Concept of Long Cruising Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Powered by Fuel Cell

The use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is now widespread among the underwater observation and survey. Because AUVs are not restricted by an umbilical cable, we think that AUVs have the most suitable form to collect ocean data or work depending on subjects of survey efficiently in the same way as the sea lives with various forms. For example, form to collect ocean data while cruising in a huge range, form to collect the topography data of the seafloor and under the bottom of the sea while cruising with following seafloor, form to work such as the collection of the rock of the seafloor or the setting of the sensor on the seafloor, form to collect ocean data slowly and carefully without moving the investigation spot against the current and so on. Underwater power source is one of very important elements to operate electrically driven underwater vehicles. Because there are no energy supply places in underwater. Many research and development about the underwater power source are carried out in all over the world. When the research and development of the power source, following things need to be considered: small and light weight, put in a pressure vessel or resist against water pressure, work against low water temperature, without vibration and noise, reliability and ease of maintenance. The power source has heaviest weight with the components of the underwater vehicles. The paper reported that concepts of the body design and model experimental results show specification of fuel cell system and several experimental results.