According to Japanese media reports, on October 4, local time, the Japanese Canglong-class conventional submarine No. 11 boat 'Huanglong' was launched. The boat used lithium batteries for the first time. It was called "revolutionary breakthrough" by submarine batteries.
As we all know, the battery is the main power source of the conventional submarine, and it is also the backup power supply and emergency power supply for the nuclear submarine. Therefore, the performance of the battery directly determines the submarine performance and combat capability. If the battery performance is not good, the power supply is insufficient, and the submarine will not run fast. The maneuverability is greatly limited, the surface charging time is longer, and the risk of exposure is greatly increased. For this reason, the development and application of submarine batteries have been highly valued by the world's submarine manufacturers.
So, what are the basic performance requirements for submarine batteries? Which battery is currently used in submarines?
Overall, the most important performance requirements for submarine batteries are low cost, large capacity, long life, short charging time and good safety. Lead-acid batteries are rare batteries that are close to the main performance requirements, so since the first Since the Second World War, the batteries used in submarines are mostly lead-acid batteries.
The lead-acid battery has mature technology, high reliability, good safety, long service life and easy maintenance. However, its shortcoming is low energy density and low capacity. Therefore, it is often necessary to use hundreds of single cells in series, resulting in a large battery. Heavy weight, large space occupation, etc., and must be equipped with a large auxiliary system to ensure the work. For these problems of lead-acid batteries, there is not much room for technical improvement and improvement.
Compared with lead-acid batteries, the appearance of lithium batteries will theoretically greatly improve submarine performance.
First, the lithium battery is smaller in size and weight. The same volume of electricity is at least three times that of a lead-acid battery, which helps to reduce the weight of the submarine, save space, and improve the submarine's endurance and mobility.
Second, the lithium battery has a fast charging speed and high efficiency, which can greatly reduce the submarine's floating charging time, thereby enhancing the submarine's concealment and survivability.
Third, the lithium battery has no memory effect, and does not need to follow too strict battery charge and discharge requirements for extending the life. The submarine can be charged and discharged according to the mission requirements and the battlefield environment, effectively improving the combat flexibility of the submarine.
However, due to the current state of technology and technology, lithium batteries still have many insurmountable problems, so their application prospects are questioned.
The first is security. The lithium battery emits more heat when it is used or charged and discharged, and the interior of the submarine is a completely enclosed space. If the heat dissipation problem is solved, the infrared radiation amount of the submarine is increased, thereby increasing the detectability risk of the submarine. It also affects the reliability and stability of the submarine's work, and even causes fire and other safety accidents.
Second is the high cost. Under normal circumstances, the cost of lithium batteries is several times higher than that of traditional lead-acid batteries, and the number of lithium batteries required on a submarine is large. Together with the auxiliary system, the cost of submarines is undoubtedly increased.
In view of these problems, the application of lithium batteries in submarines is still in its infancy, and it is not the most ideal submarine battery. In the future, on the one hand, it is necessary to further improve the manufacturing process of lithium batteries, reduce costs, improve reliability, and gradually increase it. On the other hand, the promotion or popularity of submarines; on the other hand, it is still necessary to continue to develop batteries for other submarines, such as fuel cells.
