As reported by the Global Times, Chinese experts have completed tests of an air-independent power plant (VNEU) based on a Stirling engine. They want to use it on new non-nuclear submarines of the 039C project.
One of China's recent achievements in the development of high-performance engines of various types was the recent success in creating the world's most powerful Stirling engine. This was reported by the Chinese daily newspaper Global Times.
The tests were conducted by the 711th Research Institute of the Chinese State Shipbuilding Corporation (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, CSIC). The new generation plant has a rated power of 320 kilowatts and a thermal energy conversion factor of 40 percent.
They want to equip new Chinese non-nuclear submarines of Project 039C with a promising air-independent power plant.
Recall that this year, photos and videos were posted on the Network, where you can view the Type 039C Yuan submarine. It is compared with a promising Swedish submarine of the Blekinge type, which has a similar appearance. According to experts, the choice of design is due to the desire to make the submarine as low-noise as possible.
Type 039C / ©thedrive
Type 039C became part of the Yuan type diesel-electric submarine family. Today, these are the most numerous and powerful diesel-electric submarines in the arsenal of the Chinese Navy.
The rearmament of the fleet means a lot for the future of China and the new "redistribution of the world", which has recently been talked about in the media. Although Beijing has compared with the United States in terms of the number of warships (according to some reports, the Chinese even surpassed the Americans), it is too early to talk about quality parity. This is especially noticeable in the example of the submarine fleet, where the United States has complete superiority.
Now the Americans, among other things, have two dozen of the latest multipurpose nuclear submarines of the Virginia type, which belong to the latest, fourth generation. The States refused diesel-electric boats.
Russia, in turn, combines nuclear submarines and nuclear submarines. Recall that the factory sea trials of the new diesel-electric submarine project 677 "Kronstadt" have recently begun .
Earlier it was reported that in ten years Russian specialists have made serious progress in the program of creating an anaerobic power plant for submarines. In particular, a technology demonstrator was built and tested. In the foreseeable future, an air-independent power plant is planned to be installed on serial ships.
