High-Performance Battery Engineering for Undersea Applications

Increasing demands are being placed on battery power for undersea applications such as vehicle propulsion, operating portable equipment such as cameras or measurement devices,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and operating installed equipment such as telecom infrastructure. Factors such as longer missions and higher peak-energy demands from more sophisticated and intelligent systems call for greater energy density, improved reliability, greater safety and high resilience to the elevated pressures experienced in undersea environments. Overall, the design of the battery system must ensure high levels of reliability and safety, so as to minimise danger to personnel as well as disadvantages such as property loss, down time, mission failure, and high maintenance costs resulting from battery failures in the field. Lithium battery technology has several advantages over other types, particularly its higher energy density. However, creating a lithium-based battery system capable of delivering the optimum performance and meeting reliability and safety-acceptance criteria, at the right price, demands careful attention to aspects such as cell technology, cell balancing, charge control and production quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alkaline or Lithium?

When it comes to powering critical applications such as Sonar Devices, Mobile Asset Tracking and Oceanographic Buoys, it makes sense to choose a power source that is reliable, durable and cost effective.

That is why businesses in the Oceanography and Environmental industries are now switching from Alkaline to Lithium for their portable power solutions; recognising that Lithium outperforms Alkaline on every level. Here is why you should be switching too:

6 Reasons to Switch from Alkaline to Lithium

Explaining Lithium-ion Chemistries

Li-ion batteries come in many varieties but all have one thing in common — the catchword “lithium-ion.” Although strikingly similar at first glance, these batteries vary in performance, and it’s mostly the cathode material that gives then their unique personality.

Unless you are a chemist, the names of the materials in a lithium-ion battery can get confusing.  Follow this link for really useful article that provides clarity by listing six of the most common lithium-ion batteries and giving examples of typical uses. 

 

  

Lithium Battery Technology in Pipeline Pigging

Pipeline Inspection - Down-hole Technologies

 

 

Each time a pipeline is built, examination personnel might make use of visual, X-ray, Magnetic particle, ultrasonic and other inspection procedures to evaluate the welds and ensure that they're of high quality. These inspections are executed when the pipeline is being created therefore gaining entry to the examination area isn't a problem. When the pipe is hidden, it is undesirable to dig it up for any cause. Engineers have created devices known as PIGs (pipeline inspection gauges)  that are sent through the buried pipe to carry out inspections as well as tidy the pipe When you are positioned close to The PIGs are carried through the tube by the flow of fluid, water or gas and can be powered intelligently using lithium battery chemistries.

 

The PIG’s (pipeline inspection gauge)  can travel and carry out inspections over very great distances, using a tool with a camera and lights fitted in a swivelling head attached to the camera head can pan and tilt remotely In a single run, the Ultra Scan Duo Pipeline Inspection Device could collect information on the kind and dimension of pipe problems as well as prioritize those defects for checking as well as remediation activities. Pipeline inspections tend to be done while the main remains in service by including a sensor into any tap 2" (50 mm) or bigger.

 

PIGs use a number of non-destructive tests procedures to do the inspections. The majority of PIGs make use of a magnetic flux seapage approach but several also use ultrasound to conduct the inspections. A strong magnetic field is established within the pipe wall utilizing either magnets or simply by inserting electrical current in to the metal. Ruined areas of the pipe cannot support as much magnetic flux as undamaged areas so magnetic flux leaks out of the pipe wall in the damaged areas. An array of sensor around the circumference of the device picks up the magnet flux leakage and notes the area of damage. PIGs involving ultrasound, have a range of transducers which emits a high frequency sound pulse perpendicular to the pipe wall and gets echo signals from the interior surface and the outside surface of the pipe.

 

Pipeline inspection

 

performed at high velocity where ever possible using the most recently introduced data acquisition, recording and processing technology, which include multi-beam echo sounders, pipe trackers and video. PIG’s that are self-propelled using  Pipeline battery technology don't need to rely on the gas flow or fluid to move it along, as previous pipeline inspection methods do, and getting semiautonomous usually means its range is significantly higher than the normal tethered inspection system.