Autosub is a NERC Community Research Project being hosted by theInstitute of Oceanographic Sciences Deacon Laboratory. The aim is todevelop an autonomous underwater vehicle capable of operating to fullocean depth which will collect data for the purposes of oceanographicscience and climate forecasting. In order to maximise, the missionlength, the vehicle should have a high energy density source and aboveall, be reliable. Deep submergence propulsion motors typically comprisea motor running in pressure compensating oil, a reduction gearbox and anoutput shaft passing through a shaft seal. The losses resulting from afast running motor stirring the oil, gearbox inefficiencies and sealfriction typically result in a low overall efficiency. This paperpresents the progress being made in developing a 1.6 kW contra rotatingbrushless DC motor, a key element in an energy efficient propulsionsystem. The authors discuss the design of the test dynamometer, the testmethod, and performance results in shallow water
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