Lithium polymer (Li-Po) Batteries "Safer" for Submarines

On October 27, 2019 Anonymous (with some editing by Pete) reported:

  

In the quest for longer term safer Lithium battery solutions for submarines it is pointed out existing Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) mostly use electrolytes in organic liquid solution, while Lithium polymer (Li-Po) batteries use electrolytes in polymer gel (semi-solid) solution.

Li-Po is safer than existing LIBs due to the properties of polymer gel. 

Li-Po is a polymer gel version of LIBs. There are many types of Li-Po, such as Li-Po NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide).

Dutch battery manufacturing company EST-Floattech is commercializing Lithium Polymer (“Green Orca”) batteries for marine applications.

Green Orca Modules use EST-Floattech partner Kokam’s Li-Po NMC pouch cells. The brochure below indicates: "The technical design choices for the Green Orca® [energy storage system] ESS started with a high performance Li-Ion battery cell and resulted in the world’s safest, DNV-GL certified Li-Ion ESS." Further down the NMC chemistry has a “high energy density and overall strong performance while the pouch shape ensures better heat dissipation resulting in excellent efficiency”. See further details in the brochure at [1].

Examples A and B are Anonymous’ estimated arrangements of Green Orca based on module and estimated sizes in a future SAAB-DAMEN modified A26 submarine. Anonymous estimates a battery capacity of 10 – 20 MW if Green Orcas are used in such a SAAB-DAMEN submarine.

[1] “Green Orca High Energy, Technical Brochure” by the EST-Floattech.com [with Kokam] https://www.est-floattech.com/app/uploads/2019/06/greenorca-technicalbrochure-144dpi.pdf 

An energy module (weighing 82 kg) consists of 14 cells, its size is W x H x D = 335 mm x 541 mm x 542 mm. Its capacity is 10.5kWh (14 cells x 200Ah x 3.7V = 10.36kWh). Capacity per weight is 126Wh/kg (10.36kWh/82kg) [with a Cycle Life of approximately "4,600 cycles"]. Capacity of Lithium Iron Phosphate is 90-120Wh/kg.

Anonymous’ Estimated Arrangements in a future SAAB-DAMEN modified A26 submarine:

Example A - Two battery sections with module arrangement of double stacking, 12 rows and 20 lines

                      of module. Total number of batteries is 960 (= 2 sections x 12 rows x 20 lines 

                      x 2 stacks). This would yield total power capacity is 9.94 MWh.

Example B  - Two battery sections with module arrangement of triple stacking, 12 rows and 20 lines

                       of modules. This would yield total power capacity 14.9 MW.

Anonymous and Pete