AU2016332489B2

AU2016332489B2 - Cooling of an electric motor drive for a water-borne means of transport

Info

Publication number: AU2016332489B2
Application number: AU2016332489A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jürgen Eckert; Walter Marx; Robert Schlappa
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2015-09-30
Filing date: 2016-09-07
Publication date: 2019-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2036-09-07
Also published as: WO2017055034A1; DE102015218889B3; EP3341286B1; EP3341286A1; KR102034534B1; AU2016332489A1; KR20180061261A

Abstract

The invention relates a drive (1) of a water-borne means of transport, such as a submarine or a ship, the drive (1) comprising an electric motor (3), a first coolant pump (4), a second coolant pump (5), a first coolant pump supply unit (6) and a second coolant pump supply unit (7). The first coolant pump (4) can be operated by means of both the first coolant pump supply unit (6) and the second coolant pump supply unit (7).

Description

DRIVE FOR A WATER-BORNE MEANS OF TRANSPORT

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a drive for a water-borne means of transport. A ship or a submarine are examples of water-borne means of transport.

Submarines or ships are often powered by electric drives which drive the screw, i.e. the propeller, of the submarine or ship.

To cool the drive, a coolant pump is provided, for example. The coolant pump enables e.g. air ducts of a stator of the electrical machine, or a cooling device such as a heat exchanger for cooling air, to be charged with liquid coolant.

A redundant cooling device is known from DE 102 43 775 Al for an electric submarine drive motor which has a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit by means of which heat energy can be removed from the electric submarine drive motor.

In order to provide a high degree of reliability and redundancy, it is proposed that, in the region of the electric submarine drive motor, the coolants of the first cooling circuit and of the second cooling circuit flow counter-directionally to one another through a stator cooling ring of the electric submarine drive motor.

An electrical machine is known from US 2014/0015351 Al which has a plurality of cooling circuits, wherein not all the cooling circuits need to be used for cooling.

A ship is known from DE 10 2011 005 588 Al having at least one electric motor for propelling the ship and a cooling device for cooling the at least one electric motor by means of at least one

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2016332489 15 Feb 2019 coolant. Said cooling device has a heat exchanger which is designed to cool the at least one coolant by means of sea water. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to wholly or partly overcome one or more of the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a submarine or ship drive having reliable cooling. Reliable cooling improves the operational capability, for example, of the submarine or ship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a drive of a water-borne means of transport, such as e.g. a submarine or ship, has an electric motor. The electric motor can, for example, also be operated in generator mode and is used, for example, as drive motor for the shaft of the water-borne means of transport with which a propeller can be driven. Cooling air or a liquid coolant, for example, is provided for cooling the electric motor. Cooling using liquid coolant can take place directly or indirectly, for example. In the case of direct cooling using liquid coolant, the latter is fed e.g. through cooling ducts in the stator of the electric motor. In the case of indirect cooling using liquid coolant, cooling air is fed e.g. through cooling ducts in the stator and the cooling air is cooled by the liquid coolant in a heat exchanger which is charged with liquid coolant. The drive has a first coolant pump, a second coolant pump, a first coolant pump supply unit and a second coolant pump supply unit. The first coolant pump and the second coolant pump are designed, for example, such that they have a pump device for the liquid coolant and an electrical machine for driving the respective pump device.

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In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive of a water-borne means of transport, wherein the drive has an electric motor, a first coolant pump, a second coolant pump, a first coolant pump supply unit and a second coolant pump supply unit, wherein the first coolant pump can be operated using both the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit, wherein the first coolant pump supply unit has a power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump, wherein the second coolant pump supply unit has another power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water-borne means of transport, wherein the waterborne means of transport has a drive according to the preceding aspect.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a drive of a water-borne means of transport, wherein a drive according to the foremost aspect is used, wherein, after fault detection in a data link, switching to a redundant, functioning data link takes place.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a drive according to the foremost aspect, wherein the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump are operated using the first coolant pump supply unit.

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In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a submarine or a ship, wherein the submarine or ship has a drive according to the foremost aspect and a method for operating a drive is used according to either of the two preceding aspects.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant pump can be operated using both the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit. The coolant pump supply units have a power supply for the electrical machine of the respective coolant pump. The power supply has, for example, an inverter which feeds the electrical machine of the respective coolant pump .

In an embodiment of the drive, not only the first coolant pump can be operated using both the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit, but also the second coolant pump can be operated using the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit.

Also disclosed herein is redundant coolant pump connection to the drive can thus be implemented. This is practicable, for example, for permanent magnet excited synchronous machines as submarine drives.

Also disclosed herein is redundant coolant pump connection can increase the functional availability of the drive motor for the water-borne means of transport in the event of malfunction of a coolant pump supply unit or more specifically of a coolant pump. For example, this prevents the cooling power of that cooling circuit from being completely lost if a coolant pump supply unit malfunctions. In particular, this would result in a reduction in the maximum output power of the entire propulsion unit (drive motor). This power limitation reduces the

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO operational capabilities of the water-borne means of transport, such as e.g. a submarine.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first coolant pump supply unit has a power converter which can be connected to the first coolant pump and/or to the second coolant pump. The power converter is in particular an inverter. The power converter may hereinafter also be termed the first power converter. The interconnection is established by contactors, for example. The power converter of the first coolant pump supply unit can therefore be used to feed the first coolant pump alone, or to feed the second coolant pump alone or to jointly feed the first and the second coolant pump.

In an embodiment of the drive, the second coolant pump supply unit has an additional power converter which can be connected to the first coolant pump and/or to the second coolant pump. The additional power converter may hereinafter also be termed the second power converter. The additional power converter is also in particular an inverter. The interconnection is established by contactors, for example. The additional power converter, i.e. the power converter of the second coolant pump supply unit, can therefore be used to feed the first coolant pump alone, or to feed the second coolant pump alone or to jointly feed the first and the second coolant pump.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first power converter and/or the additional power converter has a data link to a controller, wherein the controller has high availability. An example of a high availability controller is a SIMATIC S7400H. Redundancies can be created by means of a controller of this kind. The high availability controller has e.g. a first

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2016332489 15 Feb 2019 sub-controller and a second sub-controller operating on a redundant basis.

Also disclosed herein is a redundancy drive of a water-borne means of transport, such as a submarine or a ship, has an electric motor, a first coolant pump, a second coolant pump, a first coolant pump supply unit and a second coolant pump supply unit. The first coolant pump supply unit is data-linked to a first sub-controller and to a second sub-controller. The second coolant pump supply unit is data-linked to the first subcontroller and to the second sub-controller. Redundancy can thus be achieved for controlling the coolant pump supply units.

In an embodiment of the drive, the first power converter is data-linked to the second power converter. In this way synchronization can be achieved, for example.

In an embodiment of the drive, the drive has an air cooling circuit, wherein a cooling device is provided for cooling the air cooling circuit. The coolant pumps are designed e.g. for at least cooling the cooling device which is a heat exchanger.

In an embodiment of the drive, the latter has a Profinet for implementing the data link. The data link is provided between the controller and the first coolant pump supply unit or the second coolant pump supply unit as the case may be.

In an embodiment of the drive, the controller is a high availability controller, wherein the first sub-controller and the second sub-controller are incorporated in the high availability controller.

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In an embodiment of the drive, the latter has a redundant bus connection as well as redundant coolant pump supply unit(s). This considerably increases the operational capability of the drive, which can be advantageous particularly in the case of a submarine .

In an embodiment of the drive, the latter has a first data cable between the first sub-controller and the first coolant pump supply unit and a second data cable between the first sub-controller and the second coolant pump supply unit, and a third data cable between the second sub-controller and the first coolant pump supply unit, and a fourth data cable between the second sub-controller and the second coolant pump supply unit.

In the case of a water-borne means of transport, such as in particular a submarine or a ship, the operational capability thereof can be increased by installing a drive of the type described.

In a method for operating a drive, if a fault is detected in a data link, for example, it is possible to switch to a redundant, functioning data link.

In a method for operating a drive, the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump can be operated using the first coolant pump supply unit, for example.

In a method for operating a drive, the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump can be operated using the second coolant pump supply unit, for example.

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2016332489 15 Feb 2019

In a method for operating a drive, the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump can be operated simultaneously using the first and second coolant pump supply unit, for example, resulting in hot redundancy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided by way of example only, in which:

FIG 1 shows a drive having redundant cooling or more specifically a redundant coolant pump supply;

FIG 2 shows a drive having redundant data communication;

FIG 3 shows a drive having redundant cooling and redundant data communication;

FIG 4 shows a submarine having a drive and

FIG 5 shows a ship having a drive.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG 1 shows a drive 1 with redundant cooling or more specifically redundant coolant pump supply units 6 and 7. The drive 1 has an electric motor 3 which can be operated e.g. as a motor or generator. A first coolant pump 4 and a second coolant pump 5 is provided for cooling the electrical machine 3. The cooling medium is a liquid, for example. The first coolant pump 4 is in a first coolant circuit 46 for the electrical machine 3.

The second coolant pump 5 is in a second coolant circuit 45 for the electrical machine 3. The first coolant pump 4 and the second coolant pump 5 are each powered by an electrical machine (not shown separately in FIG 1). The drive 1 has a first power converter 10 and a second power converter 11. The power converters 10 and 11 are in particular inverters or converters.

The coolant pumps 4 and 5 are supplied with electrical energy by the power converters 10 and 11 via power cables 29. The first power converter 10 is connected to the first coolant pump 4 via a first main

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO contactor 12 and a first disconnect switch 47. The second power converter 11 is connected to the second coolant pump 5 via a second main contactor 13 and a second disconnect switch

48. The first power converter 10 is connected to the second coolant pump 5 via a first changeover contactor 14 and the second disconnect switch 48. The second power converter 11 is connected to the first coolant pump 4 via a second changeover contactor 15 and the first disconnect switch 47. The first main contactor 12 is connected in series with the first disconnect switch 47. The second main contactor 13 is connected in series with the second disconnect switch 48. The first changeover contactor 14 is between the first power converter 10 and a node 50. The node 50 is between the second main contactor 13 and the second disconnect switch 48. The first main contactor 12 is connected in series with the first disconnect switch 47. The second changeover contactor 15 is between the second power converter 11 and a node 49. The node 49 is between the first main contactor 12 and the first disconnect switch 47. In this way the first power converter 10 can be electrically connected to the first coolant pump 4 and/or to the second coolant pump 5. In this way the second power converter 11 can also be electrically connected to the second coolant pump 5 and/or to the first coolant pump 4. The power converters 10 and 11 can thus be redundantly designed, as both are able to electrically supply the coolant pumps 4 and 5 .

The power converters 10 and 11 can be connected, for example, via a communication link 28. This can be used for synchronization, for example. The first power converter 10 is fed via a first precharging contactor 8. The second power converter 11 is fed via a second precharging contactor 9. The closed- and/or open-loop control of the first power converter

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO and of the second power converter 11 is provided by a controller 16. For this purpose the first power converter 10 and the second power converter 11 are each data-linked to the controller 16 via a communication link 27, such as a communication cable, for example.

The first coolant pump supply unit 6 comprises the first precharging contactor 8, the first power converter 10, the first main contactor 12, the first disconnect switch 47 and the first changeover contactor 14. The second coolant pump supply unit 7 comprises the second precharging contactor 9, the second power converter 11, the second main contactor 13, the second disconnect switch 48 and the second changeover contactor 15. The wiring of main contactors 12, 13 and changeover contactors 14, 15 produces an interconnection 51.

If a fault is detected in the coolant pump supply unit, the interconnection logic shown in FIG 1 makes it possible to connect the defective coolant pump supply line to the still available coolant pump supply unit. The supply units, i.e. in particular the power converters, are conceptually designed, for example, to ensure redundant operation. Thus, the first power converter 10 can be designed to enable the first coolant pump 4 and the second coolant pump 5 to be operated at rated output. In this way, however, the second power converter 11 can also be designed to enable the first coolant pump 4 and the second coolant pump 5 to be operated at rated output. Thus, despite a malfunction of a coolant pump connection, or more specifically of a power converter, i.e. of a coolant pump supply unit 6, 7, it can be ensured that the electrical machine 3, i.e. a propulsion motor of a submarine, for example, is no longer constrained. The constraint would arise e.g. due to insufficient cooling for rated operation of the

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO propulsion motor or for operation of the propulsion motor at maximum power. The propulsion motor can also be, for example, the propulsion motor of a ship such as e.g. a container ship, a passenger ship, a frigate, a freighter or similar. The coolant pump supply unit 6, 7 is redundantly designed and implemented. As no forced reduction in the output power of the propulsion motor 3 occurs in the event of malfunction of a coolant pump connection or more specifically coolant pump supply unit 6, 7, this confers benefits in terms of increased operational readiness of a water-borne means of transport.

The reference characters used FIG 1 are also used in the following descriptions of the other figures, wherein the same reference characters are used for elements of the same kind.

FIG 2 shows a drive 1 having redundant data communication.

Like FIG 1, FIG 2 shows a first coolant pump supply unit 6 and a second coolant pump supply unit 7, but in somewhat schematized form. The coolant pump supply units 6 and 7 having an interconnection 51 (not shown in detail compared to FIG 1) are connected to the coolant pumps 4 and 5 for cooling of the electrical machine 3 via cooling circuits 45 and 46. The first coolant pump supply unit 6 has a first data connection 21 and a second data connection 25. The second coolant pump supply unit 7 also has a first data connection 22 and a second data connection 26. The controller 16, which is in particular a high availability or fault-redundant controller, has a first sub-controller 17 and a second sub-controller 18. The first sub-controller 17 has a first data connection 19 and a second data connection 23. The second sub-controller 18 has a first data connection 20 and a second data connection 24. The data connections of the sub-controllers 17, 18 and the data connections of the coolant pump supply units 6, 7 are in

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO particular bus connections such as those of a PROFIBUS, for example. The data connections 21 and 25 of the first coolant pump supply unit 6 are located, for example, on a power converter 10 of the coolant pump supply unit 6, as shown in FIG 1. The data connections 22 and 26 of the second coolant pump supply unit 7 are located, for example, on a power converter 11 of the coolant pump supply unit 6, as shown in FIG 1. According to FIG 2, there is the following communication link 27: between the first data connection 21 of the first coolant pump supply unit 6 and the first data connection 19 of the first sub-controller 17; between the second data connection 25 of the first coolant pump supply unit 6 and the first data connection 20 of the second subcontroller 18; between the first data connection 22 of the second coolant pump supply unit 7 and the second data connection 23 of the first sub-controller 17, and between the second data connection 26 of the second coolant pump supply unit 7 and the second data connection 24 of the second subcontroller 18 .

Redundant communication ensures that the cooling efficiency of the cooling circuit no longer fails completely if communication between a coolant pump supply unit 6 or 7 and the higher-level controller 16 is lost. Communication between the coolant pump supply units 6 and 7 and the controller 16 therefore remains in place. For this purpose the controller has in particular a first sub-controller 17 and a second subcontroller 18, both of which can enter into data communication with the two coolant pump supply unit 6 or 7. A communication fault, i.e. faulty data transmission between the controller 16 and the coolant pump supply unit 6 or 7, thus no longer necessarily causes the maximum power output of the entire drive or more specifically of the electric motor 3 to be

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO reduced. This therefore means, for example, that there is no longer a power limitation that would, for example, reduce the capabilities of a submarine.

The controller is, for example, a SIMATIC S7-400H which communicates, for example, with two masterdrives as power converters 6 and 7 which supply a pump 4 and 5 respectively. In the event of a fault in a cooling line, i.e. in a coolant pump supply unit 5 or 6, the consequences for the drive 1 as a whole can be reduced. An increase in the availability of the drive system on a submarine can be achieved, for example, without increasing the number of auxiliary power units if, for example, two coolant pumps with two power converters for cooling the electric motor had been provided for driving the propeller .

By means of the redundant bus connection for communication between two or more redundant coolant pump supply units 6, 7 and a higher-level controller 6, e.g. a S7-400H, significantly higher availability of the drive motor 3 in the event of a bus connection malfunction can be achieved. The bus is, for example, a Profibus or a Profinet. Thus, for example, fault detection in one of the redundant Profinet connections causes the communication to be switched to the functioning Profinet connections. The conceptual design of the Profinet connection can ensure that failure of a communication line 27 does not impact a redundant communication line and does not result in operational limitations. Thus, unrestricted functionality of the entire drive motor (electric motor) 3 can be achieved in the event of a failed or defective communication link. The redundant bus connection between the coolant pump supply units 6, 7 and the higher-level controller 16 is used for this purpose. The operational capability of a water-borne means of

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO transport is increased, since, in the event of a communication fault in a communication line, no forced reduction in the output power of the drive motor occurs.

FIG 3 shows additional details compared to FIG 1. Cooling devices 37 and 38 are additionally introduced. The cooling device 37 comprises the coolant pump supply unit 6 and the coolant pump 4. The cooling device 38 comprises the coolant pump supply unit 7 and the coolant pump 5. The first power converter 10 has a first data connection 21 and a second data connection 25. The second power converter 11 has a first data connection 22 and a second data connection 26. Similarly to FIG 2, the controller 16 comprises a first sub-controller 17 and a second sub-controller 18. The sub-controllers 17 and 18 are redundantly designed. The communication links are via data cables. A first data cable 41 is between the first subcontroller 17 and the first coolant pump supply unit 6, in particular the first power converter 10. A second data cable 42 is between the first sub-controller 17 and the second coolant pump supply unit 7, in particular the second power converter 11. A third data cable 43 is between the second subcontroller 18 and the first coolant pump supply unit 6, in particular the first power converter 10. A fourth data cable 44 is between the second sub-controller 18 and the second coolant pump supply unit 7, in particular the second power converter 11.

FIG 4 shows a submarine 30 having an electric motor 3 for driving a propeller 33. The electric motor 3 can be cooled by a heat exchanger 32 via coolant circuit 36. Coolant pumps 4 and 5 drive coolant circuits 34 and 35 respectively. The coolant pump supply units 6 and 7 assigned to the coolant pumps 4 and 5 are redundantly interconnected 51. In the

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PCT/EP2016/Ο71031 / 2015P13812WO submarine 30, a redundant coolant pump supply unit and/or redundant communication can be implemented as described in the above text. The drive 1 according to FIG 4 can also be implemented in a ship.

FIG 5 shows a ship 39 having an electric motor 3 for driving a propeller 33. The electric motor 3 can be cooled via coolant circuits 45 and 46. Coolant pumps 4 and 5 drive coolant circuits 45 or 46 respectively. The coolant pump supply units 6 and 7 assigned to the coolant pumps 4 and 5 are redundantly interconnected 51. In the ship 39, a redundant coolant pump supply unit and/or redundant communication can be implemented as described in the above text. The drive 1 according to FIG 5 can also be implemented in a submarine.

Claims

1. A drive of a water-borne means of transport, wherein the drive has an electric motor, a first coolant pump, a second coolant pump, a first coolant pump supply unit and a second coolant pump supply unit, wherein the first coolant pump can be operated using both the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit, wherein the first coolant pump supply unit has a power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump, wherein the second coolant pump supply unit has another power converter which can be interconnected with the first coolant pump and/or with the second coolant pump.

2. The drive as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second coolant pump can be operated using both the first coolant pump supply unit and the second coolant pump supply unit.

3. The drive as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the power converter and/or the other power converter is data-linked to a controller, wherein the controller is in particular a high availability controller.

4. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first coolant pump supply unit is data-linked to a first subcontroller and to a second sub-controller, and wherein the second coolant pump supply unit is data-linked to the first subcontroller and to the second sub-controller, wherein the subcontrollers are in particular incorporated in the controller.

5. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first power converter is data-linked to the other power converter .

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6. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive has an air cooling circuit, wherein the cooling device is provided for cooling the air cooling circuit.

7. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, having a Profinet for implementing a data link.

8. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first sub-controller and the second sub-controller are incorporated in a high availability controller.

9. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, having a redundant bus connection and a redundant coolant pump supply unit.

10. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, having a first data cable between the first sub-controller and the first coolant pump supply unit, having a second data cable between the first sub-controller and the second coolant pump supply unit, having a third data cable between the second sub-controller and the first coolant pump supply unit, and having a fourth data cable between the second sub-controller and the second coolant pump supply unit.

11. A water-borne means of transport, wherein the water-borne means of transport has a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 .

12. A method for operating a drive of a water-borne means of transport, wherein a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 is used, wherein, after fault detection in a data link, switching to a redundant, functioning data link takes place.

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13. A method for operating a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump are operated using the first coolant pump supply unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first coolant pump and the second coolant pump are operated using the second coolant pump supply unit.

15. A method for operating a submarine or a ship, wherein the submarine or ship has a drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 and a method for operating a drive is used as claimed in one of claims 12 to 14.

16. The drive as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, the water-borne means of transport of claim 11 or the method of any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the water-born means of transport is a submarine or a ship.