Steam powered underwater jet engine

[agallag]

Now THIS is what patents are for. What a frickin' cool idea.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993321

Basically runs on any flammable fuel, no moving parts, quite efficient. A 30 HP version only has to be about 20cm long. Very cool stuff.

[bsdgeek]

That's just awesome!

[Jammrock]

Impressive...most impressive.

Jammrock

[ZokesPro]

Looks like a very environment friendly design!

[Technoid]

This might be a appliable to nuklear subs
They already have a rather impressive "boiler"

[Nowhere]

Impressive is russian squall rocket torpedo I would say...

~300 km/h for something that swim (well...technically fly actually) under water is pretty impressive...
and all this can do a weapon from the 80's...

Wonder what can do squall II

[Greebe]

Most impressive

I can't think of the name off the top of my head, but do know that the US is currently developing a super sonic torpedo... Doc mentioned this one earlier I do believe

[Wombat]

yep, they already have it. Search for "cavitation drive" around here.

[Jon P. Inghram]

Neato! Only problem I see is that it appears to work basicly like a ramjet, I.E. it needs the fluid to be moving through it before it can work.

[Greebe]

If this was combined with Japan's inductive cavity drive you wouldn't need auxiliary power source. This would be an interesting to pair up with a reactor... tho I have a feeling would never make it into a military application (too noisy)

[ZokesPro]

Originally posted by Greebe
If this was combined with Japan's inductive cavity drive you wouldn't need auxiliary power source. This would be an interesting to pair up with a reactor... tho I have a feeling would never make it into a military application (too noisy)

That's right, you Americans are all about stealth.

[Greebe]

The US Military looked into possibly using the inductive cavity drive, until they discoved the electrolysis would cause clorine to leech out to sea water and that can be tracked from space.

[Kruzin]

Originally posted by ZokesPro
Looks like a very environment friendly design!

I don't think it's all that environment freindly.
The steam has to come from somewhere. Fuel must be burnt to make that steam...

But I do still think it's an interesting design. I'd like to see it in action...

[Nowhere]

Greebe, all this designs (supercavity) just follow russian torpedo from the 80's - squall (in that particular design concept Russia is now waaay ahead of anybody).

It'll be interesting to see submarines utilizing this concept - war under the sea would change forever; from "stealth as possible" to something very like manuvears between combat planes.

p.s. and from what I know americans don't want to go supersonic (russians do - they want manuvearability and speed); american designs focus on relative stealth and long range.

[Wombat]

Originally posted by Nowhere

It'll be interesting to see submarines utilizing this concept - war under the sea would change forever; from "stealth as possible" to something very like manuvears between combat planes.

Not likely. You want fast? It's a nuclear sub, it can do fast. But then it's just a target.

And combat planes rarely dogfight these days, for much the same reason.