Feasibility Study of Lithium Ion Batteries for Torpedo Applications

A comprehensive study on the feasibility of Lithium (Li)-ion battery technology for Light Weight Torpedoes (LWT) and Heavy Weight Torpedoes (HWT) applications are reported in this article. The global scenario of Li-ion battery technology for torpedo applications and current Indigenous Li-ion battery developments in India are studied. Configuration study of Li-ion battery for LWT and HWT with commercial cells was carried out and it is found feasible to partially meet the required power for LWT and HWT applications. A comparison of the cost per cycle of Li-ion battery versus AgO-Zn battery indicates that Li-ion batteries work out to be cheaper beyond 100 cycles of use and by an order of magnitude cheaper on average. The detailed survey on Indigenous developments reveals that cell-level development is predominant in public sector agencies, whereas the private sector is mostly focussed on the assembly of imported cells and BMS.