'Air Bubble' Submarine Pursued by China Would Be Supersonic

NewsMax ^ | August 27, 2014 | Clyde Hughes

[lbryce]

The "air bubble" theory that would allow a submarine to move through the ocean at supersonic speed could be closer to reality through the work of Chinese scientists.

Called "supercavitating," the theory is being developed into new technology by scientists at the Harbin Institute of Technology's Complex Flow and Heat Transfer Lab, according to the South China Morning Post, and it could allow a submarine to reach supersonic speed underwater.

The "air bubble" technology would allow a submarine to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco in less than two hours, if the technology can actually be pulled off, according to the newspaper.

[lbryce]

My own experimentation with air bubbles has proven otherwise.

[ArtDodger]

Just curious.. what happens to the crew and passengers when a supersonic submarine hits something hard enough to breech the hull?

[Pecos]

Early termination of the trip.

[Rocky]

Look out for whales.

[wetphoenix]

~Early termination of the trip.~

LOL. I don’t know how is this technology any viable for traveling. Isn’t it easier to take a plane?

[Vaquero]

Sounds like a bubble in the bath tub

[Dr. Ursus]

Bubbles are just for show!

[Recompennation]

Yep sounds like a lot of hot air. Heat of compression,combustion, exhaust, air up water down. Erosion/cavitation?

[Perdogg]

It is called Supercavitation.

[Pecos]

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is. Writers of pieces like this should learn one word, if nothing else. That word is "scalability". Learn how to spell it. Use it often. The Russians have built and deployed torpedoes that sheath themselves in air bubbles, and they can go upwards of 200 knots, as I understand it. But only for a short distance.

Shanghai to San Francisco is 6145 statute miles, along a great circle route, which would call for the submarine to burrow its way through Japan on the way to the West Coast. Also, in order to make this trip in the advertised 100 minutes, it would have to travel at 3840 mph, or almost twice the speed of an SR-71.

This is not on my Short List of Things to Worry About.

[ryan71]

The Russians did this with a sort of under water missile. Problem was it was point and shoot. It couldn’t maneuver well. Seems putting people on something like that is suicidal.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

It works for torpedos so they may be able to adapt it for larger scale but the amount of energy needed would be enormous. There is also the issue of transitioning from 1200 fps to regular speed. If not done carefully the sudden slow down would plaster the crew against the hull. I wonder if China is working on an inertial dampening system?

[Morpheus2009]

It sounds more like something you would use fir a torpedo tgan for a sub. Think about it. A supersonic torpedo would be hard to miss. And would probably rip one through a ship. The air bubble travel may not sound workable, but it takes the actual resiatance to travelling through water down. We launch missiles out of submarines with a bubble effect.

[BBB333]

Captain Sun Ting Wong

Navigator Wi Tu Lo

Chief Petty Officer Ho Lee Fuk

First Mate Bang Ding Ow

[DaveA37]

I’m no scientist but wouldn’t inertia have an influence, not to mention gravity? Going from “zero” mph to in excess of 3000 mph has got to have some effect.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Sun Ting Wong

Sum Ting Wong. You no spell good.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

They’re working on a way to get troops in large numbers over here in a hurry. When they do, we’re going to find out that Sum Ting Wong. Just wait and see.

[samtheman]

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.

—Albert Einstein

[Fai Mao]

“Captain Sun Ting Wong

Navigator Wi Tu Lo

Chief Petty Officer Ho Lee Fuk

First Mate Bang Ding Ow”

And the cook: Wu Flung Dung

[Captain Rhino]

Assuming the very considerable technological hurdles could be overcome, the trip would be faster than a commercial airliner flight across the Pacific.

Since this a technology limited to transoceanic travel, it would operate only between the margins of the 1/4 of the Earth’s surface where human beings actually live. Once you reach the shoreline, onward travel would involve debarking and continuing on by conventional jet. Kind of inconvenient for the passengers.

Might be better just to develop a much more economical successor to the Concorde so the tickets don’t cost $10,000 per trip or a hypersonic airliner whose globe spanning speed really would justify the ticket cost. Then you could offer point to point supersonic travel without interruption.