Non-nuclear submarine tankers could cost-effectively move Arctic oil and gas

Journal Article · Mon Mar 05 04:00:00 EST 1984 · Oil Gas J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6337597

Kumm, W H

Before the advent of nuclear propulsion for U.S. Navy submarines, fuel cells were considered to be the next logical step forward from battery powered submarines which required recharging. But with the launching of the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) in 1954, the development of fuel-cell propulsion was sidelined by the naval community. Nearly 30 years later fuel-cell propulsion on board submarines is actually more cost-effective than the use of nuclear propulsion. In the Artic Ocean, the use of the submarine tanker has long been considered commercially appropriate because of the presence of the polar ice cap, which inhibits surface ship transport. The technical difficulty and high operating cost of Arctic icebreaking tankers are strong arguments in favor of the cheaper, more efficient submarine tanker. Transiting under the polar ice cap, the submarine tanker is not an ''Arctic'' system, but merely a submerged system. It is a system usable in any ocean around the globe where sufficient depth exists (about 65% of the global surface). Ice breakers are another story; their design only makes them useful for transit through heavy sea ice in coastal environments. Used anywhere else, such as in the open ocean or at the Arctic ice cap, they are not a cost-effective means of transport. Arctic sea ice conditions require the Arctic peculiar icebreaking tanker system to do the job the hard way-on the surface. But on the other hand, Arctic sea ice conditions are neatly set aside by the submarine tanker, which does it the energy-efficient, elegant way submerged. The submarine tanker is less expensive to build, far less expensive to operate, and does not need to be nuclear propelled.

• Research Organization: Artic Energies Ltd., Severna Park, MD
• OSTI ID: 6337597
• Journal Information: Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 82:10; ISSN OIGJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
022000* -- Petroleum-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
03 NATURAL GAS
032000 -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
ARCTIC REGIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
INDUSTRY
MARITIME TRANSPORT
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
POLAR REGIONS
SHIPS
SUBMARINES
TANKER SHIPS
TRANSPORT