Silent Submarine Propulsion with High-Efficiency Magnetohydrodynamic Drive

Year : 2025 | Volume : 15 | Issue : 01 | Page : 41 55
    By

    Rathindra Nath Biswas,

  1. Deputy General Manager, In-Charge (Retired), MECON, Durgapur, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion is an exciting technology that can be easily incorporated into a new submarine or existing one can also be upgraded by replacing the propeller drive with a MHD drive without difficulty. This new technology would provide many advantages like a stealth operation, no cavitation, greater maneuverability, increased payload, addition of an emergency drive system, etc. The design of an MHD motor is very simple and consists of superconducting magnetic coils made of NbTi wire with copper cores wound in the shape of a saddle and mounted on a hollow duct fixed to the hull of the watercraft. The superconducting magnetic coils can circulate a very large current producing a very strong magnetic field. After the current in the superconducting coils is established the power supply can be theoretically cut off when the current circulates indefinitely because resistance is nil. The coils are to be submerged in liquid helium to cool the same to -269°C, a few degrees above absolute zero enabling the coils to have superconducting properties. The MHD motor suspended from the hull of the submarine applies a very strong external electromagnetic field to the conducting seawater present in the hollow MHD duct and simultaneously a strong electric field is applied causing a very high current to flow through the conducting fluid generating Lorentz force. The excited Lorentz force applied on the conducting seawater pushes the seawater from the inlet duct to the outlet nozzle and propels the marine vessel by reaction. Key performance factors that affect the power output and efficiency of MHD drive are mainly the generation of magnetic field and electrical conductivity of seawater. The conductivity can be increased locally by the seeding process by the addition of alkali or acid to seawater that reduces the ohmic loss but at the cost of pollution to the marine environment.

Keywords: Magnetohydrodynamic, superconductor, seeding, ReBCO, tesla, Reynolds number

[This article belongs to Trends in Mechanical Engineering & Technology ]

How to cite this article:
Rathindra Nath Biswas. Silent Submarine Propulsion with High-Efficiency Magnetohydrodynamic Drive. Trends in Mechanical Engineering & Technology. 2025; 15(01):41-55.
How to cite this URL:
Rathindra Nath Biswas. Silent Submarine Propulsion with High-Efficiency Magnetohydrodynamic Drive. Trends in Mechanical Engineering & Technology. 2025; 15(01):41-55. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/tmet/article=2025/view=213020


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Regular Issue Subscription Review Article
Volume 15
Issue 01
Received 26/02/2025
Accepted 11/04/2025
Published 28/04/2025
Publication Time 61 Days
262

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