Assessment of a multi-stage underwater vehicle concept using a fossil-fuel Stirling engine
- Univ. of Calgary, Alberta (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
The Stirling Engine because of its inherent closed-cycle operation can be readily modified to work in an airless environment even if the primary source of energy is a fossil fuel. Thus, Stirling engines are well suited for use in the underwater environment and have been operated successfully in manned military submarines since the early 1980s. In recent years fossil fueled Stirling systems have been also proposed for use in small unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). However, in this case the need to carry an onboard oxygen supply in a very confined space has presented a number of design difficulties. These are identified in the paper. However, if the oxidant supply to the engine is provided by the membrane extraction of dissolved oxygen from seawater and/or disposable fuel/oxidant pods are used then the UUV Stirling system becomes more attractive. If this latter concept is extended to include multi-stage vehicles then it can be shown that fossil fueled Stirlings could also be put to effective use in long range-long endurance underwater vehicular operations.
- OSTI ID:
- 163215
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950116-; ISBN 0-7918-1289-8; TRN: IM9604%%319
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1995 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) energy sources technology conference and exhibition, Houston, TX (United States), 29 Jan - 1 Feb 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Emerging energy technology 1995. PD-Volume 66; Karim, G.A. [ed.] [Univ. of Calgary, Alberta (Canada)]; PB: 154 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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