Watercraft and method for operating the watercraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11077923-B2
Application number	US-201716097351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A watercraft and method for operating the watercraft, wherein the watercraft includes an electrical system that is present in a space that has an atmosphere that differs from air, where the space is formable by a pressure hull, where the atmosphere contains, for example, an inert gas, and where the space having the electrical system is filled with the atmosphere.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propeller driven watercraft comprising:
an unencapsulated electrical system including at least one of (i) a current converter, (ii) an electrical motor and (iii) a power distribution network, said unencapsulated electrical system being arranged within a space formed by a pressurized outer body of the propeller driven watercraft;
wherein the space comprises an atmosphere different from air, said atmosphere comprising a power fuel.

2. The watercraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere has a low-reaction gas.

3. The watercraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the space has an overpressure.

4. The watercraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the space is flushed predominantly with the atmosphere.

5. The watercraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the watercraft is a submarine.

6. The watercraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the watercraft is an unmanned submarine.

7. A method for operating a propeller driven watercraft, comprising:
arranging an unencapsulated electrical system within a space formed by a pressurized outer body of the propeller driven watercraft, said unencapsulated electrical system including at least one of (i) a current converter, (ii) an electrical motor and (iii) a power distribution network; and
filling the space with an atmosphere having a power fuel;
wherein the atmosphere of the watercraft having the power fuel is different than air.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a pressure greater than air pressure is produced in the space.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the pressure has a dependency on an immersion depth.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the atmosphere having the power fuel forms a motor fuel.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the space is cleared of all people before being filled with the atmosphere having the power fuel.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag
• Siemens Energy Global Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Kriews Thorben
• Tigges Kay

Classifications

• B63J2/06

  of engine rooms · CPC title

• B63H2021/202

  of hybrid electric type · CPC title

• B63H21/17

  by electric motor · CPC title

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title

• B63G8/36 Primary

  Adaptations of ventilation, {e.g. schnorkels,} cooling, heating, or air-conditioning (reconditioning air in sealed chambers A62B11/00) · CPC title