Subsea Technologies for the marine environment

Why go for SubCtech Batteries?

Underwater batteries themselves are well known devices for powering different underwater
equipment. They are commonly used for autonomous monitoring devices as well as for
underwater vehicles or subsea devices such as actuators. Looking at the number of
underwater battery suppliers, it is obvious that it is not a secret to combine a number of
battery cells to a certain voltage and power level. However, there are several challenges
which have to be considered for a reliable design of a battery package, transport and
operation, if it should fulfill specific needs.

Li-Ion Cells
SubCtech has decided to combine industrial cells in standard 18650 format for the
realization of different battery packages. This decision results in high reliability, high safety,
high performance and availability of our batteries as these cells are produced for millions.
These cells are used for of the shelf packs but also for big, modular customized solutions.
However, we are able to adapt to different requirements such as high energy, high voltage
or high power.
These requirements are considered when choosing from the available range of differently
designed cells. The result is highest energy density per volume also as per mass, and highest
safety and highest reliability.
Power, energy, voltage, form factor, power dissipation, life time, number of cycles and safety
must always be balanced against each other.
Fail safe
Considering the above standard as a strong fundament of our packs, we invested a lot of
efforts in the internal arrangement of the cells in order to avoid internal voltage drop or hot
spots along the combination of serial and parallel circuits of the arrays. This dedicated design
in combination with selecting cells from only one batch, leads to less effects by internal de-
balancing of cell arrays, resulting in a higher overall remaining capacity after several charging
cycles. This is supported by an own electronics design inside the packs for the charge control,
realized also with specific or customized circuits, depending on the battery design and
requirements. Safety for the user and the equipment is given highest priority here!

SubCtech GmbH ● Wellseedamm 3 ● D -24145 Kiel ● Germany

T +49 431-22039-880 ● F +49 431-22039-881 ● www.subctech.com ● info@subCtech.com

© SubCtech GmbH. All rights reserved. In view of our continual improvement policy, the design and specifications of our products may vary from those illustrated in this
brochure. All pictures and trademarks mentioned in this user manual are property of their respective owners. MicroDI, NetDI, SmartDI, , mBubbler, PowerPack, SmartCharger,
SmartBMS, OceanLine, OceanPack, OceanView, Gosubsea3000 and SubCtech are registered or applied trademarks of SubCtech GmbH, Germany. 10.03.2018
 Subsea Technologies for the marine environment

Charging
Needless to say that also the charger for the different battery packages are specifically
designed or adapted to the of the shelf packages as well as to the customized solutions.
Adjusted voltage ranges for discharge as well as for maximum charge are considered for
maximum life- and cycle-time of the package. A combination of CC-, CV- and CP are the
points to be mentioned here.
Pressure housing
Long-term applications are realized by considering housing materials such as titanium
pressure tubes as a standard, adapted to different depths ranges. No corroding metal, and
the cells are optimally protected.
Operating
Our goal is to make even complex devices easy to use. Even on board in difficult conditions,
operation, charging and diagnosis are easy to handle. For charging, batteries are connected
in any state of charge, and used again with any state of charge.
Simple controls signal the operating status such as: green is ok or operating, red is error or
warning.
Qualification
Qualifications can be offered according to API17f, ISO 13628-6, DNVGL or MIL-STD
(environmental influences such as shock, vibration, temperature, operating cycles, EMC). The
batteries can thus be used for simple operations, but also for critical offshore subsea oil+gas
applications or autonomous vehicles.
Transport
For transport, the batteries can be certified to UN T38.3. For air cargo, we have the approval
from the Federal Aviation Office. Our team of experts packs according to the actual
regulations and compiles the documents such as IMO or shipper’s declaration.

So: it is not only a matter of combining cells but much more of handling potential challenges
like de-balancing, short circuits (internally and externally), high currents and high voltages
required from the application, internal temperatures and thermal runaways due to design
failures.
Not yet convinced or still any open questions about technical details? Do not hesitate to
contact our experts!

SubCtech GmbH ● Wellseedamm 3 ● D -24145 Kiel ● Germany

T +49 431-22039-880 ● F +49 431-22039-881 ● www.subctech.com ● info@subCtech.com

© SubCtech GmbH. All rights reserved. In view of our continual improvement policy, the design and specifications of our products may vary from those illustrated in this
brochure. All pictures and trademarks mentioned in this user manual are property of their respective owners. MicroDI, NetDI, SmartDI, , mBubbler, PowerPack, SmartCharger,
SmartBMS, OceanLine, OceanPack, OceanView, Gosubsea3000 and SubCtech are registered or applied trademarks of SubCtech GmbH, Germany. 10.03.2018