Technology

This Supersonic Submarine Will Take You From Shanghai To San Francisco In Under 2 Hours

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Supersonic Submarine

According to the researchers that are working on this ambitious project, the craft will make use of a radical new technique in order to generate a ‘bubble’ around itself that will reduce drag drastically. Which will eventually able to reach San Francisco from Shanghai in under two hours.

Theoretically speaking, a super-cavitation vessel is able to achieve the speed of sound while being submerged (that amounts to about 5,800 Km/hr). This research is being carried out by a team of scientists at Harbin Institute of Technology’s Complex Flow and Heat Transfer Lab.

Chinese-Supersonic-Submarine

Professor of Fluid Machinery and Engineering, Li Fengchen says that he is ‘very excited by its potential’. The submarine is basically inspired from a Soviet technology that was developed during the Cold War era. Soviet made a super-cavitation torpedo known as Shakval that could reach speeds of 370Km/hr or more upon being fired.

The system in question, in simple words, constantly ‘showers’ a particular special liquid membrane on its surface thus creating a ‘bubble’ that reduces drag. The submarine goes to the supercavitation state upon reaching a speed of 75Km/hr. However, Li has admitted that a number of challenges need to be overcome before this submarine travelling can become feasible. For instance; a powerful rocket engine for the underwater craft still has to be developed.

Li also said; ‘If a swimsuit can create and hold many tiny bubbles in water, it can significantly reduce the water drag; swimming in water could be as effortless as flying in the sky.’

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