earth’ applications. The company’s ultra-low-leakage filter range


now include models from 10A through to 230A, providing high levels of attenuation from 100kHz right up to 18GHz – and with extremely low line- to-earth leakage properties from 6mA to 8mA. These exceptional low-leakage properties allow up to five filters to be deployed in parallel, whilst still maintaining a total leakage current below 30mA. The filters also include high values of discharge resistance, to ensure compatibility with shipborne DC leakage detection systems. Such MPE filters are already utilised on many


well-known UK Navy assets, with Type 45 destroyers and Astute Class submarines being two such examples. The same filters are also installed on some of the most cutting-edge naval solutions around the world, such as the Swedish Navy’s Visby Class stealth corvette. Built at the Saab Group’s Kockums shipyard at Karlskrona, the 73m x 10.4m corvettes – with 640t displacement and 2.4m draught – have been designed and equipped for multiple combat roles, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures and patrol duties. Increasing capabilities and technology, such as


satellite-based communications and electronic warfare systems, aboard surface and sub-surface naval platforms alike, has seen another specific


4 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2022 6 Filtering the


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60