OHIO Class External Hull Antifouling

Biofouling on the hulls of submarines at pier-side is a well-documented problem resulting in losses of billions of dollars from lost usage time and required remediation. The biofouling increases drag and flow noise and interferes with externally mounted equipment and sensors. Biological fouling is also a significant problem to the shipping industry causing significant increases in fuel, maintenance, and downtime costs. Environmental concerns associated with toxic antifouling coatings have led to studies on alternative methods of biofouling control. Acoustic methods for biofouling control have shown significant promise. The use of ultrasonic frequencies for biofouling control appears to be more desirable than audio frequencies since they are outside the hearing range of most marine life. During the Phase I effort Analysis, Design & Diagnostics, Inc. (AD&D) will demonstrate the effectiveness of using ultrasonic emitters to prevent pier-side biofouling using a previously designed, low cost acoustic source with a built-in programmable waveform generator. This work will serve as the foundation for the development of a fully functional Ultrasonic Pier-Side Antifouling System (UPSAS) that will be tested and demonstrated during the Phase II effort.