46% light sea battery works at 19,600 feet, packs double power under pressure

Kraken Robotics, a Canada-headquartered technology company, has cracked the code for powering subsea systems with lightweight batteries. Dubbed SeaPower, its batteries operate at depths of 19,000 feet but are also 46 percent lighter than traditional pressure-house batteries, according to a company press release.

Newfoundland-based Kraken Robotics is known for its offerings, such as synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and SAS-enabled tow vehicles. The company also offers a launch and recovery solution, one of the highest-risk operations carried out with autonomous or towed vehicles in the sea. In SeaPower, the company has added another powerful offering for the maritime industry.

Offshore operators that deploy subsea systems require high-capacity batteries to accomplish complex and long-duration missions. However, deploying batteries in subsea conditions requires the use of pressure housing to enable them to withstand the rigors of the sea, which in turn makes the battery setup much heavier.

Kraken cracks the puzzle

“With underwater robotics, there are always design trade-offs between size, weight, power, and cost requirements,” said Greg Reid, President and CEO of Kraken Robotics, in the press release. “To increase endurance, designers typically need to increase the size and weight of a vehicle.”

Kraken has addressed this issue by shifting to a new polymer to encase the batteries. Kraken’s innovation lies in using the polymer matrix to house battery cells and electronics in a pressure-neutral design that protects the components from water while also achieving pressure equalization without using a housing, oil, or any type of compensators.

The additional space obtained using proprietary polymer helps the company increase the battery’s energy density without significantly increasing weight. The battery is rated for a depth of 19,600 feet (6,000 m) and can deliver twice the energy density of batteries while being 46 percent lighter than conventional battery setups.

According to its website, Kraken’s SeaPower batteries are used in large and extra-large classes of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs).

Advantages of SeaPower battery

Each Kraken SeaPower battery can deliver up to 23 kWh of energy. Additionally, batteries can be connected using the company’s smart power comms rail to construct power banks with up to one-megawatt capacity. This helps deliver higher operational efficiency and undertake longer subsea missions.

Batteries can be switched on or off individually in these power banks, giving greater control over power connection and usage. A 15-kilowatt fast charger can charge up to nine batteries at a time, with a four-hour charging time for a 23kWh unit. This considerably reduces device downtime while increasing operational efficiencies.

“Our batteries are in active use worldwide, and have been field proven by customers in commercial and defense, often doubling the endurance of their vehicles when compared to alternative solutions,” Reid added in the press release . Recently, the company received orders worth $13 million for its batteries from existing customers.

The press release added that the company is currently working on energy solutions for small and medium-sized UUVs and expects them to be market-ready in the next 12 months.