China is going to modernize its submarine fleet, by transferring part of conventional submarines to lithium-ion batteries. This is reported by the South China Morning Post.. According to the author of the publication, China's submarine fleet could soon be powered by lithium-ion batteries, capitalizing on the benefits of technological developments in the field of electric vehicles.
China currently produces three-quarters of the world's electric vehicle batteries.. This makes the country a leader in battery technology, which obliges the Chinese leadership to apply their achievements in the military sphere.
Lithium-ion batteries could double a submarine's ability to stay underwater, operation speed. About it, in particular, say experts from the Naval Academy of the submarine fleet in Qingdao, whose opinion is quoted by the Chinese scientific journal Marine Electric and Electronic Engineering.
Over the past ten years, the Chinese People's Liberation Army command has hatched plans to replace lead-acid batteries with lithium-ion. But military leaders hesitated for a long time.
known, that lead-acid batteries have been used in submarines since World War II. However, they have many disadvantages.. Among them, experts call low energy storage capacity, slow charging, weak power, short service life, toxic fumes. In contrast,, lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density, fast charging, long serve.
The world's first submarine with SS lithium-ion batteries 511 Oryu Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
However, it does not mean, that lithium-ion batteries do not have their drawbacks. for example, they are at risk of fire, which poses a great danger to submarines. One overheated cell can start a fire, which on a submarine will lead to serious consequences. Nevertheless, Chinese expert Wang Fang said, that there are already solutions, to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries, and these solutions come from the long development of the Chinese electric vehicle industry.
Since the risks of using lithium-ion batteries are being addressed, the question of replacing lead-acid batteries with them is not far off. for example, the use of iron and phosphate will replace nickel and cobalt in lithium-ion batteries, resulting in improved operational safety without sacrificing performance.
According to the South China Morning Post, now in the Chinese electric car market, the number of cars, operating on iron-phosphate batteries exceeds the number of electric vehicles, using nickel-cobalt batteries. Besides, as a solution in the field of improving the safety of submarines, using lithium-ion batteries, the creation of a hard carbon and ceramic coating for batteries is being considered.
The South China Morning Post draws attention to the, that the South Korean Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are already using lithium-ion batteries in their submarines: Korea with 2021 of the year, and Japan with 2018 of the year. France and Germany also developed prototypes of lithium-ion batteries, who also plan to modernize the submarine fleet. Author:Ilya Polonsky Photos used:Wikipedia / The hitchhiker, Maritime Self-Defense Force
