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hatrack

(59,587 posts)
Wed Nov 29, 2017, 10:21 AM Nov 2017

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Preceded By Jellyfish Shredding Boat To Prevent Clogging Of Intakes

China is testing a new weapon to counter a major threat to aircraft carriers: jellyfish. Dubbed the "jellyfish shredder", the instrument can clear a passage in water infested by jellyfish to give the carrier crew "peace of mind", according to a scientist involved in recent field tests.

The researcher, from the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute based in Dalian, northeast China, requested not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. Tan Yehui, a researcher with the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou, said jellyfish posed a serious threat to aircraft carriers given the size and complexity of the warships.

A large number of the invertebrates can get sucked into a ship's water intake mouth and clog up the cooling system. This in turn can cause the carrier's engines to overheat, bringing them to a halt. It can take hours, or even days, to remove the sticky remains of the jellyfish from filters and pipes.

China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning - originally a Soviet vessel - was rebuilt in Dalian. It is believed three more carriers are under construction at the strategic port in Bohai Bay, as China rapidly expands its naval power to protect its business and political interests around the globe.

EDIT

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2017/11/672_240089.html

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