1

AIR
INDEPENDENT
PROPULSION
CONTENTS 2

 INTRODUCTION
 HISTORY
 NEED OF AIP
 CLASSIFICATION
 COUNTRIES WITH AIP
 ADVANTAGES
 DISADVANTAGES
 CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION 3

 Ever since submarines become the principal

weapon of naval warfare, designers have focused
on making them quieter and increasing their
underwater endurance.
 Traditional diesel-electric submarines need to
surface frequently to charge their batteries and
have an underwater endurance of only a few days.
 The introduction of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP),
vastly improved the underwater endurance of these
submarines and gave them a distinct advantage.
INTRODUCTION 4

 Air-independent propulsion (AIP) is

any marine propulsion technology that
allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate
without access to atmospheric oxygen (by
surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can
augment or replace the diesel-electric
propulsion system of non-nuclear vessels.
 AIP is usually implemented as an auxiliary
source, with the traditional diesel
engine handling surface propulsion.
HISTORY 5

 In the development of the submarine, the

problem of finding satisfactory forms of
propulsion underwater has been persistent.
 In the mechanically driven submarines, the
power and oxygen need to be re-charged
from shore or from an on-board aerobic engine.
 Air Independent is first used by Germans during
World War II for their submarines to be under
water for longer times.
 After that, one after another many
countries developed this technology in
different ways for their uses.
Need of Air Independent 6
Propulsion
 While underwater, the batteries on board power the propeller
and other electrical systems on board the submarine.
 These batteries run out of charge within 4-5 days and the
sub needs recharge them. This is done by snorkeling, which
exposes them to detection by enemy radars and makes
them an easy target for hostile anti-submarine assets.
 Although modern snorkels are coated with radar absorbing
paint and have a stealthy shaping, they are still detectable
by high resolution radars.
 Hence we need a system which can allow diesel-electric
submarines to recharge their batteries without running their
engines. This will allow them to continue sailing underwater
and retain the element of surprise by remaining undetected.
Need of Air Independent 7
Propulsion
 It is an non-nuclear alternative.
 Longer endurance under submerged condition
by supplementing the lead acid batteries.
 Provides higher stealth (acoustic silence)
characteristics underwater.
 Reduces the risk of exposure by avoiding
frequent surfacing.
 AIP can also used in emergency purposes.
TYPES OF AIP 8

There are different variants of AIP developed

such as below :
a. Open-cycle systems
b. Closed-cycle diesel engines
c. Closed-cycle steam turbines
d. Stirling cycle engines
e. Fuel cells
Open-cycle systems 9

 During World War II the German

firm Walter experimented with submarines that used
concentrated hydrogen peroxide as their source of
oxygen under water.
 These used steam turbines, employing steam
heated by burning diesel fuel in the steam/oxygen
atmosphere created by the decomposition of
hydrogen peroxide by a potassium permanganate
catalyst.
 Several experimental boats were produced, though
the work did not mature into any viable combat
vessels.
Closed-cycle diesel engines 10

 This technology uses a submarine diesel engine which

can be operated conventionally on the surface, but
which can also be provided with oxidant, usually stored
as liquid oxygen, when submerged.
 Since the metal of an engine will burn in pure oxygen, the
oxygen is usually diluted with recycled exhaust gas.
Argon replaces exhaust gas when
the engine is started.
 Because liquid oxygen cannot be
stored indefinitely, these boats could
not operate far from a base.
Closed-cycle steam turbines 11

 It is a modified version of their nuclear propulsion

system with heat generated by ethanol and
oxygen.
 Specifically, a conventional steam turbine power
plant is powered by steam generated from the
combustion of ethanol and stored oxygen at a
pressure of 60 atms.
 This pressure-firing allows exhaust carbon dioxide to
be expelled overboard at any depth without an
exhaust compressor.
Stirling cycle engines 12

 These AIP holding

submarines are fitted with an
auxiliary Stirling engine that
burns liquid oxygen and
diesel fuel to drive electrical
generators for either
propulsion or charging
batteries.
 This was invented by Swedish
shipbuilder Kockums
Fuel cells 13

 Fuel cells differ from batteries in that they require a

continuous source of fuel (such as hydrogen) and
oxygen to sustain the chemical reaction, which are
carried in the vessel in pressurized tanks.
 Although hydrogen–oxygen propulsion had been
considered for submarines as early as World War I, the
concept was not very
successful until recently
due to fire and explosion
concerns.
 And different other type
of fuel cells are also used
by different contraries.
Countries with AIP 14

Different countries in the world uses this technology.

Some of them are
a) Germany
b) France
c) India
d) Sweden
e) Japan
f) Russia
g) China
ADVANTAGES 15

 The use of AIP on a diesel-electric submarine,

greatly increases their underwater endurance,
allowing them to continuously stay submerged
for weeks without surfacing.
 Act as secondary power and alternative to
stay inside water for long times.
DISADVANTAGES 16

 Other than Fuel Cells, the 3 remaining

technologies have a lot of moving parts which
generate noise. This is not desirable as quietness is
very essential for all submarines.
 Even though Fuel Cell AIP has many advantages,
it is extremely expensive to procure and maintain
them.
 Submarines which use AIP need to sail at speeds
of less than 10 Kts in order to achieve exceptional
endurance. But in case of nuclear submarine
underwater endurance is not limited.
CONCLUSION 17

Although the submarine eventually needs to

surface to charge its batteries and their endurance is
nowhere on-par with nuclear powered submarines, the
vast increase in endurance offered by AIP gives them
an advantage over non AIP equipped diesel-electric
submarines.
However AIP doesn’t give any advantage other
than increased underwater advantage and it should
not be assumed that AIP-equipped submarines will
always defeat their non-AIP equipped counterparts.
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