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World's first fuel-cell powered submarine set to enter service with German navy this summer
The world's first fuel cell-powered submarine will enter service this summer, The Engineer can reveal.
The U31, a class 212A submarine manufactured at the Kiel shipyard of German company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werf, is currently undergoing deep water trials and will enter service with the German navy in August.
The 56m long, 11.5m high vessel is powered by a hybrid propulsion system consisting of a diesel generator with a lead acid battery, and an air-independent propulsion system (AIP) based on nine Siemens proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. These produce electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen and provide between 30 and 50kW each.
The hydrogen for the cells is...