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Japan's Silent Submarines Extend Range With Lithium-Ion Batteries (nikkei.com)
AmiMoJo shares a report from Nikkei Asian Review: Japan's first submarine powered by lithium-ion batteries was launched on Thursday. The [Soryu-class diesel-electric] submarine can reach speeds of roughly 20 knots and displaces 2,950 tons. It will be delivered to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in March 2020. Batteries are recharged by the energy generated by Oryu's diesel engines. The vessel switches to batteries during operations and actual combat in order to silence the engines and become harder to detect. The lithium-ion batteries radically extend the sub's range and time it can spend underwater.
If you like half the total energy efficiency and a fraction of the energy storage capacity compared to diesel/lithium ion combo then, yeah...way better!
Nuclear for the win
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
I guess you never heard of the snorkel?
If you like half the total energy efficiency and a fraction of the energy storage capacity compared to diesel/lithium ion combo then, yeah...way better!
Nuclear for the win
Only if you need to go far and or fast while you're submerged.
And nukes are much harder and more expensive to make quiet, and even then they'll never be as quiet as a sub running on batteries. You know how much noise a sub's batteries make? Go outside and try to hear your car's battery.
For defensive purposes, conventional subs are hard to beat.
If you like half the total energy efficiency and a fraction of the energy storage capacity compared to diesel/lithium ion combo then, yeah...way better!
Nuclear for the win
A diesel on batteries can be quieter ... slightly. (The nuke plant coolant system and the steam system must always run.) But the diesel can't be on batteries forever.
Pros and cons, pros and cons ...
Subs running on batteries can turn off propellers. Nuclear subs always run cooling.