Air-independent power plants (vneu) for equipping submarines. Anaerobic propulsion plant What is an anaerobic propulsion plant on a submarine

that is, unlike an internal combustion engine, an internal combustion engine, where the working fluid is simultaneously combusted fuel inside the cylinder, in Stirling the fuel burns outside, heats the working fluid (air) inside the cylinder, and then, as usual, the crank, etc.

in this article, I did not see the actual main positioned feature, anaerobicity, that is, just as an internal combustion engine needs oxygen for combustion, so in stirling the same combustion process is used, that is, oxygen is still needed
the combustion is simply transferred from inside to outside and that’s all. Well, Stirling also burns continuously, and not in a pulsed, explosive manner, as in an internal combustion engine, hence its noiselessness, which is useful for a submarine. But that's all the advantages

I thought that instead of combustion, some other exothermic chemical reactions would be used, for example, with the participation of water instead of oxygen, which is logical, on land there is a lot of oxygen around, under water there is own water.
I don’t know, pour it into the cylinder or outside it, well, at least quicklime, and pour water on it, convert the generated heat into rotation
why declare an anaerobic engine and still use oxygen?

further, if we develop the idea - the project uses an electric motor as the main propulsion motor, and stirling will only be needed to recharge the batteries, so wouldn’t it be easier to focus on the means of directly producing EMF through chemical reactions without mechanics?
This reminded me of how in the summer, at the dacha without electricity, I connected a 220 inverter to a car battery, to which I connected energy-saving light bulbs with low-voltage LEDs. Then it dawned on me that it was stupid to first increase the voltage from 12 to 220, and then in the light bulb it decreases again, I made a homemade 12V LED and the battery began to last three times as long..

In Soviet times, dry-charged batteries were made in Podolsk, the plates of which were pressed with a composition corresponding to the charged state of a lead battery. Such a battery can be stored in a warehouse for a very long time and be charged, then the buyer pours electrolyte into it and immediately puts it on the car. For example, load dry plates with electrolyte onto a submarine, which are consumed during the movement and are replaced with fresh ones, and then new material is loaded at the dock, like fuel, and the used one is unloaded and regenerated at the factory into a new dry-charged one. All. No double conversion with the efficiency of a steam locomotive, no oxygen, truly anaerobic circuit.

Well, with a lead-acid battery it’s just a thought offhand, you can come up with a much more perfect process, for example on lithium, this is minus the weight and minus the dangerous acid

With the advent of the new Russian submarine Lada, an entire era of American “dominance at sea” will become a thing of the past; Washington will actually lose its main tool for “projecting power” to remote regions and risks finally losing its global geopolitical role.

Many truly important news that are directly related to changes in the military-strategic balance of power in Eurasia pass by the attention of the general reader.

Here is one of such news.

On October 13, 2014, the RIA Novosti news agency, citing a source in the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, reported: “In Russia, a decision has been made on the serial production of air-independent power plants (VNEU) to equip future Project 677 Lada submarines.” Testing of the experimental prototype of the VNEU at the stand was completed successfully. The next tests will be carried out directly on the boat.”

This message went virtually unnoticed; even among military observers, no one paid much attention to it. But in vain! For this decision marks a real revolution in the field of military submarine shipbuilding.

Advantages and disadvantages of underwater hunters

Today, all submarines according to the type of power plants are divided into two types: submarines with a nuclear power plant (nuclear reactor) and diesel-electric submarines (DEPL), moving on the surface using a diesel engine, and underwater using electric motors that draw energy from rechargeable batteries.

Nuclear-powered submarines have a number of outstanding advantages: an almost unlimited time spent under water, high underwater speed and great diving depth, and the ability to carry a huge amount of a wide variety of weapons and equipment.

But, alas, the main advantage of a nuclear power plant, its power, is at the same time the source of the main drawback characteristic of nuclear submarines. This disadvantage is a lot of noise. The presence on board a nuclear submarine of a nuclear reactor (and sometimes two) with the entire complex of accompanying mechanisms: turbines, generators, pumps, refrigeration units, fans, etc. - inevitably generates a huge number of different frequency oscillations and vibrations and requires sophisticated technologies to reduce the noise level, which is the main unmasking factor of any nuclear submarine.

But a diesel-electric submarine is practically silent underwater. Electric motors powered by battery energy do not require turbines or other high-noise equipment. Therefore, diesel-electric submarines sneak in the ocean depths, making virtually no noise, like a dangerous predatory fish tracking down unwary prey.

However, this fish can stay under water for a relatively short time - only a few days. Moreover, it moves very slowly in the ocean depths, saving its energy reserve, which is simply insignificant compared to atomic “sharks”. And the lack of energy, in turn, imposes serious restrictions on the displacement, armament and other key characteristics of diesel-electric submarines. In fact, these boats are not completely “underwater”, they can rather be called “diving”, since they spend most of the time on deployment routes on the surface, and even in combat patrol areas they are forced to regularly surface and turn on the diesel engine to recharge their batteries .

For example, the newest Russian diesel-electric submarine of Project 636.3 has a submerged range of only 400 miles. And it moves underwater mainly with an economical speed at a speed of 3 knots, that is, 5.4 km/h. Therefore, such a boat cannot pursue its prey underwater. She is forced to rely on reconnaissance data, which should lead her to a given point along the deployment route of enemy ships. Hence the main method of combat use of diesel-electric submarines - the so-called. "veil", i.e. deployment of submarines in a line perpendicular to the course of the probable movement of the target, at certain intervals from each other. At the same time, the entire group of submarines participating in it is controlled from an external command post, which creates additional unmasking factors and reduces the combat stability and effectiveness of the submarine group. If we also take into account that the depth of the layered anti-submarine defense of a modern American aircraft carrier strike group is over 300 miles (i.e., more than 550 km), it becomes clear how difficult it is for our diesel-electric submarines to resist such an enemy.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the cherished dream of all submariners is to create a submarine with a fundamentally new power plant, which will combine the advantages of nuclear and diesel-electric submarines: power and stealth, greater autonomy of underwater navigation and low noise...

The fairy tale has become reality

So: Russian submarines of the 677th Lada project with an air-independent power plant are precisely a major breakthrough in this direction, taking the Russian submarine fleet to fundamentally new frontiers.

“Ladas” are small, their displacement is almost half that of the famous “Varshavyanka”. But the complex of its weapons is very serious and unusually large. In addition to the traditional mine-torpedo armament of diesel-electric submarines (6 533-mm torpedo tubes, 18 torpedoes or mines), Project 667 is the world's first non-nuclear submarine equipped with specialized launchers for cruise missiles (10 vertical launchers in the middle part of the hull). Moreover, these missiles can be both operational-tactical, strike-anti-ship, and long-range missiles designed to destroy strategic targets deep in enemy territory (for more information, see the article “Putin’s Missile Surprise”).

But the most important feature of the new Russian submarines is the VNEU, an air-independent power plant. Without going into details that are interesting to specialists, we note that the presence of VNEU will allow the Ladas to remain submerged for up to 25 days, that is, almost 10 times longer than their famous “big sisters” - the Varshavyanka Project 636.3! At the same time, the noise level of the Lada will be even less than that of the famous Warsaw “black hole,” which the Americans nicknamed it because it is almost impossible to detect.
NATO countries have long been trying to equip their submarines with such VNEU. Germany and Sweden are the trendsetters in this area. Since the late 90s, German shipbuilders have been building small submarines of Project 212\214, equipped with a hybrid power plant.

Equipping the boat with such an anaerobic installation allowed the Germans to increase the time it spent underwater to 20 days. And now German “babies” with VNEU of various modifications are in service with Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Korea and several other countries.

The Swedish concern Kockums Submarin Systems, in turn, at the end of the last century began building Gotland class submarines with VNEU based on the so-called “Stirling engine”. When using it, these boats can also stay under water without recharging the batteries for up to 20 days. And now there are submarines with Stirling engines not only in Scandinavian countries, but also in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

But neither the German nor the Swedish submarines, which are small, essentially coastal boats, can be compared with the Russian Ladas - neither in their tactical and technical characteristics, nor in the variety and power of weapons. Our Project 667 submarines are, in all respects, new generation ships of unique quality in this class!
Central Design Bureau Rubin, the main designer of submarines in Russia, designed the Lada so that it is capable of delivering salvo torpedo and missile strikes against sea and stationary ground targets from both torpedo tubes and specialized vertical missile silos. Due to the unique hydroacoustic system, our boat has a significantly increased target detection range. It can dive to 300 m, has a full submersible speed of up to 21 knots, and has an endurance of 45 days. To reduce the noise of the boat, vibration isolators and an all-mode rowing electric motor with permanent magnets are used. The boat's hull is covered with Molniya material, which absorbs sonar signals.

Little is known about the VNEU of our boat. Just like the Germans, it will be based on an electrochemical generator. But it will be fundamentally different in that the hydrogen necessary for the operation of the VNEU will be produced directly on board by processing existing diesel fuel. Therefore, the Russian VNEU will be much more economical than its German counterpart, which will increase the time the boat is continuously under water to 25 days. At the same time, the Lada will cost significantly less than the German boats of project 212\214.

By 2020, the Russian fleet expects to receive 14 units of these new 4th generation non-nuclear submarines.

Balance Breakers

In order for the reader to understand how significantly new Russian submarines with VNEU will be able to change the balance of power between Russia and the United States, I will give just one example. “Four to six of these submarines,” Vice Admiral Viktor Patrushev said in an interview with RIA Novosti at the end of 2010, “can completely cover closed or semi-closed water areas such as the Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas. Their advantages are obvious to any naval specialist.”

On my own behalf, I will add that the deployment of an additional two or three Lad formations within the Russian Navy can fundamentally change the balance of forces not only in the Baltic, Caspian and Black Sea, but also in the North, and in the Mediterranean, in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. In the North, in the Barents Sea, such boats are capable of reliably covering the deployment routes of Russian submarine strategic missile carriers from any encroachment by the anti-submarine forces of the United States and NATO countries, which will significantly increase the combat stability of the naval component of our strategic nuclear forces.

Now our missile carriers carry out combat service for the most part under the ice of the Arctic, where they are practically inaccessible to enemy influence. The Americans can detect, track and hit our submarine cruise only at the stage of its transition to the combat patrol area. And the Ladas of Project 667 are ideally suited to counter American nuclear submarines spying on our “strategists,” since they can hear them at distances much greater than the Americans are able to hear the Lada. In such conditions, defeating an enemy submarine - either by the Lada on its own, or by targeting it with anti-submarine aircraft and surface ships - becomes a matter of technology.

As for the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, the presence in their waters of a sufficient number of submarines like the Lada practically nullifies American naval power there, the core of which is carrier strike groups (ACGs). Back in Soviet times, Project 641B diesel engines managed to break through the anti-submarine defenses of aircraft carriers and sometimes surfaced right under the noses of stunned American admirals. And only a small underwater range, the absence of long-range missile weapons and the inability to remain submerged for more than 3 days gave the Americans a chance in this confrontation with Soviet submariners.

Today, provided that the Lada is truly capable of remaining under water for up to 25 days, its ammunition will include a powerful anti-ship missile system similar to the Caliber, and reconnaissance and guidance of submarines to the AUG will be carried out using layered reconnaissance, including space grouping, the vaunted US aircraft carriers will no longer have such a chance! This means that the entire era of American “dominance at sea” will become a thing of the past; Washington will actually lose its main instrument for “projecting power” to remote regions and will finally lose its global geopolitical role.

Modern non-nuclear submarines (submarines) are highly effective means of armed warfare at sea and are mobile platforms capable of carrying a variety of weapons, as well as making long voyages away from their home bases. At present, submarines of Russian and foreign companies, in principle, differ little from each other or, in any case, are comparable to each other in architecture, displacement, and equipment with high-precision weapons, including missiles of various classes capable of hitting any sea and ground targets. These submarines are similar in survivability, reliability, electronic weapons capabilities, etc.

However, experience shows that the combat effectiveness of diesel submarines is to a certain extent depreciated due to the need to periodically recharge the batteries, which reduces the secrecy of their actions and increases the likelihood of detection. Thus, diesel submarines spend 2...5 hours every day recharging their batteries. In addition, the limited energy reserves of diesel submarines do not allow their use in Arctic regions covered with ice.
The problem of increasing the duration of scuba diving, eliminating the need for frequent ascent to charge batteries, can be solved through the use of anaerobic power plants with a power of 100...300 kW, which increases the autonomy of non-nuclear submarines to 480...720 hours.

In accordance with the classification adopted by the navies of Western countries, non-nuclear submarines are usually divided into three subclasses:

- class "A"– classic submarines with a diesel-electric main power plant (GPP);

- class "B"– submarines with a hybrid power plant, which, along with a diesel-electric installation, also includes an additional anaerobic (air-independent) subsystem;

- class "C"– submarines equipped only with a special anaerobic power plant.

Some of the first combat-ready submarines with hybrid power plants were German submarines with so-called “Walter steam-gas turbines” powered by hydrogen peroxide. German submarines of the XXVI series with Walter turbines were capable of reaching underwater speeds of up to 24...25 knots. The ship's supply of peroxide was enough for six hours of full speed, and the rest of the time a conventional diesel-electric installation and a device for ensuring diesel operation at periscope depth (snorkel) were used. The XXVI series boats had an architectural appearance that was significantly different from the traditional ones, aimed at reducing resistance underwater. They became a kind of masterpiece of naval technology, although they did not have time to enter service and participate in hostilities, but they served as valuable material for the victorious countries in the post-war modernization of submarine fleets.

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union also experimented with submarines equipped with anaerobic power plants. Thus, the fourteenth M-type submarine of the XII series (until 1940 it was called S-92, and then R-1) went down in history as the first Soviet boat with a single engine - a diesel engine, for the operation of which liquid oxygen was used as an oxidizer, stored at particularly low temperatures (-180°C). The development of REDO (regenerative single engine special) was carried out in 1935-1936. on the initiative and under the leadership of S.A. Bazilevsky.

During tests in 1939, the S-92 submarine proved the ability of a diesel engine to operate under water in a closed cycle for 5.5 hours at a power of 185 hp. With.

In July 1946, a decree was issued by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the development of work on the creation of submarines with “single” engines. In accordance with the decree, the design of an experimental small submarine of Project 615 with a displacement of about 390 tons began, equipped with a “single” engine, which was similar in design to the engine of the Project 95 boat. In 1955-1958. 29 boats of this type were built at factories No. 196 and No. 194. During operation, several serious accidents occurred on boats of the A615 project. As it turned out, accidents occurred due to unaccounted for features of the power plant and insufficient training of personnel, who spoke unflatteringly about their submarines, calling them “lighters.”

The second type of “single” engine selected for implementation was the already mentioned combined-cycle turbine unit (PGTU) by the German designer Walter. Leningrad TsKB-18 in the pre-design project 616 reproduced the German boat of the XXVI series. In 1947, a special design bureau was created on the territory of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany under the leadership of A.A. Antipin, who was engaged in the restoration of technical documentation of a combined cycle turbine plant. In parallel, TsKB-18 began designing a Project 617 submarine with a PSTU. At the same time, all equipment, except for the PSTU, was planned to be manufactured at domestic factories.

According to the design, a boat with a displacement of about 950 tons had the ability to reach an underwater speed of up to 20 knots for 6 hours. The experimental boat was laid down on February 5, 1951 at plant No. 196, and its tests were completed only on March 20, 1956. In 1956-1959. The C-99 submarine made 98 trips to sea and covered more than 6,800 miles, of which 315 were from the PSTU. On May 17, 1959, a serious accident occurred on the ship: during the launch of the gas turbine unit at a depth of 80 m, an explosion occurred in the turbine compartment. The boat surfaced and arrived at the base under its own power. After pumping water out of the compartment, it was determined that the accident occurred due to the decomposition of peroxide upon contact with dirt that had entered the valve.

Subsequently, due to successes in the creation of nuclear submarines, the leadership of the Soviet Navy and the domestic shipbuilding industry practically lost interest in non-nuclear “single” engines for submarines. It was only in the first half of the seventies of the last century that work in this direction was resumed. This time, an attempt was made to equip the Project 613 submarine with a power plant with an electrochemical generator with a capacity of 280 kW. In 1988, the Katran submarine of Project 613E successfully passed extended state tests and confirmed the fundamental possibility of creating and effectively using new energy. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the events that followed set back the creation of a domestic submarine with an electrochemical generator for several decades.

And the competitors were not asleep

In the last decade of the 20th century, anaerobic power plants based on Stirling engines, steam-gas turbines and electrochemical generators were created, tested and began to be mass-produced in Germany, Sweden and France. Thus, the German companies Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) and Thyssen Nordseewerke GmbH (TNSW) designed and built four submarines of type 212 (U 31 - U 34, transferred to the fleet in 2005-07). In September 2006, the Bundesmarine ordered two more Type 212 submarines with a delivery date for the fleet in 2012-2013.

The type 212 boat has an underwater displacement of 1360 tons, a length of 53.5 m, a width of 6.8 m and a height from the keel to the top of the retractable railing of 11.5 m. In one of the trips, U 32 set a world record for the duration of movement in a submerged position (without using a snorkel), remaining submerged for two weeks.

In addition to the German Navy, Italian sailors also decided to acquire similar submarines. The Fincantieri company built it under a German license in 2005-2007. two boats (S526 Salvatore Todaro and S527 Scire). In March 2008, the Italian government decided to order two more Type 212 submarines.

A slightly modified and improved type of German submarine with electrochemical generators is Project 214, proposed by German companies for the Greek Navy. With a standard displacement of 1,700 tons and a length of 65 m, the boat is capable of diving to a depth of 400 m and carries an armament of eight 533 mm torpedo tubes. The Greek government ordered three boats of this type from Germany. Negotiations on the construction of the fourth Katsonis submarine with a completion date of 2012 were successfully completed.

South Korea, which has a powerful shipbuilding industry, chose to purchase a license from Germany to build three Type 214 boats. They are manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries; The first boat, Admiral Sohn Won-il, was delivered to the fleet in December 2007, and the other two, Jung Ji and Ahn Jung-geun, are scheduled for completion in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Currently, there is a debate in the South Korean government about the feasibility of building three more submarines of type 214. The valuable features of boats of this type are considered to be the ability to launch cruise missiles from torpedo tubes from under water and the presence of two electrochemical generators of the Siemens PEM type with a power of 120 kW each, which allows move underwater at a speed of 3...5 knots for two weeks.

The French also made their contribution to the creation of air-independent power plants for submarines. Thus, a group of companies that are part of the shipbuilding concern DCN, for the French submarine “Scorpen” (Agosta-90B type, underwater displacement 1760 tons, length 67 m) developed a steam-generating anaerobic power plant of the MESMA type (Module D’Energie Sous Marine Autonome).

Three Agosta-90B class submarines were ordered by the Pakistan Navy in 1994. The first two submarines, Khalid (S137) and Saad (S138) were not initially equipped with anaerobic propulsion; The lead boat with such a system was the third submarine, Hamza (S139).
There are projects to equip submarines with hybrid power plants incorporating low-power nuclear reactors. Submarines equipped with small nuclear reactors will essentially remain diesel-powered. The company plans to supply these installations in the form of a separate section, fully prepared for insertion into the hulls of existing submarines or for assembly of those under construction. One of the conversion options was proposed in relation to Victoria-class submarines.

Perhaps the most impressive results in the development of anaerobic plants were achieved by the Swedish concern Kockums Submarin Systems. During the modernization process, on the French submarine Saga and the Swedish submarine Naecken type A14, Stirling engines V4-275R were installed, which were used as auxiliary power plants for economic underwater propulsion. When converting the submarine Naecken into a durable hull, an insert about 8 m long was made directly behind the wheelhouse fence with two Stirling engines with a power of 110 kW each, driving DC generators. The supply of liquid oxygen allowed the Naecken boat to remain underwater without surfacing for up to 14 days.

Then the Kockums Submarin Systems concern took an even more impressive step, building in 1992-1996. three Gotland class submarines (type A19). The power plant of the submarines included conventional diesel engines and two Stirling V4-275R engines with a power of 75 kW each. The length of the submarines is 60.4 m, the underwater displacement is 1599 tons.

The Swedes' most promising project is related to the promising Viking submarine. This name was not chosen by chance. Two more Scandinavian countries – Norway and Denmark – should participate in the implementation of the project. The Kokums company, in collaboration with Norwegian and Danish shipbuilding companies, formed a consortium for practical work on the project. In total, it was planned to build 12 new generation submarines. According to leading experts, this would be the best non-nuclear submarine of the early 21st century. It was planned to install a single high-power Stirling engine (approximately 800 kW). However, today the fate of the Viking is in the hands of the European Shipbuilding Company, controlled by German concerns. And they, of course, are not too interested in the success of the Scandinavians, their direct competitors.

The Japanese Navy unexpectedly came to the aid of the Scandinavians, who in 1997 launched the submarine S 589 Asashio, on which two Stirling engines were installed as an experiment. After completing the test cycle, the Japanese admirals decided to build a whole series of Soryu class submarines, the first of which should enter service in March 2009. These boats are much larger than the German and Swedish ones (underwater displacement 4200 tons, length 84 m, crew 65 people) .

And finally, the Americans were the last of the world powers to make the final choice on the type of anaerobic plant. Their solution is clear - Stirling engines. To do this, in 2005, the US Navy leased a Swedish Gotland-class submarine equipped with an auxiliary air-independent Stirling unit. According to Jane's Defense Weekly magazine, the submarine was supposed to be used to practice anti-submarine operations by ships of the American fleet. The boat was assigned to the San Diego (California) naval base, where the Anti-Submarine Warfare Command is located. Note that the US Navy has recently again begun to show increased attention to anti-submarine defense. This is explained by the rapid growth of the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China and, above all, the quantitative increase and improvement in the quality of the PRC's submarine fleet.

The United States also needs a Gotland-class submarine to master modern non-nuclear submarine shipbuilding technologies that have been lost in the United States. In 2006, the American corporation Northrop Grumman and the Swedish company Kokums, which built the Gotland-class submarine, signed a cooperation agreement. As part of this cooperation, American specialists will have the opportunity to study in detail the design of the newest submarine of the Swedish fleet. And Swedish sailors will help them with this, who will serve on the boat together with their American colleagues.

According to leading experts, submarines with hybrid propulsion systems are already now not only approaching nuclear-powered ships in their characteristics, but even surpassing them in some respects. Thus, during two exercises in the Atlantic held in 2003, the Swedish submarine Halland with anaerobic Stirling engines “won” in a duel situation a Spanish submarine with a conventional diesel-electric installation, and then a French nuclear submarine. In the Mediterranean Sea, she prevailed in a “battle” with the American nuclear submarine Huston. It should be noted that the low-noise and highly efficient Halland costs 4.5 times less than its nuclear rivals.

Advantages of hybrid power plants

Considering the approximately identical level of sophistication of weapons and electronic weapons of most submarines of Western European countries - the main suppliers of submarines on the world market, the competitiveness of promising submarines will be largely determined by the type of engine used in anaerobic power plant.

Stirling engines differ favorably from all known direct cycle energy converters (diesels, steam and gas turbines, carburetor internal combustion engines, ECG, etc.) that can be used as part of anaerobic plants in a number of qualities that determine the prospect of their use on non-nuclear submarines : practical noiselessness in operation due to the absence of explosive processes in the engine cylinders and valve timing mechanism and a fairly smooth flow of the working cycle with a relatively uniform torque, which directly affects the acoustic stealth of the submarine - the main component of the general indicator - “submarine stealth”; high efficiency (up to 40%), which is significantly higher than the corresponding figure for the best examples of diesel engines and carburetor internal combustion engines; the possibility of using several types of hydrocarbon fuels as fuel (solar fuel, liquefied natural gas, kerosene, etc.); operation of Stirling engines running on traditional fuel does not require the creation of complex onshore infrastructure (unlike electrochemical generators); the service life of modern Stirling engines is 20...50 thousand hours, which is 3...8 times longer than the life of fuel cells (about 6 thousand hours); with a submarine operating life of about 25...30 years, the use of Stirling engines will reduce the required number of submarines by 35...40% compared to the required number of boats with electrochemical generators (due to higher reliability).

According to a number of foreign and domestic experts, the Stirling engine is the most competitive type of engine for anaerobic power plants of non-nuclear submarines due to the above advantages. Moreover, if today installations are being developed that increase underwater autonomy to 30...45 days in economic propulsion modes, then in the near future the Stirling engine can be considered as a single all-mode energy source, providing both underwater and surface propulsion over the entire load range.

The advantages of Stirling engines compared to other direct cycle energy converters allow us to recommend it as a universal engine for all types of non-nuclear submarines of small, medium and large displacement.

The Russian Navy is interested in creating submarines with anaerobic power plants for use in the Baltic and Black seas, where the use of nuclear-powered ships is excluded for political reasons. The Navy's total need for such submarines is approximately 10-20 units. In the near future, the international arms market will become a very large market for non-nuclear submarines with Stirling engines, where starting from 2005. There is a steady increase in demand for such submarines from the countries of Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Near and Middle East. In general, the approximate market niche is from 300 to 400 submarines with an average cost of submarines of about $300...400 million.

Currently, non-nuclear submarines are part of 30 fleets of foreign countries. Considering that the service life of these boats is estimated at about 30 years and the fact that most of them were built no later than the end of the eighties of the last century, we can expect that from 2010 many of the listed countries will think about acquiring new non-nuclear submarines instead of outdated ships that have exhausted their your resource.

The article presents options for created and developed air-independent power plants (airindependentpower /AIP) of submarines. The approximate limits of use and examples of the implementation of air-independent power plants of submarines based on thermal engines (internal combustion engines, engines with external heat supply, steam turbine and gas turbine power plants), direct conversion of chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy (Polymer Electrolyte (or Proton Exchange Membrane)) are shown. Fuel cells, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, reforming of hydrocarbon fuels to produce hydrogen), high-capacity batteries, highly metalized fuels and “thermite mixtures”. Examples of the implementation of various technologies in underwater shipbuilding and companies conducting research work to create these technologies are indicated. The main features of the operation of power plants, their advantages and disadvantages are given.

fuel types

power plant

Submarine

air-independent power plant (VNEU)

1. Vasiliev V.A., Chernyshov E.A., Romanov I.D., Romanova E.A., Romanov A.D. History of the development of submarines with air-independent power plants in Russia and the USSR // Proceedings of NSTU im. R.E. Alekseeva. – 2012. – No. 4. – P. 192-202.

2. Genkin A.L. and others. Anaerobic heat source using gas-free fuel for emergency heating of divers // Shipbuilding. 2010. – No. 2. – P. 36-38.

3. Dyadik A.N., Zamukov V.V., Dyadik V.A. Shipborne air-independent power plants. – St. Petersburg: Shipbuilding, 2006. – 424 p.

4. Zamukov V.V., Sidorenko D.V. Selection of an air-independent power plant for non-nuclear submarines // Shipbuilding. – 2012. – No. 4. – P. 29-33.

5. Zamukov V.V., Sidorenko D.V., Petrov S.A. State and prospects for the development of air-independent power plants for submarines // Shipbuilding. – 2007. – No. 5. – P. 39-42.

6. Zakharov I.G. Conceptual analysis in naval shipbuilding. – St. Petersburg: Shipbuilding, 2001. – 264 p.

7. Nikiforov B.V. and others. Lithium-ion batteries as the main sources of electricity for diesel-electric submarines // Shipbuilding. – 2010. – No. 2. – P. 25-28.

8. Chernyshov E.A., Romanov A.D. Highly metallized fuel based on aluminum and its application // Technical sciences - from theory to practice. – 2013. – No. 24. – P. 69-73.

9. Yastrebov V.S. Systems and elements of deep-sea equipment for underwater research. –L.: Shipbuilding.

10. Dr Carlo Kopp. Air Independent Propulsion – now a necessity // Defense Today. – 12/2010.

The power plant of a non-nuclear submarine (submarine) is a heavy structure, up to 30% of the mass, and a volumetric structure, up to 50% of the displacement. However, the classic diesel-electric installation does not work efficiently; in the submerged position, the diesel installation and the hydrocarbon fuel reserve are not used; in the surface position, if the full electric propulsion mode is not implemented, the batteries become “unnecessary”. Therefore, since the first appearance of submarines, various types of thermal “single engines” have been proposed, they have developed in the following directions:

• Heat accumulation (sodium acetate, liquid metal).
• Closed and open cycle steam turbine plants: combustion of metals or hydrocarbon fuels using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer (Walter cycle).
• Internal combustion engines: open cycle (“Y”, “Postal”, ED-VVD, Kreislauf), closed cycle (use of hydrogen and oxygen, REDO, ED-IVR, ED-KhPI), using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer (X -1, PVC), using a solid source of oxygen (sodium superoxide).

In Fig. 1 and 2 The approximate limits of applicability of power plants and examples of implementation are given, indicating the design of the submarine.

Rice. 1. Range of application of various power plants on submarines

* - submarine without installed weapons.

** - experimental submarine laboratory.

Rice. 2. Diagrams of power and operating time of various current sources

The * marks the range considered separately.

From Fig. 1 shows that in fact the largest submarines with batteries are larger than submarines equipped with a nuclear power plant. However, this does not prevent the development of submarines with other types of power plants. We can give an example of torpedoes; all of them, with comparable dimensions, are equipped with different types of propulsion.

Currently, power plants are being developed and implemented based on:

• Thermal engines: engines with external heat supply (Stirling), closed cycle diesel, closed cycle steam turbines, closed cycle gas turbine units using various combinations of highly metallized fuel and oxidizer.
• Direct conversion of fuel chemical energy into electrical energy (fuel cells), including hydrocarbon fuel conversion/reforming and hydrothermal metal oxidation, to produce hydrogen used in ECG.
• High capacity rechargeable batteries, no recharging at sea.
• Small-sized nuclear power plants, including auxiliary ones.

Almost all power plants use a universal oxidizer - oxygen. This is due to the relative ease of obtaining it from the air, and the processing of its storage systems, in most cases - cryogenic storage.

Let's consider the features of various air-independent power plants.

1. Power plant based on thermal engines

All these installations, fundamentally different in design, are united by the fuel used (liquid hydrocarbons) and the mechanical conversion of the chemical energy of the fuel into mechanical, and then into electrical. In addition, liquid hydrocarbon fuel has advantages in storage and transportation. The use of fuel ballast tanks and the possibility of refueling at sea significantly increases the possible range of action. These designs can use atmospheric air as an oxidizer in the “operation of engines under water” mode (RDP / Schnorchel).

1.1. Power plant based on closed-cycle diesel engines (DZTs, closed-cyclediesel, CCD)

These systems are the most common; some DZTs are based on experience in operating diesel engines. The first projects were the submarines of Bertin and Dzhevetsky; after the Second World War, submarines with a low-voltage control center (A615) were mass-produced in the USSR. Their technological advantage is the use of “standard” diesel engines, that is, lower cost and simplified crew training. However, the difficult to eliminate high noise of a diesel engine limits the development of this technology. Closed-cycle diesel power plants differ from each other in design, but the principle of operation is similar: CO2 is removed from combustion products/exhaust gases; the combustion of 1 kg of diesel fuel produces 3.19 kg of CO2, which needs to be disposed of, for example: by dissolution in sea water ( Argo / ED-IVR), absorption by solid products (ED-CPI, sodium peroxide, sodium chloride) or freezing, then the gas mixture is enriched with oxygen and sent to the cylinders.

Currently, the RDM company (Holland) offers the SPECTRE (Submarine Power for Extended Continuous Trialand Range Enhancement) power plant based on a closed-cycle diesel engine. Similar work was carried out by COSMOS (Italy), CDSS (Great Britain) and TNSW (Germany). However, submarines with these power plants are not built in series, with the exception of small submarines.

1.2. EC based on an engine with external heat supply (Stirling)

Stirling engines differ favorably from all known direct-cycle energy converters that can be used as part of anaerobic plants in a number of qualities that make them promising for use on non-nuclear submarines: low noise operation due to the absence of explosive processes and a fairly smooth flow of the operating cycle, which affects on the acoustic secrecy of submarines; high efficiency, high pressure of combustion products, allowing combustion products to be removed overboard at depths of up to 200 m without a compressor, the ability to use various types of hydrocarbon fuel.

The disadvantages are: high cost; complexity, high technological capacity of the design; the lowest value of the aggregate power realized was 75 kW, probably the most achieved was 600 kW. Examples of the implementation of this power plant are projects A-17, A-19, Imp. Oyashio, possibly Type 041 and 043.

1.3. Steam turbine power plant closed cycle

Currently, MESMA (Moduled’EnergieSous-MarineAutonome) closed-cycle steam turbines are being implemented on the Agosta90B and Scorpene project submarines. According to the DCN concern, the output power of the MESMA power plant is 200 kW. The installation produces thermal energy by burning a gaseous mixture of ethyl alcohol and oxygen in the primary circuit of the heat exchanger. The secondary circuit is a steam turbine that drives a high-speed turbogenerator. Currently, a shipyard for the production of submarines (MetalStructuresManufacturingUnit) is being built in Itaguaí, Brazil. This shipyard has everything necessary for the production of hull sections within the framework of the PROSUB shipbuilding program. The lead submarine should begin testing in 2016.

An analogue of this development in Russia can be called research by JSC SPMBM Malachite and NSAIDs Turbokon.

1.4. Closed cycle gas turbine plant

Various options are being developed for equipping submarines with a closed-cycle gas turbine unit. A gas turbine engine (GTE) is a balanced heat engine that has lower vibration characteristics compared to internal combustion engines; noise is the weak point of the GTE, but acoustic disturbances have a high frequency, which can be reduced due to noise insulation. In Russia, NPO Saturn has a reserve of small-sized gas turbine engines for modern military aircraft. To date, OJSC SPMBM Malachite, together with NPO Saturn and NPO Geliymash, has carried out computational studies on the creation of a VNEU with a gas turbine engine.

2. EC based on fuel cells

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel and oxidizer into electrical energy. Fuel cells can use fossil fuels (mainly natural gas or gasoline) or hydrogen directly (in the case of PEM fuel cells).

The main directions of development of fuel cells: Polymer Electrolyte (or Proton Exchange Membrane) Fuel cells PEM/PEMFC, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC), Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC), Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC).

2.1. EC based on Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)

Low-temperature ECGs have a specific power of about 65 W/kg, a resource of about 5000 hours. At the same time, the specific hydrogen consumption is from 0.045 - 0.048 kg/kWh, oxygen consumption is 0.36 - 0.38 kg/kWh. The BZM120 fuel cells have a power of 120 kW each and weigh 900 kg with a volume of 500 liters. The fuel composition hydrogen + oxygen with reaction products water is theoretically the best composition in terms of energy release per 1 g of reaction products and ease of disposal of reaction products in submarines. However, the mass of hydrogen storage systems is significant; the reserve for cryogenic storage of hydrogen does not exceed 5% of the mass of storage systems, and for gaseous storage it is about 3% in adsorbed form in intermetallic compounds. The high cost of creating power plants and coastal infrastructure, technological problems with fuel storage, and the impossibility of organizing the basing of submarines in insufficiently equipped points significantly reduce mobility and combat stability, since the destruction of the base will actually make the use of submarines impossible. Therefore, alternative options for storing hydrogen-containing fuel (NH3, metal hydrides, hydro-reacting fuel) and options for producing hydrogen from it are being developed.

2.1. EI based on methanol reformer and PEM

Methanol has a lower heating value than diesel fuel and is more toxic, but its purity makes it suitable for use in reformers. HDW has developed the concept of a diesel-electric submarine designed to solve a wide range of tasks in remote ocean (sea) areas, Project 216. A similar project has been developed by DCNS for Project S-80A. Increased stealth and increased duration of autonomous submarine operations are planned to be achieved through the use of a combined electric power plant, including four diesel generators, lithium-ion batteries and electrochemical generators from the company. In order to ensure the operation of the latter, it is planned to use an onboard hydrogen generator with a methanol-steam reformer. The principle of operation of the generator is as follows: methanol is mixed with water, evaporated and then fed into the reactor. The methanol-water mixture is converted into a hydrogen-saturated gas mixture, which enters the membrane purification unit. The main part of the hydrogen passes through the membrane and further into the fuel element. The scheme has advantages over PEM in terms of the fuel used, providing greater range due to an auxiliary diesel generator and reducing the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure. However, it requires additional systems on board the submarine - reforming and recycling of CO2.

2.3. EC based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell belongs to the group of high temperature fuel cells. They operate at temperatures up to 1000 °C and can use a variety of fuels: hydrogen gas or hydrocarbons (gasoline, diesel, kerosene), natural gas. Moreover, their feature is the possibility of using fuel with a lower degree of purification, in particular for sulfur, in contrast to low-temperature fuel cells where sulfur and CO poison the catalyst. Another advantage is that SOFC releases CO2 at high temperatures when operating. This allows it to be used to increase the efficiency of a micro gas turbine, for the production of electrical energy or other auxiliary needs. These ECs are developed by various companies, for example Wärtsilä.

However, such a system also requires CO2 recycling.

3. Power plant based on a rechargeable battery without a recharging system at sea

Currently, one of the competitors to heat engines (HE) is to equip submarines only with high-capacity batteries. Similar designs are used on underwater vehicles. Theoretically, the simplest type of power plant, however, modern batteries have insufficient capacity to ensure staying under water for a long time (more than 14 days) with relatively high energy consumption (more than 50 kWh). The traditional lead-acid battery (etc.) does not meet the requirements for these purposes, however, with the advent of alternative technologies such as the Rolls-Royce Zebra battery or the lithium-ion battery, this has become feasible, in addition, other types of batteries are being developed: sodium, sodium-silver, sodium-nickel chloride, lithium-chlorine, lithium-silver, lithium-polymer, nickel-metal hydride, etc. The approximate specific battery capacity is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Specific mass energy of various types of batteries

Moreover, the specific energy capacity of the battery depends on the discharge mode and can differ for lead-acid batteries from 22 Wh/kg at an hourly discharge mode to 55 Wh/kg at a 1000-hour discharge mode.

To power navigation aids, batteries have been created that have a long discharge period, for example, an alkaline manganese-zinc electrochemical system, but they have low power.

4. EU based on highly metallized fuel

Basically, only research work is carried out in this area. The advantages of this scheme are: high calorie content of products, explosion/fire safety, the possibility of joint or separate storage of products without changing their physical and chemical properties, combustion products are in a solid state, which facilitates the disposal system. There are projects with different fuel and oxidizer options: Al + O2, Mg + CO2, Al + CrO3/S/Fe2O3, Li + CrO3, Li + SF6, and the fuel and oxidizer can be in both solid and liquid / gaseous states . The projects differ significantly in design. Combustion chambers can be: direct-flow, cyclone, layer, bubbling/submersible, surface combustion. The conversion of thermal energy can be carried out in a gas turbine unit, a gas turbine station, or a steam turbine unit, based on an engine with an external heat supply.

The work indicates that a power plant based on gas-free fuel can be placed in the compartment dimensions of existing submarines, and comparative assessments have shown superiority over the basic version of a diesel submarine. However, only small power plants have been practically implemented, for example, in the Advanced Lightweight Torpedo, this power plant is equipped with a Rankine cycle engine and sea water as a coolant, the fuel is lithium metal, the oxidizer is gaseous sulfur hexafluoride.

5. EC based on “thermite mixtures”

Mainly small and ultra-small power plants are being developed, some of which are used only for heat generation. These power plants can be equipped with heat accumulators, that is, the operating time of the power plant significantly exceeds the burning time of the thermite charge. “Oxidizers of the second kind” are used in charges; these compounds require so much heat to release oxygen from them that their mixtures with organic substances are not capable of combustion. It should be noted that what is of interest is not the total amount of oxygen contained in the oxidizer, but the amount of it that is spent on the oxidation of the fuel. The amount of oxygen given off by the solid oxidizers used is no more than 52% of the weight of the compound.

The comparative analysis is carried out on the basis of a system of quality indicators and performance criteria. Evaluating the effectiveness of power plants is a multicriteria problem with nonlinear objective functions and constraints, solved by nonlinear programming methods. In general, an assessment of the effectiveness of implementing a particular technology can only be done on the basis of correct initial data. In addition to selecting comparison criteria, it is necessary to select the weight characteristics of the criteria. Moreover, in addition to the characteristics of the power plant itself (energy, reliability, economic, field levels, for example, noise emission intensity, electromagnetic field strength, concentrations of waste substances released into the atmosphere during work, maintainability of the installation. It is also important to take into account the cost of creating and operating coastal infrastructure.

Reviewers:

Loskutov A.B., Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after. R.E. Alekseeva, Nizhny Novgorod.

Gushchin V.N., Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after. R.E. Alekseeva, Nizhny Novgorod.

Bibliographic link

Render of the Amur-950 project submarine with an anaerobic power plant

CDB MT "Rubin"

The promising Russian anaerobic power plant, which is planned to be installed on the experimental submarine of Project 677 Lada and the new non-nuclear submarine of the Kalina project, will receive a battery of double capacity. As Mil.Press FlotProm writes, the electrical power of the improved battery will be one hundred kilowatts instead of 50 for the current model. The development and testing of a new battery for anaerobic power plants of submarines is planned to be completed by 2020.

Modern diesel-electric submarines have several advantages over larger nuclear submarines. One of the main advantages is the almost complete silence of movement in a submerged position, since in this case only quiet electric motors powered by batteries are responsible for the movement of the ship. These batteries are recharged from diesel generators on the surface or at a depth from which it is possible to install a snorkel, a special pipe through which air can be supplied to the generators.

The disadvantages of conventional diesel-electric submarines include the relatively short time the ship can spend underwater. In the best case, it can reach three weeks (for comparison, for nuclear submarines this figure is 60-90 days), after which the submarine will have to surface and start diesel generators. An anaerobic power plant, which does not require outside air to operate, will allow a non-nuclear submarine to remain submerged significantly longer. For example, a submarine of the Lada project with such an installation can stay under water for 45 days.

A promising Russian anaerobic power plant will use highly purified hydrogen for operation. This gas will be produced on board the ship from diesel fuel by reforming, that is, converting the fuel into hydrogen-containing gas and aromatic hydrocarbons, which will then pass through a hydrogen separation unit. The hydrogen will then be fed into hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, where electricity will be generated for engines and on-board systems.

BTE-50K-E battery on a test bench

Krylov State Scientific Center

The battery, otherwise called an electrochemical generator, is being developed by the Central Research Institute of Ship Electrical Engineering and Technology. This battery, which produces electricity through the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, is called BTE-50K-E. Its power is 50 kilowatts. The power of the improved battery will be one hundred kilowatts. The new battery will be part of the power modules of promising non-nuclear submarines with a capacity of 250-450 kilowatts.

In addition to the electrochemical elements themselves, otherwise called hydrogen fuel cells, such modules will include hydrocarbon fuel converters. It is in them that the diesel fuel reforming process will take place. As one of the developers of the new battery told Mil.Press FlotProm, the hydrocarbon fuel converter is currently under development. It was previously reported that the development of an anaerobic power plant for submarines is planned to be completed by the end of 2018.

Last February, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology announced the development of a compact four-stroke reciprocating unit for the catalytic reforming of methane and hydrogen production. New installations can be combined into a chain, thereby increasing the yield of hydrogen. The installation is quite compact and does not require strong heating. The reactor operates on a four-stroke cycle. During the first stroke, methane mixed with steam is fed into the cylinder through valves. At the same time, the piston in the cylinder lowers smoothly. After the piston reaches the bottom point, the supply of the mixture is shut off.

On the second stroke, the piston rises, compressing the mixture. At the same time, the cylinder is heated to 400 degrees Celsius. Under conditions of high pressure and heat, the reforming process occurs. As hydrogen is released, it passes through a membrane that stops the carbon dioxide also produced during reforming. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the adsorbent material mixed with the catalyst.

On the third stroke, the piston drops to its lowest position, sharply reducing the pressure in the cylinder. In this case, carbon dioxide is released from the adsorbent material. Then the fourth stroke begins, during which the valve in the cylinder opens and the piston begins to rise again. During the fourth stroke, carbon dioxide is squeezed out of the cylinder into the atmosphere. After the fourth beat the cycle begins again.

Vasily Sychev