Title :
Development and Experience of a Practical, Pressure-Tolerant, Lithium Battery for Underwater Use
Author :
Wilson, Dr Richard A ; Bales, Dr James W
Author_Institution :
Bluefin Robotics Corp., Cambridge, MA
Abstract :
For a number of years, lithium-ion batteries have promised energy and power densities that make them an attractive alternative to the silver-zinc batteries historically used in underwater vehicles. For AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) application, polymer-electrolyte cells offer the promise of pressure tolerance; this key attribute impacts vehicle design and operational logistics in a number of ways. Primarily, it facilitates the design of arbitrarily large battery packs by obviating many of the problems associated with large, heavy and expensive pressure vessels that would have been otherwise required to house batteries at depth. This allows a single AUV operator to recover the vehicle and remove and replace the batteries in minutes without the down time associated with servicing o-rings and seals. In a military context, this new operational paradigm has made back to back search and classify missions a practical reality. As with all new technologies there is a hiatus between availability, practical implementation and adoption. Many fundamental, logistical and practical engineering problems in design and manufacture have been solved in the past 5 years leading to a range of commercially available batteries with power densities exceeding 100Wh per neutrally buoyant Kg. This paper will explore these challenges, examining specific solutions derived from experience gained through the pressure testing of over 20,000 cells
Keywords :
battery powered vehicles; remotely operated vehicles; underwater vehicles; Autonomous Underwater Vehicle application; energy density; lithium battery; logistical engineering problem; polymer-electrolyte cells; power density; practical engineering problem; pressure vessels; silver-zinc batteries; underwater use; underwater vehicles; vehicle design impacts; Battery powered vehicles; Design engineering; Lithium; Logistics; Mobile robots; Polymers; Remotely operated vehicles; Seals; Structural rings; Underwater vehicles;
Conference_Titel :
OCEANS 2006
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
1-4244-0114-3
Electronic_ISBN :
1-4244-0115-1
DOI :
10.1109/OCEANS.2006.306998