Design and Performance Evaluation of a Air-Indipendent Gasoline Engine as Propulsion System for Autonomus Underwater Vehicles

Nowadays, internal combustion engines (ICE) play an important role in our world. One of their uses is its role in the propulsion system of different types of sub-sea crafts. It is obvious that the battery-based electric propulsion system of submarines is very costly, bulky and heavy. For these reseans, the air-indipendent propulsion (AIP) systems that have low-cost, light-weigth and small-size became more intended. Airindependent propulsion systems don’t need to connect to the ambient air, so they can be used by the sub-sea crafts. In this study, a new AIP gasoline engine is designed and introduced. For this purpose, the AIP gasoline engine is designed based on using exhaust gas recovery (EGR) concept. During the engine cycle, the exhaust gas mixed with pure oxygen and the mixture is used by the gasoline engine. Some experimental tests are done on the modified engine and comparisons are done for both cases of the normal cycle and the closed cycle. In the case of closed cycle, engine power and exhaust temperature are decreased and the specific fuel consumption increased.