USS Halsey Tests Improved Electronics Grounding Unit

During the week of July 6, engineers at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) in Philadelphia, US, championed the installation and testing on the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) of a prototype electronics grounding unit (EGU).

The EGU is designed to actively monitor and control the amount of electric current on the propulsion shaft resulting in better control of current flow. The EGU is part of the Active Shaft Grounding System (ASGS) that includes an integrated shaft current sensing capability, electrical impedance to ground minimization, shaft current control capability and electrical contacts for rotating components.

Expectations are that this new EGU will provide Navy engineers with improved system function and control, which will allow them to determine what adjustments to make to the EGU to reduce the possibility of shaft corrosion. The current generation of EGU, does not record data and is limited in its ability to adjust and control the electrical current, which can change based on the ship’s sea environment.

Image: US Navy