Nautilus SSB UC3

[Oberon]

In case anyone isn't a part of the UC3 Nautilus facebook page, Peter has posted some excellent news:

Subject: Nautilus 2010
Dear Nautilus group members,

Every year since the Nautilus project started has had is special moments and highlights. Best remembered is the launch in 2008, her first voyage one own power and first dive in that same year.

During 2009 she made longer voyages and got her control room and snorkel online. She dived - with no propulsion - to 25 meters. Her dive planes were tested at snorkel depth - but Nautilus always missed one essential thing - electric propulsion.

Being a conventional diesel electric submarine with no electric motor is being very incomplete.

In the original configuration Nautilus was designed to use a 40 kW 400 volt DC electric motor. However - constructing from the bottom up a 400 volt DC motor controller - or even handling a 400 volts battery pack is not easy. By autumn 2009 the decision was made the change the design to a low voltage system with a much safer and simple electric design.

A 24 volt DC motor of 6.7 kW power has now been installed, and her 1.5 tonnes of batteries connected. This DC motor can spin her 1.2 meter five bladed propeller at about 100 rpm, giving her a submerged speed of some 3 knots. This speed - excellent for underwater surveys can be maintained for almost six hours.

Analysing the needs of a civilian submarine makes it clear that high underwater speed is not usefull - while long endurance low speed is exactly what fits our needs. I will not miss the 40 kW motor or playing with 400 volts - with this low voltage system working the batteries is safe and easy.

The design is very simple and dependeble - there are no advanced high power high voltage electronics involved and we finely get our submarine under nuclear power.

Just as we I write this the big battery is charging - and in a few days time the system can be tested.

Nautilus electronics officer - S. Winstrup - has a lot of upgrades on the schedule for this year - including a GPS / INS navigation display. With initial navigation Nautilus takes a big leap into becoming a very functional underwater vessel.

On april 10 the Nautilus will be craned on land for a short inspection and window cleaning - and a week later a Nautilus clean and paint weekend is planned.

2010 will be spent in local waters first, but by midsummer Nautilus will operate in the Baltic off the island Bornholm.

In late august 2010 she will become the world first amateur ballistic missile submarine as she takes part in the launch of Copenhagen suborbitals first rocket - the HEAT 1X.

All the best to you from the engineer...

Peter Madsen

Way to go Peter Here's to a productive and successful 2010 for both the Nautilus and Copenhagen suborbital!