The DM-185 diesel is almost certainly being offered and modified for Chinese nuclear and conventional submarines. Perhaps not through Russia's UDMZ but though Germany's FEV.
Anonymous has kindly provided many of the following details on the DM-185 range.
Anonymous has kindly provided many of the following details on the DM-185 range.
GERMANY'S FEV SUPPLYING SUBMARINE DIESELS TO CHINA
The Research Association for Energy Technology and Internal Combustion Engines, in German "Forschungsgesellschaft für Energietechnik und Verbrennungsmotoren" (FEVGmbH) was founded in 1978.
The FEV "Company History" advises http://www.fev.com/en/who-we-are/company-history.html:
FEV entered the Chinese market with the establishment of an office in Beijing, China in 1998...FEV established its Asian Technical Center in Dalian [notable for shipbuilding including Chinese Navy (PLA-N) shipyards] China, providing FEV with a diesel development facility to support its customers in Northeast Asia.
- The risk German or broader Western submarine diesel secrets could leak to Russia and on to
China is obvious.
A more direct route is MTU 396 and MTU 4000 marine/submarine diesels technology transfer occuring in the new Rolls-Royce/MTU/Yuchai factory in Yulin, China for Chinese Yuan submarine use.
- China might then pass on MTU details to Russia (assuming Western firms are not already
passing MTU details to Russia?)
BACKGROUND
The new generation Russian-German designed multipurpose DM-185 diesel (with electrical output of 1515 kWe) is being tested for submarine. This is with a view to being the primary power plant for future conventional diesel-electric Russian and Chinese submarines. DM-185s might also replace the DM-21 backup diesels on Russian Yasen class multipurpose submarines and Borey/Borei SSBNs.
On March 17, 2018 Anonymous supplied extra information on the DM-185. In 2016 the Russian Ural Diesel Motor Factory LLC (UDMZ) and German headquartered FEVGmbH announced the launch of new generation DM-185 diesels in the 28th International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC) Congress, June 6 to 10, 2016 in Helsinki. This is the detailed paper announcing the DM-185 (http://jxpt.whut.edu.cn:81/meol/common/script/preview/download_preview.jsp?fileid=517881&resid=63750&lid=5030 (2.3MB PDF). According to this paper, the former DM-185 specification has been updated to version 2.
RUSSIA'S FLOTPROM (FP) ANNOUNCED ON JULY 2, 2015:
https://flotprom.ru/2015/%D0%9C%D0%B2%D0%BC%D1%8153/The new generation diesel engine, DM-185, is being built at the Ural diesel-engine plant... DM-185s can be used for surface ships, in particular corvettes, and submarines. The engine is intended to replace another diesel engine - DM-21 [meanwhile do Kolumna 37Ds or other designations "1DL42, 2D42,2D42M and 1D43" power Russian, Chinese and Indian Kilo class submarines?]
As the FlotProm correspondent was told...the engine consists of [50% Russian] components [and presumably 50% German components?] and has a Russian control system.
"The engine was created to solve the problems that arise with the DM-21 engine," the source said. According to the representative of the company, now the DM-21 is operated on the rescue vessel Zvezdochka and is installed on the Yasen and Borey submarines.
He noted that in addition to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the potential customers of the engine are the BRICS countries. [including Russian, Indian and Chinese submarines]
"At the request of the customer, the engine can be equipped with various modifications, including it can be converted to gas," the company representative said.
The engine is high-speed, its resource is designed for 70000 operating hours without major repairs. In addition, it has a large cylinder capacity and was designed according to the newest technologies.
At the same time, the engine has disadvantages, according to the interviewee, by weight it is slightly heavier than the engines of the German company MTU.
Russia's UDMZ and Germany's FEV multipurpose (including submarine) DM-185 diesel engine. (Photo courtesy International Trading House WTH Souztrade at http://souztrade.ru/dizelnye-dvigateli-dm-185/)
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Anonymous and Pete