DCNS completes Perle refit and trials ahead of schedule
24 Feb 2010
Prime contractor DCNS completed the refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of nuclear-powered attack submarine Perle in late 2009 – three weeks ahead of schedule. This week, the Group signed off on the boat’s post-RCOH sea trials.
Fast, efficient work by the refit team allowed DCNS to refloat SSN Perle three weeks ahead of schedule after 15 months in drydock.
The refit involved:
· 1 million person-hours
· replacement or refurbishment of 63,000 components, including 15,000 for the nuclear powerplant
Early completion was made possible by the drive and cooperation of all concerned and the excellence of DCNS's dedicated project management team.
Key tasks included detailed inspection of the hull and reactor vessel, inspection and refurbishment of all systems and equipment, reactor refuelling (i.e. the removal of irradiated fuel rods and loading new ones), a range of modifications and the modernisation of key systems, including the boat's sonars.
The programme involved around 1,000 Toulon-based employees on a full-time basis plus contributions by all DCNS facilities and dozens of contractors.
The sea trials just completed included tests that cannot be performed at quayside and reworking to correct shortcomings detected earlier on. Rubis-class submarines like SSN Perle undergo an RCOH every eight years.
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