[ News Source: Steven V Schofer ]

Sun Jul 29, 2007 13:01

Rating: _____

Greek Navy Launches Fuel Cell Powered Submarine
Air Products, in partnership with Hellas Air Pro Ltd., recently supplied a new state of the art submarine of the Hellenic Navy with hydrogen.

The HDW Class 214 submarine has a fuel cell-generated power supply, allowing it to operate entirely on hydrogen. The fuel cell, which produces electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen, allows the new submarine to cruise under water for up to three weeks without resurfacing. Conventional diesel-electric submarines typically deplete their battery power after a few days cruising under water. In addition, the fuel cell makes no noise and produces no detectable exhaust heat, in turn making the submarine virtually undetectable.

This is the most advanced conventional submarine in the world and the Greek State was the first in the world to order it. The contract award provided for the building of the first submarine at HDW’s Kiel yard and for the building of the other three (3) submarines in Greece at HSY premises

HDW's Class 212 and 214 non-nuclear submarines have been developed to use a silent operating fuel cell plant that runs on nine 34-kilowatt Siemens SINAVYCIS polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells. The efficiency of fuel cells is considerably superior to conventional internal combustion engines. SINAVYCIS PEM Fuel Cell utilizes hydrogen and oxygen. As a result, they are absolutely exhaust free and, beyond electricity, generate only water and heat. Thanks to the low operating temperature of maximum 80° C, the modules radiate very little heat. The comparatively low reaction consumption enables the submarine to remain submerged significantly longer.

The Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) is one of the recent innovations that have captured the attention and won the admiration of the submarine world. An air-independent fuel cell propulsion (AIP) system provides an extreme increase in underwater endurance, increased diving depth and overall efficiency. After lengthy studies and discussions it is now the accepted wisdom that the fuel cell systems are the ideal solution for air independent propulsion of conventional (i.e. non-nuclear) submarines. The main reason is that they meet the highest demands in terms of ensuring both an extremely efficient energy conversion and the lowest possible signatures.

Prior to this event, Air Products had supplied the integral components of the hydrogen fueling station to Howaldtswerke – Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW), who owns the design of the submarine and who supplied the fueling station to Greece. The fueling technology is based on Air Products’ cryogenic hydrogen compressors (CHCs), which are used in conventional hydrogen supplies, as well as in bus fueling applications.

The submarine was built by Hellenic Shipyards S.A., part of the new North European shipyard concern ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, who also owns HDW. Hellenic Shipyards is planning to build further fuel cell-powered submarines for the Hellenic Navy, under a HDW license. Additional contracts are in place to add plug-in fuel cell sections into conventional driven submarines.

An U S attains naught.


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