Type 041 Submarine - Propulsion

Propulsion

Contrary to many erroneous claims circulated on the internet by domestic Chinese military enthusiasts, the rumored pump-jet propulsion system is not used on this submarine, because that system is still under development. According to the official academic journals published in China, compared to the seven-bladed propeller currently used, the prototype of the indigenously-developed pump-jet can reduce noise level by 7 dB at 6 knots or 10 - 12 dB at 11 knots. But the system still needs further testing, and the current rumor that the pump-jet is planned for later units of this class is highly unlikely. Diesel engines are used for conventional propulsion; this class is the first boat in the Chinese inventory that can achieve full electrical propulsion, which greatly reduces radiation noise. The same all-electric propulsion design is also modified for use on the Chinese navy's Type 093 submarine and Type 094 submarine. The general designer of the all-electric propulsion systems used in these boats is Professor Ma Weiming (马伟明) of China's Naval Engineering University. (Ma, born in Yangzhong in 1960, obtained his Ph.D. from Tsinghua University in 1996.)

According to the Chinese newspaper Science and Technology Daily (科技日报), this 041 class is equipped with an air-independent propulsion system developed by the 711th Research Institute of the China Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group Corp. (中国船舶重工集团公司第七一一研究所), referred as a "specialized engine" in official Chinese sources. The 711th Institute was founded in April 1963, but it was not until more than a decade later, in 1975, that it ventured into the field of air-independent propulsion systems by establishing an office for a "specialized engine," setting up a team of about a dozen researchers. By June 1996 that team had developed into the "specialized engine engineering research center"; by 2008 there were more than a hundred researchers. In 1998, the first experimental sample was built and a decade later and after a dozen technological breakthroughs, a wide range of matured versions became commercially available and the newest diesel-electric submarine in Chinese navy became the first customer. Although the official Chinese source had not mentioned the exact class of the submarine, it is generally accepted that the class is no other than Type 041 Yuan class, since it is the newest conventional powered submarine in the Chinese navy. The engine is built by Shanghai Qiyao Propulsion Technology Ltd. (上海齐耀动力技术有限公司), a wholly owned subsidiary of the 711th Institute (中国船舶重工集团公司第七一一研究所).

However, the Chinese source failed to mention the exact type of air-independent propulsion system had been installed, but the developer offered a selection ranging from 20 kW to 100 kW (rate for single unit). Recent rumors stated that the boat utilize a Stirling cycle engine, but this cannot be confirmed. It is also unclear if the incorporation of air-independent propulsion system has become the standard or just for evaluation purposes. Since the air-independent propulsion systems onboard western submarines usually rate at 150 kW to 300 kW, so it is safe to assume that similar systems onboard Chinese submarines would also be consisted of at least two units just like its western counterpart.