A Low Pressure Electrolyzer for the Next Generation Submarine

The design of an oxygen generation system for advanced submarine life support is presented. Future designs will be driven by cost effectiveness as well as the ability to perform critical mission requirements. This paper reviews the advances in oxygen generating equipment and discusses the approach taken to reduce life support system cost without performance or reliability degradation.

The performance of a high differential pressure electrolysis cell design is discussed. The impact of a domeless electrolyzer module on ship life support system complexity and cost is presented.