A modular approach to UUV propulsion using aluminum/oxygen semi-fuel cells

Abstract

A modular approach to ULTV power source design and construction is described. A range of output power for near term W V ' s from 300 W to 5 kW and a range of energy capacity from 15 to 500 kWh is considered. The different power and energy requirements are all met by use of a modular aluminum-oxygen semi-fuel cell with essentially the same anode area but with a different anode thickness and number of cells. The control system and many other components can also be used for different applications maximising the economical use of resources and reducing development time. The approach is illustrated by several examples including the pre-production prototype design being built with a capacity of 2.0 kW and 100 kWh for the ARCS vehicle. Test results for the cell stack are reported and life cycle costs compared to conventional batteries.

Beyond metal–air battery, emerging aqueous metal–hydrogen peroxide batteries with improved performance

“…It lays an important foundation for the development and application of new high‐specific energy Mg/seawater fuel cell technology 74 . Therefore, we think Mg–H 2 O 2 cell has the same fields applied as Al–H 2 O 2 batteries 24,25,36,75,76 …”

Recent Developments of Semi-fuel Cells for Powering Underwater Sensors and Platforms

“…In light of the decision to investigate the use of aluminum-anode chemistries, it is pertinent to cite previous works that have used this metal as an active battery material. Many oxidant solutions, (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) and even gases such as oxygen (9)(10)(11)(12) and chlorine (37), have been paired with aluminum to form galvanic couples. A summary that shows some of chemistries considered to have high capacity, and estimates of theoretical performance, are presented in Table II.…”

“…Although reports on "air-breathing" fuel cells exist, some of them using metal-anodes (9)(10)(11), their utilization in the underwater environment presents challenges, including the limited amount of oxygen that can be galvanically coupled. To solve this problem, semi-fuel cells, which dynamically supply cathode species, have been under development for more than two decades (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”