how do nuclear submarines stay on course under water

When meeting thicker ice, the submarine rises slowly from under the surface until the sail is in contact with the ice. Compressed air pushes water out of ballast tanks to increase the sub’s buoyancy until the upward force cracks the ice.

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How long can a nuclear submarine stay underwater?

Jan 06, 2021 · Well, nuclear submarines enable humans... Have you ever tried to hold your breath underwater and see how long you can go? Chances are you didn’t last very long. Well, nuclear submarines enable ...

How do military submarines travel underwater?

electrolysis is a process that separates H2O (water in layman's terms) molecules into Hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) the hydrogen is disposed of, while the oxygen is then circulated throughout the sub. but while a nuclear submarine can stay underwater indefinitely, it dose have to take on supply's every now and then.

What do Submarines need to run?

Jul 09, 2008 · Advertisement. Although early submarines were less-than-seaworthy, their progression through present times has been remarkable. In the beginning, the first attack subs consisted of a man hand-cranking away in a wood and leather suicide tube while attempting to attach explosives to a battleship using a wooden screw.

Can diesel submarines go underwater?

The sub must surface (or cruise just below the surface using a snorkel) to run the diesel engines. Once the batteries are fully charged, the sub can head underwater. The batteries power electric motors driving the propellers. Battery operation is the only way a …

Why can nuclear submarines stay underwater?

Nuclear-powered submarines in the army may remain submerged for extended periods of time. What is this? They don't have an issue with air because they produce their oxygen and maintain the atmosphere on board. Food and supplies are the only things that limit how long they can stay underwater.

How long can nuclear subs stay underwater?

Endurance: Nuclear submarines can operate underwater for three or four months at a time and cross oceans with ease.Dec 5, 2018

How do submarines stay underwater?

Buoyancy is controlled by the ballast tanks, which are found between the submarine's inner and outer hulls. A submarine resting on the surface has positive buoyancy, which means it is less dense than the water around it and will float. At this time, the ballast tanks are mainly full of air.

How do nuclear submarines navigate underwater?

Submarines carry an inertial navigation system, which measures the boat's motion and constantly updates position. Because it does not rely on radio signals or celestial sightings, it allows the boat to navigate while remaining hidden under the surface.

What is the deepest a submarine has ever gone?

Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe which reached a record depth of about 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific.

How do submarines get fresh water?

Most submarines have a distillation apparatus that can take in seawater and produce fresh water. The distillation plant heats the seawater to water vapor, which removes the salts, and then cools the water vapor into a collecting tank of fresh water.

How long can a nuclear ship go without refueling?

about twenty yearsNuclear power allowed submarines to run for about twenty years without needing to refuel. Food supplies became the only limit on a nuclear submarine's time at sea. Since then, similar technologies have been developed to power aircraft carriers.Jun 2, 2021

What is crush depth for a submarine?

What is crush depth? The name is foreboding and fairly self-explanatory; it's when the submarine goes so deep the water pressure crushes it, causing an implosion. The crush depth of most submarines is classified, but it's likely to be more than 400 metres.Nov 23, 2017

How does a submarine submerge and then float on water?

A submarine (or any boat) can float when the mass of water that it displaces (pushes out of the way) is equal to the mass of the boat. This displaced water causes an upward force called buoyancy. Buoyancy acts in the opposite direction to gravity, which would pull the ship down.

Can you feel the waves on a submarine when it's under the water?

Can you Feel the Waves on a Submarine When it's Under the Water? Normally, a submerged submarine will not rock with the motion of the waves on the surface. It is only in the most violent hurricanes and cyclones that wave motion reaches as much as 400 feet below the surface.Jul 24, 2019

How does a submarine See above water?

Instead, submarines have a special device called a periscope. It allows people inside the submarine to see what's going on above water.

How do submarines and targets underwater?

Submarines use Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) to detect target ships. While using active sonar, the submarine transmits a sound pulse and calculates the time it takes to reach the target and be reflected back.Aug 29, 2016

Why do nuclear submarines not have to come to the surface?

Also, because nuclear fuel lasts much longer than diesel fuel (years), a nuclear submarine does not have to come to the surface or to a port to refuel and can stay at sea longer. Nuclear subs and aircraft carriers are powered by nuclear reactors that are nearly identical to the reactors used in commercial power plants.

What type of engine does a submarine use?

To supply this power, submarines are equipped with diesel engines that burn fuel and/or nuclear reactors that use nuclear fission. Submarines also have batteries to supply electrical power. Electrical equipment is often run off the batteries and power from the diesel engine or nuclear reactor is used to charge the batteries.

How do nuclear reactors work?

Nuclear subs and aircraft carriers are powered by nuclear reactors that are nearly identical to the reactors used in commercial power plants. The reactor produces heat to generate steam to drive a steam turbine. The turbine in a ship directly drives the propellers, as well as electrical generators. The two major differences between commercial reactors and reactors in nuclear ships are: 1 The reactor in a nuclear ship is smaller. 2 The reactor in a nuclear ship uses highly enriched fuel to allow it to deliver a large amount of energy from a smaller reactor.

What is the difference between a nuclear reactor and a commercial reactor?

The two major differences between commercial reactors and reactors in nuclear ships are: The reactor in a nuclear ship is smaller . The reactor in a nuclear ship uses highly enriched fuel to allow it to deliver a large amount of energy from a smaller reactor.

Is a diesel submarine a hybrid?

A diesel submarine is a very good example of a hybrid vehicle . Most diesel subs have two or more diesel engines. The diesel engines can run propellers or they can run generators that recharge a very large battery bank. Or they can work in combination, one engine driving a propeller and the other driving a generator.

What is a submarine?

Advertisement. A submarine (or a spaceship, for that matter) is a sealed container that contains people and a limited supply of air. There are three things that must happen in order to keep air in a submarine breathable: Oxygen has to be replenished as it is consumed.

How is oxygen released?

Oxygen is either released continuously by a computerized system that senses the percentage of oxygen in the air, or it is released in batches periodically through the day . Carbon dioxide can be removed from the air chemically using soda lime (sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide).

Where does oxygen come from?

Oxygen is supplied either from pressurized tanks, an oxygen generator (which can form oxygen from the electrolysis of water or by some other means) or some sort of "oxygen canister" (You may remember these canisters because of their problems on the MIR space station -- they release oxygen by a very hot chemical reaction).

What happens when oxygen is too low?

Oxygen has to be replenished as it is consumed. If the percentage of oxygen in the air falls too low, a person suffocates. Carbon dioxide must be removed from the air. As the concentration of carbon dioxide rises, it becomes a toxic gas.

What are the gases in the air we breathe?

The air we breathe is made up of significant quantities of four gases: Nitrogen (78 percent) Oxygen (21 percent) Argon (0.94 percent) Carbon dioxide (0.04 percent) When we breathe in air, our bodies consume its oxygen and convert it to carbon dioxide. Exhaled air contains about 4.5-percent carbon dioxide. Our bodies do not do anything ...