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Development of the
Stirling AIP system

Daniel Nilsson, Senior Development Engineer

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 Stirling AIP system explained
Area of interest
Safe area Transit area

Why AIP?

Stealth=Battery+AIP
Diesel engine
usage Battery=Days
AIP=Weeks

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 Stirling AIP system explained
Stirling AIP is a part of the Energy system
The battery of the submarine is the center of the energy system

Energy supply
Energy usage

Diesel engine
Propulsion & maneuvering

Land connection
Sonar & weapons

Stirling engine
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Auxiliaries
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 Stirling AIP system explained
System layout

Cycle gas

Purge gas

Consumables

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 Stirling AIP system explained
Stirling AIP usage
• Charging of batteries
• Diesel engines
• Grid connection in harbour
• Stirling AIP
• Low power, high energy density
• Maintain battery capacity

=>Always ready for a sprint

Diesel module, transit and charging

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 Stirling engine development
Since antiquity knowledge about substances such as air and water and the affection by heat is documented.
Early ideas of useful internal combustion engines and heat engines was both in the 17th century
Internal combustion engine consists mainly of Diesel and Otto engine today
Torque is created to the crankshaft by the combustion inside the cylinders

Aeolipile ”hero’s engine” Combustion generated torque Christian Huygens explosion engine
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 Stirling engine development
A heat engine converts a part of a energy flow into mechanical work

Q Q
TH H C
TC

Heat engine principle

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 Stirling engine development
Understanding the behaviour of gases
Around 1650 the correlation between
pressure, volume and temperature was
noticed

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 Stirling engine development
1816 Robert Stirling introduced a “heat economizer” to create
a regenerative heat engine – a Stirling engine

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 Stirling engine development
Thermodynamics
Sadi Carnot 1796-1832
Derived early theoretical models of heat
engines and therefore a founder of
modern thermodynamics.
Carnot efficiency - thermal efficiency

𝑇𝐿
𝜂𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑡 = 1 − = 𝜂𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙
𝑇𝐻

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 Stirling engine development
Development of modern engines
The development of more useful Stirling
engines was initiated by Philips in the
Netherlands in 1938

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 Stirling engine development
Development of larger engines
• Beta type of Stirling engines
• Aim was a 200 horsepower engine for
busses, construction equipment and
submarines
• Philips design, 4-235, with high engine
pressure and speed.
• United Stirling design ,4-615, with
lower engine pressure and speed.
Intended service interval of 10 000
hours.

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 Stirling engine development
Development of smaller engines of double acting alfa type
• Ford Pinto with the Stirling engine V4X31 (to the right)
• Ford Taunus with the Stirling engine V4X35 (to the left)

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 Stirling engine development
The project ASE (Automotive Stirling
Engine) started 1978.
• ASE was a 10 year long cooperation
between Mechanical Technology Inc.(MTI)
Latham NY, NASA-Cleveland and United
Stirling Sweden.
• The funder of the project was U.S.
Department of Energy
• About 125 million USD (1978) was
invested in the project.
• The first part of the project was to install a
P40 Stirling engine in a Opel Rekord

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 Stirling engine development
Concentrated solar power

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Stirling engine development

The many years of Stirling engine development was transferred to the

submarine technology

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 Stirling engine charateristics
Signatures
• Well balanced, low mechanical signatures

• Sinusoidal like pressure variation

• Exhaust cooled in Stirling module

• Exhausts consist of water and carbon

dioxide

• Directly connected to generator

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 Stirling AIP development
The MkIII Stirling module

• Engine and auxiliaries installed in a insulated

module
• Fire safety and protection
• Air borne noise reduction
• EMC reduction
• Controlled environment
• Resilient mounting for improved shock
resistance and reduced vibrations

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 Stirling AIP development
• The V4-275R MkI engine was
developed in the 80´s
• 1984 Test section for Stirling AIP

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 Stirling AIP development
• 1987: SAGA research submarine
(Comex) was operated with two
Stirling engines supplied by Kockums
• 1988: HMS Näcken fitted with two
Stirling engines supplied by Kockums
as a retrofit
• Successful trials
• Operational 1989

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 Stirling AIP development
• HMS Gotland
Gotland Class
• 1995: The world's first naval submarine with Stirling AIP integrated
as new built
• Stirling AIP as a retrofit
• 2001: Japan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries made a Stirling AIP
retrofit of the Japanese submarine Asashio
• 2003-2004: Two submarines in Swedish Västergötland-class was Stirling AIP upgrade of
equipped with Stirling AIP Västergötland class
submarine with an ”plug –in”
• 2005: The last two Submarines in the Västergötland-class was section
modified with Stirling AIP. Deployed in Singapore
• 2005-> Japan continues with Stirling AIP in the Soryu class submarine.
AIP system included from the beginning
• 2007 Japan starts domestic manufacturing of Stirling engines under
license from Kockums
• 2010: New generation of the Stirling AIP system developed for A26 and
Gotland class mid life upgrade

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Stirling AIP development
Mk I Mk II Mk III Mk IV

Kockums Stirling AIP HMS Näcken Kockums Gotland Kockums Kockums A26
Test Section Refit Class Södermanland Class
Kockums Archer Class

1980 1990 2000 2010

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 Stirling AIP development
Size reduction of Stirling modules

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 Stirling AIP development
• Size reduction
• Heat recovery PEM-generator
Higher efficiency, smaller unit
system
• Permanent
magnet generator
Heat recovery total
• Upgrades of efficiency >40%
auxiliaries
• New control
system
fuel and lox calibration

Stirling AIP Module

New control system
Improved exhaust system
enables deeper diving
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 Stirling AIP development
• Exhaust heat recovery

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 Stirling AIP development
• Why exhaust heat recovery
• Every engine produces up to 30 kW of high quality heat
• High quality heat could be retrieved and could for instance
be used for
• Air revitalization (explained in session: New
regenerative air purification system for Swedish AIP
submarines)
• Heating of Submarine
• Absorption cooling
• Increase of overall efficiency

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 Stirling AIP development

Basic solution of the Stirling AIP system

Use pure oxygen instead of air!
• Use of pure oxygen efficient way to store the oxidizer for combustion
• The oxygen is also be needed for the crew

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 Stirling AIP development
Pure oxygen in liquid form
LOX=Liquid OXygen
• Strong oxidizer but non-flammable
• Nontoxic
• Density similar to water- Gaseous oxygen more than 700 times
bigger
• Temperature is pressure dependant

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 Stirling AIP development
Liquid oxygen-usage
• In the chemical and petroleum industries
• Metal industries in conjunction with acetylene and other fuel
gases for metal cutting, welding, scarfing, hardening, cleaning
and melting.
• The pulp and paper industry uses oxygen as a bleaching and
oxidizing agent
• Hospitals

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 Stirling AIP development
Exhausts

Cold CO2
Condensed
water

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Stirling AIP development

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 Stirling AIP logistics
Tactical logistics
• Replenishment
• Preventive and
corrective maintenance
at sea
• Maintainable by crew
• Stirling engine fit
through the hatch
• Engine replacement in
24 hours Replenishment at sea

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 Stirling AIP logistics
• Tactical logistics
• Multi fuel capacity

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 Stirling AIP logistics
• Tactical logistics
• Multi fuel capacity

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 Stirling AIP logistics
Supply of spare parts using AM (Additive Manufacturing)
• Ongoing research and development using AM
• AM is suitable for Stirling engine components
• AM has the potential to decrease production time from
months to weeks

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 Stirling AIP logistics
Results of AM R&D
• AM has been successfully verified to work as a
production method for the gas cooler
• AM project is ongoing for production of heater and
regenerator
• AM has the potential to improve function and
performance of components and the overall system
• AM is decided to be a new production method

Thermocouple holder –now produced

by Additive manufacturing

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Thank you!

Questions?

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