Steatite has delivered the first battery module for the National Oceanography Centre’s latest autonomous research submersible, Autosub 2KUI.
Steatite is a partner at the NOC’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre and has been working collaboratively with the NOC for several years. The Autosub Long Range, more affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface, is already powered by Steatite battery packs.
The Autosub 2KUI is designed to house 48 of the 1.25kWhr modules at a time, with each module designed to operate at depths of up to 6000 metres where pressure is over 600 times greater than at that at the ocean surface. This crushing pressure, along with low temperature, presents a number of complex design issues for battery packs and associated electronics.
Equipped with state-of-the art sonars and camera systems to enable scientists to create detailed maps and establish habitat characteristics of the seafloor, the new AUV has under-ice navigation capabilities so it can operate underneath vast areas of sea ice or glaciers.
The battery packs are designed to provide constant power to the Autosub for extended duration operation.
