The Colombian Navy frigates 'Almirante Padilla', 'Caldas', 'Antioquia' and 'Independiente' first went into service at the beginning of the 1980s, each powered by MTU's Series 1163 engines.
Almost 30 years later, the Padilla-class ships are still operating successfully. As part of a modernisation program, they have been fitted with new main propulsion units, on-board power systems and a Callosum monitoring and control system, all specifically tailored by MTU.
Each ship's four 20-cylinder Model 1163 TB 82 engines have been replaced by 16-cylinder Model 1163 TB 73L units. These powerful, high-speed engines are among the most frequently used engines in the naval sector. Weighing 22.8 tonnes, Series 1163 engines offer impressive ratios for power-to-weight (3.1 kg/kW) and power-to-volume (over 200 kW/m3). This is a major advantage for the Padilla-class frigates, which depend on speed and manoeuvrability during operations.
Alongside the repowering project, the propellers, shafts and gearboxes were overhauled and updated. Because gearbox and propeller load acceptance remained unchanged, MTU engineers reduced engine power from 5,200kW to 4,290kW to achieve the best possible alignment with the vessels' requirements. Repowering also increases the time between major overhauls from 9,000 hours to 24,000 hours.
As well as the propulsion systems, the frigates' on-board power generation systems were also replaced, swapping the quartet of eight-cylinder MTU Series 396 units for eight-cylinder Series 2000 engines. These meet IMO emissions regulations and will produce the current needed to power the galley, radar, communications and electric pump drives, with benefits in terms of space and fuel efficiency.
Finally MTU's Callosum is an integrated, intelligent automation system for monitoring and controlling all areas and functions of the vessels' technology. Callosum ensures optimum alignment of acceleration and operational response with prevailing requirements. It also ensures that ship-side operational technology such as on-board gensets continue to function reliably.
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