Chinese Submarines Could Soon Be Powered By Lithium Batteries
The currently used lead-acid batteries haven¡¯t really been upgraded, so to speak, since World War II and have been problematic due to poor energy storage capacity, delayed charging, limited power delivery and shorter life, alongside issues of poisonous gas leaks.
The Chinese Navy could make use of lithium technology to replace the lead and acid batteries that are currently running on its fleet of conventional submarines, reveals a report by Interesting Engineering.
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The choice of lithium batteries might surprise many due to their high risk of catching fire or even exploding, however, according to the study lead, Wang Feng, after solving these issues, replacing current lead-acid batteries with lithium ones isn¡¯t far away.
As per the study, technical solutions have been discovered with the help of considerable testing and development in China¡¯s electric car sector and lithium batteries have demonstrated that they operate safely under challenging circumstances.
Switching to lithium batteries will help better the submarine¡¯s capacity for survival and battle. China possesses around 60 to 70 submarines, which reportedly is the largest fleet of conventional submarines across the world. These submarines protect the disputed South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
The currently used lead-acid batteries haven¡¯t really been upgraded, so to speak, since World War II and have been problematic due to poor energy storage capacity, delayed charging, limited power delivery and shorter life, alongside issues of poisonous gas leaks.
Adding nickel and cobalt to increase performance didn¡¯t end well, resulting in mishaps. However, some Chinese battery makers have started using iron phosphate instead.
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Being relatively inexpensive, they're capable of forming stable structures for better safety of lithium batteries. According to the researchers, China could use this technology too.
However, China isn¡¯t the first nation to use lithium for its submarines. Japan did this in 2018, followed by South Korea using nickel-cobalt lithium batteries in 2021. Even though it worked similarly to phone batteries, the South Korean military claimed to have applied additional safeguards to make it safe under the sea.
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