Submarines: ideal fuel cell vehicles?

[kach22i]

Submarines: ideal fuel cell vehicles
July 13, 2007 - Exclusive
By Dallas Kachan, cleantech.com
http://media.cleantech.com/1455/submarines-ideal-fuel-cell-vehicles

Fuel cells are getting more popular for powering submarines, where they have useful advantages over nuclear power.

Cool........... trickle down tech for the rest of us?

[IROC]

The space shuttle has been doing this for decades, but I think it would be difficult to adapt this technology to vehicles. Safe hydrogen storage is the big deal. Here where I work, they are looking into carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage. We'll see how that goes.

[kach22i]

These are on the large size, gotta admit.

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/07/greek-navy-laun.html

The fueling technology is based on Air Products’ cryogenic hydrogen compressors (CHCs), which are used in conventional hydrogen supplies, as well as in bus fueling applications.

Different type of fuel cell here:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/P2/fuelcells-types.cfm

NASA space shuttles use UTC alkali fuel cells to provide electric power and drinking water in space.

[Seahawk]

We're looking at fuel cells for certain classes of UAVs, mostly smaller air vehicles like Shadow and Scan Eagle.

In addition to the advantages in endurance over combustion engines, fuel cells are much quieter. For small tactical UAVs, stealth is often achieved simply by dampening noise emissions.

I have a few projects with the Naval Research Lab. Cool stuff.

[kach22i]

Come on Seahawk, that was in the article...........you can give us a little more.

http://media.cleantech.com/1455/submarines-ideal-fuel-cell-vehicles

Perhaps most importantly, however, because the chemical reactions of fuel cells make no noise and produce no detectable exhaust heat, they make the submarine virtually undetectable, according to designers.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Come on Seahawk, that was in the article...........you can give us a little more.

http://media.cleantech.com/1455/submarines-ideal-fuel-cell-vehicles

I edited my post...NRL!!! Some many labs, so little time

There is an upcoming demo that should get us more mainstream...IROC is right on the money concerning storage, especially at sea.

I am also working on a sub-launched UAV