February 17, 2017

Two types of Japanese Lithium-ion Batteries Being Considered

The video "Why Japan’s Soryu Class Submarines Are So Good "Black Dragon" was published on Oct 3, 2016. See it being launched in video, numbered SS-506. Good on Soryu specifications, modifications for Australia, and strategic value for Japan generally.
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Submarine Matters is not the only website writing about Lithium-ion Batties (LIBs) for submarine. Gordon Arthur, Asia-Pacific Editor for Shephard Media, wrote an excellent article in Shephard Media “Japan leads way with Li-ion submarines”.

That article features LIB performance and comparative information provided by Vice Admiral (Retired) Masao Kobayashi (see photo and career biodata). He is the former commander Japanese Navy’s Fleet Submarine Force. He spoke at UDT Asia (Singapore, 18 January 2017). Kobayashi’s information confirms the superiority of LIBs information provided by Anonymous sources to Submarine Matters over the last two years. New information in Gordon Arthur’s article includes:

27SS TO BE COMMISSIONED MARCH 2020

Japan's first LIB submarine, [that would be the first Soryu Mark 2, 27SS, under construction at MHI see SORYU TABLE] will be commissioned in March 2020 (no lead-acid batteries (LABs) or AIP.

THERE ARE TWO LIB TYPES FOR JAPANESE SUBMARINES

Kobayashi believes that there is no clear single lithium-ion solution as a submarine main battery with future submarines being optimised with different power source. Two LIB types for Japanese submarine use are available:

Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxide ( LiNiCoAlO2 ) known as “NCA” manufactured by GS Yuasa. For main traits scroll quarter way down at. The JMSDF will use NCA-type batteries. es. Kobayashi advised for mobile operations, for example, NCA batteries and diesel may be ideal.

and

Lithium-titanate ( Li4Ti5O12 ) known as “LTO”, from Toshiba. For main traits scroll a third way down at,. Kobayashi believes LTO types were offered to Australia for its SEA 1000, Future Submarine proposal. an ambush submarine would operate better on fuel cells, LTO and diesel.

Kobayashi advised the lowest-cost option may be LTO and diesel.

JAPANESE RESEARCH/TESTING OF SUBMARINE LIBS and AIP

Japan's LIBs research began in 1962. The first LIB for submarine was ready in 1974 but did not meet requirements (including cost). Fuel cell AIP technology was not yet mature so Japan turned to Stirling AIP. From 1991-97 (Stirling?) AIP was (land tested?) before being installed into a Harushio-class (probably JDS Asashio TSS-3601) submarine in 2000-01 for trials.

“Meanwhile, tests on Li-ion batteries continued to the point that the JMSDF asked for a Li-ion-powered Soryu-class boat [27SS] in its FY2015 budget request.”

SEE GORDON ARTHUR’S WHOLE ARTICLE HERE
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PART OF SUBMARINE MATTER’S OUTPUT ON SORYU PRICING, ENINEERING, MARKETING AND TACTICS INCLUDES:






March 9, 2016 Inside the Soryu Submarine, Rare Diagram, Photos and Translations http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/we-all-live-in-black-gray-submarine.html


Pete

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Pete

I expected LiCoO2 (LCO), one of the best cathode materials, or unknown cathode better than LCO. LiNiCoAlO2 (NCA) shows better performance than LCO. According to simulation, LIBs-submarine shows drastically improved performance compared with LABs-submarine. I don’t know Toshiba-made LIBs.

JMSDF is going to provide one of the strongest convensional submarines ever, i.e., 27SS and 28SS. And 29SS, next generation submarine will be stronger these two submarines.

Regards

Anonymous said...

Other battery technologies are in the works as well. Not sure how suitable
many of them would be for submarine use though.

"The battery hasn't advanced in decades. But we're on the verge
of a power revolution.

Big technology companies, and now car companies that are making
electric vehicles, are all too aware of the limitations of
lithium-ion batteries. While chips and operating systems are
becoming more efficient to save power we're still only looking
at a day or two of use on a smartphone before having to
recharge. That's why universities are getting involved.

We've seen a plethora of battery discoveries coming out of
universities all over the world. Tech companies and car
manufacturers are pumping money into battery development, and
with races like Formula E adding pressure to improve, that
technology is only going to get greater."

See:

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130380-future-batteries-coming-soon-charge-in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air

MHalblaub said...

Dear Pete,

a real game changer will be Lithium Sulfur batteries with a demonstrated specific energy density of 500 Wh/kg:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium%E2%80%93sulfur_battery
The theoretical specific energy density is up to 2,600 Wh/kg.

Regards,
MHalblaub

MHalblaub said...

Dear Pete,

I'm not a native English speaker but the narration on the video sounds strange. The narrator (Tim Pigott-Smith?) sounds like words being clipped together.

Regards,
MHalblaub

Pete said...

Hi Anonymous [at 17/2/17 7:54 PM]

With the Japanese Navy opting for NCA style LIBs the Navy must have considered NCA better over all than "ambush" LTO.

Also the NCA choice would be better suited to Japan's possible main patrol activity - perhaps slow movement down and up the Bashi Channel (Luzon Strait).

Regards

Pete

Pete said...

Hi MHalblaub

Yes the video narration http://youtu.be/hyF9az09ZDs is a bit odd, with phrases clipped together. Narrator seems to have an educated British (Oxford-Cambridge) accent.

But the narrator also sounds like he is long resident in Japan or South Korea - exhibited by occasional R and L mixing.

Regards

Pete

Anonymous said...

Hi Pete

Discharge rate of ITO (10C) is 10 times higher than that of NCA (1C) [1]. ITO is suitable for ambush submarine.

[1] http://web.mit.edu/evt/summary_battery_specifications.pdf
A C-rate is a measure of the rate at which a battery is discharged relative to its maximum capacity. A 1C (10C) rate means that the discharge current will discharge the entire battery in 1 hour (6 min).

Regards