'We fight for millimetres,' Shree Refrigerations CMD on submarine engineering challenges

As India develops more advanced warships and submarines, an engineering challenge is becoming increasingly important to their operational readiness. Powerful radars, combat management systems and electronic warfare equipment generate considerable heat, making reliable cooling essential to keeping these systems operational.

Speaking on WION's Defence Pulse, Ravalnath Shende, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Shree Refrigerations Limited, explained why designing cooling systems for naval platforms is far more demanding and a major operational requirement.

Salt, shock and corrosion

"The most important point here is the air salinity on the warship is pretty high," Shende said, explaining that equipment installed on exposed decks must withstand seawater splashes and corrosive conditions. Unlike conventional systems, naval equipment may also use highly saline seawater for cooling, requiring different materials and engineering solutions.

Shende said military-grade cooling systems must withstand shock, vibration and stringent noise and electromagnetic interference requirements. They must also meet demanding ingress-protection standards. Reliability is particularly important because warships cannot afford equipment failures during critical operations.

Bigger radars, tighter spaces

As navies introduce increasingly powerful radars and potentially directed-energy weapons, the demand for thermal management is expected to grow.

Shende, however, said increasing cooling capacity is not necessarily the biggest engineering obstacle. Whether a warship requires 100, 200 or 400 tonnes of cooling capacity, the fundamental challenge remains developing equipment that occupies less space without adding excessive weight. He explained that engineers increasingly use software to assess equipment dimensions, structural strength, vibration resistance and rigidity before manufacturing begins.

Submarines present an even tougher challenge

For submarines, space constraints become particularly severe. "Sometimes we fight for millimetres with the ship designers," Shende revealed.

Replacing imported cooling equipment also requires engineers to match existing cable connections, cooling-water interfaces and installation dimensions.

Noise is another major consideration because submarine crews operate for extended periods inside confined spaces. Shende highlighted electrical compatibility as an additional challenge. Submarines may provide DC power, while larger refrigeration compressors require AC power, forcing engineers to accommodate power converters within already restricted spaces.

His remarks underline the importance of specialised naval engineering as India expands its indigenous shipbuilding capabilities. As warships accommodate increasingly sophisticated electronic systems, compact, corrosion-resistant and reliable cooling equipment will remain essential to sustaining their performance at sea.