new tech submarine batteries.

[erich hartman]

there's been plenty of talk on these boards about high tech improvements to submarine acoustics, under water performance etc but what about the batteries??

in this regard diesel/electric subs are pretty much unchanged since WW2 and germany's typeXX1 sub.

i've read of many new battery technologies in development including advances in lead/acid batteries but haven't heard much about this technology being applied to subs. what type of battery does the collins class current have and since the early boats are due for a battery replacement pretty soon, are there any plans to fit a high tech battery??

there's a new battery called a zebra on the market and it has sodium/nickel/chloride chemistry.......it is superior to the traditional lead/acid batteries in every regard although it would be much more expensive, but it holds 4 times as much energy.

 

[type 209]

that would be cool but does it take more fuel to charge?

 

[alexsa]

there's been plenty of talk on these boards about high tech improvements to submarine acoustics, under water performance etc but what about the batteries??

in this regard diesel/electric subs are pretty much unchanged since WW2 and germany's typeXX1 sub.

i've read of many new battery technologies in development including advances in lead/acid batteries but haven't heard much about this technology being applied to subs. what type of battery does the collins class current have and since the early boats are due for a battery replacement pretty soon, are there any plans to fit a high tech battery??

there's a new battery called a zebra on the market and it has sodium/nickel/chloride chemistry.......it is superior to the traditional lead/acid batteries in every regard although it would be much more expensive, but it holds 4 times as much energy.

It is not strictly true to say that lead/acid batteries have remained unchanged since the second world war. Looking at the Oberon class the battery capacity increased from about 8600Ah to 10600Ah per unit during the life submarine the same size unit (sorry about the apprxomation but my memory is rusty on the exact capacity). This is a significant increased achieved through evolution in design in the battery. I understand the Collins class battery is a quatum improvement on this again.

The link below details claims of advances made in battery design in the UK in 1998 and gives and indication of the type of design changes that result in an efective increase in capcity:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3864/is_199808/ai_n8809859

that would be cool but does it take more fuel to charge?

Batteries are simply storage devices, the fuel burn will be a function of the efficiencey of the generator and charging arrangements. To generate more power with any given generator you need to run it longer and burn more fuel.