Under the Principles of Undersea Magnetohydrodynamic Pumps program, PUMP for short, DARPA is developing a silent submarine propulsion system.
The reason why this technology hasn't been used in submarines for over 60 years, except in a couple of experimental surface boats, is twofold. Firstly, the electromagnetic coils must be extremely powerful, and making ones that are light and efficient enough for submarine installation is challenging. Secondly, the electrodes must withstand a lot of wear due to corrosion, hydrolysis, and erosion caused by the interaction between the magnetic fields, electrical current, and saltwater.
In recent years, there have been significant advancements in magnet development. However, there is still room for improvement in finding the right materials for creating electrodes. To address this issue,called "Principles of Undersea Magnetohydrodynamic Pumps" that will utilize multiple approaches to develop a practical military MHD drive.
"The best efficiency demonstrated in a magnetohydrodynamic drive to date was 1992 on the Yamato-1, a 30-m vessel that achieved 6.6 knots with an efficiency of around 30% using a magnetic field strength of approximately 4 Tesla," Susan Swithenbank, PUMP program manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office, told New Atlas.
“In the last couple of years, the commercial fusion industry has made advances in Rare-Earth Barium Copper Oxide magnets that have demonstrated large-scale magnetic fields as high as 20 Tesla that could potentially yield 90% efficiency in a magnetohydrodynamic drive, which is worth pursuing. Now that the glass ceiling in high magnetic field generation has been broken, PUMP aims to achieve a breakthrough to solve the electrode materials challenge," she added.
"We’re hoping to leverage insights into novel material coatings from the fuel cell and battery industries since they deal with the same bubble generation problem," said Swithenbank. “We’re looking for expertise across all fields to form teams to help us finally realize a militarily relevant scale magnetohydrodynamic drive," she added.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Playboi Carti playing at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in OctoberRapper Playboi Carti will perform in Cleveland later this year as part of his 2023 'Antagonist Tour.'
Leer más »
Idaho student murders: King Road home won't be demolished until at least OctoberThe King Road home where four University of Idaho students were killed last year will not be demolished until at least October, the school's president announced. FOX13
Leer más »
Can Dodgers play deep into October while relying on so many rookies?The Dodgers reached the All-Star break in first place despite the best efforts of several rookies, and they face a “murky trade market” at a time when they might need more help than they have in pr…
Leer más »
Idaho student murders: King Road home won't be demolished until at least OctoberThe King Road home where four University of Idaho students were killed last year will not be demolished until at least October, the school's president announced.
Leer más »
Pakistan PM Sharif signals national elections in OctoberPM Shehbaz Sharif says his government in Pakistan would dissolve next month and hand over reins to a caretaker setup, indicating general elections in the South Asian country will be held on time in October
Leer más »