Variable module loads could have encouraged more diesel generating capacity in the original Type 45 design. Additional reserve might have mitigated some of the later power problems. The discussion locates the difficulty in the intercooler and its compatibility with the WR-21, rather than treating the turbine alone as the problem. The later Power Improvement Project changed two 2 MW diesel generators for three 3 MW units. A hypothetical original fit of four 2 MW generators would have supplied 8 MW, close to the later 9 MW total. That reserve could have covered much of the shortfall, although it would not have eliminated the underlying problem or prevented it from being serious.
Notable Point · 1:01:44-1:03:20
Could modular payloads have given Type 45 more electrical reserve?
Changing module power demands might have encouraged four 2 MW diesel generators from the outset, mitigating some Type 45 difficulties without eliminating them.