WO2010150285A2

WO2010150285A2 - Combat submarine ballast system & ice hull

Info

Publication number: WO2010150285A2
Application number: PCT/IN2010/000434
Authority: WO
Inventors: Srivastava Arunabh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-06-25
Filing date: 2010-06-25
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 2011-12-25
Also published as: WO2010150285A3

Abstract

A submarine Ice Ballast System (IBS) based on water, air and ice is provided The ice can be formed using chilled water and air Its state can be changed from solid to liquid and vice versa solidliquid). The IBS comprises an ice hull (2) around the core pressure hull (5) and along the outermost metal hull (1), acting as a natural ballast system comprising a layer of ice within the submarine's external hull It provides a submarine with the unique capability to sink and dive by adding weight and buoyancy using ice The ice layer onboard protects the crew from portable water shortage, torpedo attack as well as hull rupture, and adds stealth and speed besides rescuing the crew and machines from lethal pressure depths of the sea.

Description

Combat Submarine Ballast system & Ice hull

Technical Field: 0001 Naval Defense Systems (Submarine). A submarine is typically considered an autonomous vessel capable of moving forward and changing directions under water, capable of navigating in high seas with sea keeping capabilities, and capable of safely operating under water. Since the displacement of a vessel on the surface of the water is dependent on its weight, it can be controlled by using ballast. Ballast is usually water that is allowed to enter a vessel into sealed hull compartments. In submarines water is added to ballast compartments to help them sink below the water surface. This can be looked at as either reducing the displacement of a vessel or increasing its weight; both have the same mathematical effect. In submarine terminology adding ballast water is typically viewed as reducing the vessel's buoyancy. When the ballast compartments are full (with water) they are looked at as being essentially neutrally buoyant, and thus accounting for no buoyant force on the vessel. The mass of this ballast compartments must still be considered in the energy required to propel the vessel underwater. These ballast compartments are often called variable displacement, since they allow water to enter and reduce the buoyancy of a vessel by reducing its displacement.

hi modern submarines a ballast system may comprise 1) the main internal ballast compartment, 2) main external ballast compartments (MBT), 3) trim ballast compartments, 4) semi- controllable ballast zones with each internal ballast compartment(s) typically opening to the external main ballast tank which typically opens to the outside environment via Kingston valve. An Ice Ballast System (IBS) can be built in between the MBT and pressure hull to augment the strength of both the external hull and the pressure hull. It can easily be built around the pressure hull by covering the pressure hull with a thin flexible polymer balloon type covering the entire pressure hull and along the inside of the outer hull with air and water in between the two ice layers. The electricity so required to maintain the ice can be drawn from the regular electrical supply of the submarine. The quantity of ice can be added or reduced to balance the submarine to the line of gravity. In case some area can not be covered due to equipments or some other reason it does not hamper the normal functioning of the sub. Its small tanks can also act like fillers or padding which will help in the time of crisis. To build an Ice hull 100% pure drinkable water which upon freezing becomes transparent and is extremely hard to crack is recommended. The freezing can be done in layers of concentric circles to stretchable limits (10-15%) or more as the threat requirement might be. At freezing temperature it is almost strong like a rock and acts like "ARMOR" to the pressure hull which is the core of the submarine. Even if the same point is hit repeatedly 5 (say) times with great explosive power the chances of breaking the hull to shatter and damage the pressure hull becomes considerably reduced. It acts like a bulletproof jacket which gives a second chance to live. The Ice Ballast system can be extended to the smaller compartments like the Trim ballast compartments as well.

In case the threat is great and uncontrollable it is better to run out of damaged external hull and face the enemy with better preparations later. For that the crew can decide to "EJECT" from the main submarine carrying along with them the pressure hull and propeller with all men and machine intact. The 'Eject' mechanism can be mechanically inbuilt at the front bow end of the sub depending upon the internal structure of the sub. The Ice hull thus acts like an efficient "Rescue Boat" with every vital object intact. It is sometimes a better option to surface and run away than to die helpless undersea as many of the case studies tell us.

In case of a deadly rupture in the outer hull where the sea water rushes in to further damage the vital parts of the submarine. The crew may try to plug in the holes when the sea is simply uncontrollable. But if they fail the submarine enters into a vicious cycle dragnet. With every drop of sea water coming in the pressure further increases which ruptures the steel hull forcing sea water to drown the submarine. In that case the crew needs an efficient backup system which can turn the disadvantage of seawater into an advantage. In that case the Ice hull (IH) and Ice ballast System (IBS) come to their rescue. Upon coming in contact with the sea water the Ice hull floats to increase the overall positive buoyancy of the submarine and lifts the submarine taking it out of the vicious cycle dragnet. Thus it acts like a natural "Ballast System". The ballast system being such crucial to the functioning of the submarine that we need to have a backup, more reliable system and not made of several loosely joined complicated system of nuts and bolts, of which failure of any one screw under sea might be disastrous. During peace time the test conditions are simple and one may find a ready help well within time but during extreme testing war conditions if the mechanical system of compressed air system mall functions at least one has another reliable natural system to fall back upon for help.

The invention therefore provides a device for rescuing men and material from ocean bed in a worst case scenario where neither men nor any machine can reach out to help the dying men fighting for their respective countries in those crucial early hours when they need help the most. Background Art:

0002Archimede's Law and Submarines: Water is virtually incompressible. As a result, the volume of a submerged body such as a submarine is constant (neglecting the compression of the hull due to pressure). Consequently, the buoyant force is a constant. "Positive buoyancy" occurs when the weight of the submarine is less than the buoyant force and causes the submarine to rise to the surface. "Negative buoyancy" occurs when the weight of the submarine is greater than the buoyant force and causes the submarine to sink. "Neutral buoyancy" refers to the condition where the weight of the submarine exactly matches the buoyant force, so that it neither floats to the surface, nor sinks to the bottom. True "neutral buoyancy" is impossible to obtain. Consequently, a submarine at rest will rise to the surface or sink to the bottom.

Typically, a conventional submarine would come to a stop on the surface, close all hatches and open the ballast tank valves. As the tanks are filled with water, the submarine would slowly disappear from sight. Once submerged, the valves would be closed, but the submarine was already negatively buoyant and momentum was taking it deeper. As the hull gets compressed, the buoyant force decreases and the submarine start to sink faster. Water would be pumped from the tanks, until the submarine gained sufficient buoyancy to arrest its descent. By this time, the submarine would be positively buoyant and it would begin to rise. As the submarine rose, the hull would expand, increasing the positive buoyancy and increasing the rate of ascent until the valves were opened and sufficient water was added to stop the ascent and start the cycle all over again. The only way to control depth was to keep the submarine moving and use "horizontal rudders" or dive planes.

But all these functioning fail in case the submarine hull is punctured or collapses due to some reason giving way to seawater and the very system which was supposed to protect the crew becomes a deadly inescapable trap. Summary Of Invention

So a need exists for a Ballast System which is accurate and realistic and can be constructed using a mix of existing ballast systems using a natural material like 'Ice'. An "Ideal Ballast system" is one easily accommodating with the existing ballast technologies and its use improves the safety of the crew first besides increasing the efficiency of depth and speed capability of the submarine. Technical Problems:

0003_Since the year 2000, there have been nineteen major naval incidents involving twenty submarines: eight American submarines, five Russian, four British, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Australian, and one French. This only shows that somewhere we are still lacking behind in the submarine technology and a need for invention exists for improving the ballast technology of a submarine. The following major reasons were found out from the reacent major submarine mishaps.

1. A leak of hydrogen peroxide in the forward torpedo room created a blast.

2. The failure of a seawater hose at its maximum diving depth.The engine room was flooded.

3. Diesels sucking oxygen out of the inside of the submarine, suffocating the crew.

4. The hull collapsed after the boat exceeded her maximum design depth.

5. A fault in the snorkel sunk the submarine.

These repeated accidents across the globe exhibit a need for a Ballast System which is accurate and realistic and can be constructed using a mix of existing ballast systems using a natural floating material like 'Ice' exists.

Solution to Problem 0004 Law of Floatation: The simple law of floatation states that when the weight of the volume of mass displaced is greater than the weight of the body (submarine), the body floats on water.

The density of 'Ice' is less than that of sea water.

For a modern submarine, a number of different ballast tanks systems were identified. These types can roughly be grouped into three different ways of operation: (A) mechanical attenuated systems (piston, membrane and bellow), (B) Pump systems (flexible tank, pressure tank) and (C) gas operated (CO2, liquid gas and pressurized air).

The mechanical attenuated tanks are ones that control the buoyancy in the most accurate way but they are rather slow.

Pump systems are relatively easy to construct because they use few parts.

The gas operated tanks are the most complex systems but are very similar to the live scale submarine technology. With gas systems the blowing of the MBT can be carried out very fast, in fact even an emergency blow can be carried out! So we can say an "Ideal Ballast system" is one:

• That controls the buoyancy in the most accurate way and is not slow.

• Fail proof and can withstand the rigors of a harsh undersea environment.

• Expandable as the need arises, reducible when not in need. • Easy to construct and uses few parts and are not complex.

• The blowing of the MBT can be carried out very fast; even an emergency blow can be carried out.

• Low cost and easy to maintain.

• Easily accommodating with the existing ballast technologies. • Its use improves the depth and speed of the submarine.

An Ideal Ballast System should add or augment the following features into a submarine from a real time undersea combat point of view. The Ice hull adds or improves the following features in a combat submarine due to its presence with in the system: • Stealth- Many electromagnetic waves and signatures unknowingly emanating out of various electronic equipments remain under cover of the Ice hull making it difficult for the enemy radar to detect the submarine thus adding to its much needed Stealth capability.

• Armor- It acts as a reusable, modifiable second line of defense for the pressure hull. The Ice hull acts as an excellent armor protecting the inner core.

• Noise Reduction- Noise generated from running machine parts get reduced due to Ice hull making it difficult for the noise detecting radars to detect the submarine.

• Hull Flexibility- When the hull needs to be extra padded against the enemy attack the thickness of the Ice hull can be changed as per requirement See Fig.3 of drawing sheet. • Sea Water Leakage turned to advantage- The Ice hull helps to increase the positive buoyancy of the submarine upon coming in contact of sea water, thus in case of MBT rupture the sea water floats the submarine instead of sinking it.

• Multiple close ranges hit tolerance capability-The Ice hull is very durable and strong, only an accurate 90 degree impact can create a crack in Ice hull other wise the surface of Ice hull makes the attack very much ineffective.

• Reusability-The Ice hull can be used and reused multiple times on sea without surfacing. • State Change-The Ice hull can assume all the 3 states solid, liquid and gas making it easy to use and adding strength to the submarines requirements. The state change capability of the ice multiplies the submarine efficiency manifold.

• Low Cost-The Ice hull can be built at very low cost unlike steel hulls and other special alloys which are difficult to produce and repair once damaged.

• Greater Depth: The Ice Ballast besides acting as a ballast also helps in reaching greater depths as it can endure greater pressure than the metal hull. The compressed air cushion of the MBT acts as a support. Under greater pressure the ice ruptures and joins again like human bones to adjust to the changing environment. This flexibility improves performance.

• Higher Speed: Ice in water being light acts like a feather in the air. Other artificial materials like metal add friction to the movement of the submarine whereas ice lifts the whole structure upward adding buoyancy and improving the overall speed of the submarine. • Air Independence: The stealth capability of the submarine gets limited when it has to surface to fill up its air tanks due to air dependence which it uses every time it blows its tanks for rising and sinking. With IBS 'air independence' is achieved as to sink water is expelled not air and to rise water is taken in not air. At the surface when the air availability is abundant air intake is massive,this expels water from ballast which sinks the submarine under theeffect of its own dry weight. So the use of scarce air is limited to very few occasions than in conventional submarines.

0005 Problem identification and solution by using "Ice hull (IH) / Ice Ballast System (IBS)".

1. With every meter descent below sea level the pressure due to sea water can rupture the outer hull causing the submarine to sink further below.

Sol-Ice hull (IH) and IBS creates Positive buoyancy on coming in contact with the sea water which lifts the submarine up instead of sinking it (See Fig.8 of drawing sheet).

2. The crew gets trapped in submarine and dies.

Sol- The IBS crew escapes death and surfaces safely in Ice hull instead of dying.

3. Any accidental collision can act like a death blow. Sol- Accidental collision sends signal to eject IBS instead of sinking along with the sub.

4. Explosives, mines and torpedoes primarily aim to rupture the metal hull and sink the submarine. The rest of the damage is done by the sea water. Sol- IBS rupture draws sea water , on coming in contact with sea water Positive buoyancy increases, thus instead of sinking the IBS sub floats.

5. In case of total system shutdown the crew and the navy are helpless.

Sol- Even at the bottom of the sea a manual IBS "Eject" can bring up the submarine core pressure hull along with men and machine safely to the surface of the sea within 1 hour.

6. No amount of effort from the surface can come to a sinking submarines rescue. Sol-True, but the sub's men and machine can rescue themselves with IBS / Ice hull.

7. If a high power explosive damages the hull slightly the hull cannot be rebuilt under the sea within 24 hours.

Sol- The IBS / Ice hull being purely made of Ice the damaged portion can be very easily rebuilt without surfacing.

8. The damaged hull cannot be reused.

Sol- The IBS / Ice hull can be rebuilt as many times as required and requires no great effort.

9. The Air-dependent Ballast system becomes ineffective to bring back the crew to surface safely. Sol-Ice based ballast system (IBS) substitutes the ballast system naturally in case of a system shutdown.

10. The ballast system or the present external hull can not be rebuilt as per the increased threat perception (ex. Bomb resistance from lbomb ->5 bomb attacks) Sol- In case of increased threat perception the thickness of IBS Ice hull can be increased as per requirement See Fig.7.

11. A half damaged hull does just the opposite of what it was supposed to do->protect the men from harsh sea. Sol-Even a partially damaged IBS Ice hull protects and rescues the men from deep sea below See Fig.9 of Drawing Sheet.

12. A damaged metal hull cannot do the twin job of hull and rescue boat. Sol-IBS / Ice hull does the twin job of protective hull, ballast and rescue boat without fuel.

13. The metal hull and other systems depend upon electricity and fuel to function properly. Sol-IBS / Ice hull does not depend upon electricity or fuel to function properly.

14. The metal hull can not do the j ob of a ballast system.

Sol-IBS / Ice hull also does the job of a ballast system, when not in contact of sea water it increases the negative buoyancy and helps to sink the sub and when in contact of sea water it increases Positive buoyancy and helps the sub to float upwards to ward the sea surface.

15. The present ballast and rescue systems are too complicated. A single loose screw can damage the whole system during testing times of war. See Fig.10 of Drawing Sheet. Sol-IBS / Ice hull is very simple to construct & reconstruct even in crucial testing times.

16. Fire safety and water availability remain un-addressed. Sol- Drinkable water can be made available from Ice hull. It acts like a large storage of potable water in sea. A damaged ice-hull acts as a fresh water reserve in harsh sea conditions. Heat converts ice into water.

17. Metal hull is very costly to build and rebuild as per changing requirements of war. Sol- IBS / Ice hull is very cheap and simple to build and rebuild during action.

18. Metal hulls are difficult to reshape, costly and requires crucial manpower during war. Sol-IBS / Ice hull can be reshaped as per internal requirements and is not costly.

19. Present ballast system does not support the pressure hull in deep sea diving.

Sol-IBS / Ice hull increases the strength of the pressure hull and helps to withstand extreme deep sea pressure.

20. A damaged metal hull does not rescue machine especially nuclear fuel. Sol-Ice hull rescues men, machine and nuclear fuel as is.

21. Breach of limits by seawater sinks submarine.

Sol- Breach of limits of seawater on coming in contact with the IBS / Ice hull floats the sub.

22. Sea Water based ballast system do not have a 'state-change advantage'.

Sol- Ice based Ballast System has a natural advantage of 'state-change', solid to liquid and back. As such the ballast need not be emptied completely every time with the change of depth.

23. Increase in speed and depth is very limited as the capacity of the ballast can not be varied.

Sol- Ice based ballast gives the freedom to vary the ballast capacity on sea. So one can increase the thickness and change the ballast capacity as well which also increase the speed and depth capacity of the submarine.

24. At present stable depth control at zero velocity is not possible without hydroplanes. Sol- Stable depth control at zero velocity is possible in IBS due to floatation capacity of ice.

25. At times one might need to become completely Air-Independent as it requires to surface frequently.

Sol-Air Independence helps in increasing stealth capacity as one does not require air for frequent use and the job of floatation and sinking can be done efficiently using Ice Ballast system.

Ice Ballast System (IBS) Specifications:

1. The total weight of the Ice hull should be greater than the dry weight of pressure hull and non-ice equipments to create an effective "Eject" at the time of rescue, the more the better (> 110%).

2. Real challenge comes in making the Ice hull with correct alignment to the earth line of gravity. In a normal upright position. See fϊg.7 of drawing sheet,4 represents the ice hull around PH. 3. If the pressure hull is heavier than the upper portion of the ice hull then the Center of Gravity of the pressure hull will remain normal (as on earth). To solve this problem ice should be evenly frozen on top than below the pressure hull so as not to disturb the center of gravity. The low CG point sinks a damaged submarine faster. This can be nullified by freezing more ice on top of the pressure hull than below it.

4. If more ice is frozen below the pressure hull then at the time of Eject, this ice will try to float above the pressure hull, which will result in inverting the pressure hull upside down leaving the pressure hull and crew like an unbalanced hanging hollow metal in water, though moving upward towards the surface. 5. It is best to use pure drinkable water in constructing this Ice hull.

6. It would be better to create the Ice hull at the docks than doing it undersea though possible.

7. Layers of ice can be built using a stretchable polymer casings or balloon like material which will keep water separated from ice. Later the ice so formed itself facilitates further formation of ice and maintaining constant temperature.

8. The ice layer maintains the internal temperature near 4 degree like an igloo and protects from subzero temperatures of the sea.

9. Even broken pieces of ice can act like life saving jackets.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

OOOόThe Invention gives us an alternative natural ballast system technology which is not very costly and is easy to maintain. The Ice Ballast system can multiply its role as an-armor and a rescue boat to save the crew trapped under tons of seawater pressure. Even if a submarine uses smaller pieces of ice chunks within or outside any submarine to protect its vulnerable exposed body parts the ice chunks act like a natural ballast and a protective armour cover. Such a low cost solution can be used in transport of shallow passenger vessels as well keeping in mind passenger safety. In extreme case of danger the ice-hull will rupture to indicate danger but will still hold water from getting in. The problem of carrying potable drinking water in sea can be put to protective use as well. Brief Description of Drawings

0007 Figure 1 is the side interior cross section view of a submarine's approximate locations of the different tanks comprising ballast system in a modern diesel electric submarine.

1- Main Ballast Tank, 2-Fuel tanks, 3-Trim Tanks, 4-Pressure Hull, 5-Free Flood Area,6-Trim Tank,7-Torpedo Ballast Tank.

Fig.2 shows different locations of pressure hull (PH) and ballast tanks (BT) in a submarine.

Fig.3 shows Ice Ballast system (IBS) cross section with Ice Hull (IH) between PH and MBT and different possible locations of the main ballast tank.

Fig.4 shows a comparative difference in surfacing submarine using conventional ballast and IBS.

Fig.5 shows a comparative difference in submerging submarine using conventional ballast and

IBS.

Fig.6 shows the internal cross section of the Ice Ballast System (IBS).

Fig.7 shows the stages of building an IBS construction within a submarine. The Ice Hull (IH) is built around the pressure hull of the submarine then the outer ice hull along the outer metal frame should be built as the inner hull IH is more important from the safety point of view. At stage 1 the alignment with the earths line of gravity should be taken care of. The importance of internal IH is demonstrated as a standby natural rescue boat like performance exhibited in Fig.8 which shows the Ice Hull acting like an efficient 'Rescue System and Armor' against external attack like a torpedo which helps the crewto escape danger.

Fig.9 shows the pressure Hull 'Eject'action from the main damaged hull. The covering Ice Hull rescues men and machine safely to sea surface like a rescue boat.

Fig.10 shows conventional submarine special ballast tank (safety tank) A complicated Safety

Device which might malfunction in extreme conditions.

Description Of Embodiments

Description: Fig.6 and 7 shows The Pressure Hull (PH) and the Ballast tank(s) are the main components of a submarine. 1 is external metal hull, 2 is the external Ice Hull along the inner metal hull lining inside a thin flexible polymer to separate it from water and air layer 3 as are in all conventional normal submarines. 4 is the inner ice hull over the pressure hull wrapped in a flexible polymer containers or balloon like material to separate water from ice so that ice made from water can rettain a hemispherical like shape for longer period and 5 is the inner most pressure hull where crew live and work. A similar layering can be made in all smaller tanks which constitute as part of the Ballast System shown in fig.l.

It is understood that modifications to the invention may be made as might occur to one skilled in the field of invention within the scope of the appended claims. All embodiments contemplated here under which achieve the objects of the invention have therefore could not be shown in complete detail due to many reasons beyond the inventors control. Other embodiments may be developed without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

Examples Example 1

0011 Ice Hull (IH): Ice by nature is very durable and floats on the surface of the sea floor by nature. It is pure and can be used for drinking water shortage one generally finds in a long secret journey, so one has to take or carry along a substantial amount of water along with. Just by changing the state (liquid -> Solid, water <=>frozen ice) it becomes a life saving asset rather than a load to carry along in a liquid form of same weight. It acts as a protective ballast system, body armor like fat deposit in human body and a rescue boat in times of extreme crisis. During peace time it adds to the "Stealth" of the submarine making it even more difficult to detect. Thus it's a multiple usage asset and judicious use of it can give a second chance to live for our marine brothers fighting for their respective countries. Example 2

0012 Ice Ballast System (IBS):

The newly proposed "Ice ballast system" allows the vessel (any submersible/submarine) to operate both when submerged and when on the surface of the water. The ballast system comprises the 1 main ballast systems, 2 the trim ballast system and 3 semi-controllable ballast zones that can be partially controlled when the vessel is on the surface of the water. The main ballast system is typically a staged system of fully-controllable ballast compartments, or ballast tanks, that is used in normal conditions to allow the vessel to surface and rise above the waterline, to submerge, and to attain near-neutral buoyancy under the surface. The main ballast system comprises at least one, but preferably a plurality of hull gates on the underside of the submarine. The hull gates are ports with, the "Kingston valve" that can open to allow water to enter or exit the system, and which can close water-tight to seal the system from water entry. Water flows through the hull gates from the effect of gravity /air pressure or sea-pressure. The ballast system may optionally include a pump or pump system to accelerate the flow of water through the hull gates. Such pumps and pump systems are well known to persons having ordinary skill and art.

Industrial Applicability 0013 While originally developed for military use, vessels capable of underwater operations are today for a wide variety of purposes. Modern submarines and their ballast systems are very specialized, though, varying from vessels that serve military weapons platforms to those that are used for deep-sea scientific research to those that are used for recreational shallow dives. Different vessels capable of on-sea and underwater operations with the navigation capacity and sea-keeping abilities would be extremely useful in both private industry and to the military.

The ice based 'Ice ballast system' which can be used in submarine combat can also be used in Industrial ballast system(s) applications like 'Oil Rig Ice-ballast system' where the supporting pillar(s) presently using water/air based ballast can use ice pillars from inside along with the existing water and air based ballast system ,Similarly 'Space-station rocket launch pad Ice- ballast System' can be used as to move to an exact convenient launch location on sea we need a stable Oil Rig type support structure with a fail proof Ballast system, 'On-sea Radar Station / Observatory Ice-Ballast system', many objects can not be viewed or heard clearly from land due to dust and noise pollutions . A sea based location will be more suitable but again they require a table more safe platforms like an oil rig. 'On-sea aircraft ice-tarmac', many airports have been built on sea. A time will come when we might need to build a 5 km long tarmac on sea, such a tarmac will require stability and safety which can be done using 'Ice Ballast System' like compartments joined together to form as long landing strip, 'Padded Air craft carriers' and 'Sky scrapper Buildings near Antarctica' as tourist destinations can have 'Ice Ballast System' to support pillars as one cannot buy land in Antarctica, with supporting external ice padded protective compartments as in 'Ice Ballast System' which can give us unique ability to use the vast stretches of oceans for human use using ice as ice provides an excellent self- sustaining natural support material which can be generated from sea water and maintained safely for very long period at an affordable cost which makes the technology suitable for industrial use. Similar ballast systems can also be used in 'container ocean liners & passenger ships' to give them extra carriage capacity & safety by adding side tanks of polymer filled with ice as an extra platform limit which can also withstand rough sea conditions beside supporting the ship's metal hull structure. Non Patent Literature

0018 Submarine special ballast tank (A complicated Safety Device)Compressed air in ballast tank (Fig.10 of drawing sheet). Sufficient air is left trapped in the tanks to prevent the seawater from reentering. We use other tanks, such as variable ballast tanks and special ballast tanks (for example, the negative tank, safety tank, and bow buoyancy tank), either for controlling trim or stability or for emergency weight-compensating purposes. The variable ballast tanks have no direct connection to the sea. Therefore, we must pump water into or out of them. The negative tank and the safety tank can open to the sea through large flood valves. These valves, as well as the vent valves for the main ballast tanks and those for the safety and negative tanks, are all hydraulically operated. The vents and flood valves are outside the pressure hull, so some means of remote control is needed to open and close them from within the submarine. We use hydraulic pumps, lines, and rams for this purpose. Oil pumped through tubing running through the pressure hull actuates the valve's operating mechanisms by exerting pressure on and moving a piston in a hydraulic cylinder. Operating the valves by a hydraulic system from a control room is easier and simpler than doing so by a mechanical system of gears, shafts, and levers. The hydraulic lines can be readily led around corners and obstructions, and a minimum of moving parts is required. Fig.10 is a schematic sketch of the safety tank-one of the special ballast tanks in a conventional submarine.

Live Scale Dive Technology

Basically, there are two ways to submerge a boat: dynamic diving and static diving. Many model submarines use the dynamic method while static diving is used by all military submarines. Dynamic diving boats are submarines that inherently float that is, they always have a positive buoyancy. This type of boat is made to dive by using the speed of the boat in combination with the dive planes to force the boat under water. This is very similar to the way airplanes fly. Static diving submarines dive by changing the buoyancy of the boat itself by letting water into ballast tanks. The buoyancy is thereby changed from positive to negative and the boats starts sinking. These boats do not require speed to dive hence this method is called static diving. Modern military submarines dive use a combination of dynamic and static diving. The boat submerges by filling the main ballast tanks with water. After that, the buoyancy is accurately adjusted with the trim tanks. Once underwater, the depth of the boat is controlled with the hydroplanes. In the following, the dive methods are treated in detail. We will start with static diving because this is more important for real submarines.

Static Diving Technology

In real submarines, MBT's (main ballast tanks) are filled by venting the air inside the tanks and are emptied by blowing compressed air in to them. For model submarines a number of alternative methods are available. The buoyancy of a submarine can be changed by letting water into the main ballast tanks (MBT). The MBT's can be located in three different ways: (a) inside the pressure hull, (b) outside the pressure hull as additional tanks, and (c) in between the outer hull and the pressure hull. Figure 2 of drawing sheet shows the three possible configurations of the main ballast tank.

Drawback of having the MBT inside the pressure hull is obvious: it takes up space that could otherwise be used for equipment, weapons or personnel. This MBT arrangement was used in the WW-I boats and other early submarines. The classical example of a boat with MBT's outside the pressure hull is the German Type VIIC but also American and Dutch submarines in WW-II used this design. Due to the location of the MTB's, they are called saddle tanks. Most modern military submarines use the space in-between the inner pressure hull and the outer hull (C) as MBT.

There are two different ways the MBT's can be emptied and filled in conventional ballast system submarine. These methods will be referred to as the western (USA, UK) method and the Russian method. Please note that the 'Russian' method is not exclusively Russian because it was also USeH by for examples the Dutch triple hull Dolphin class boats. Figure 4 and 5 depicts the both methods, the left hand side of the pictures shows the USA/US method, the right hand side the Russian method. When surfaced, the MBT are entirely filled with air and the main vent valves on top of the MBT are closed. In the USA/UK boats the flood opening at the bottom of the MBT always remains open. Water is prevented to enter the MBT because the air in the MBT is pressurized, at about 10 PSI. In the Russian boats, the bottom flood opening is closed with a valve, a so called Kingston. Because the Kingston prevents water entering, air in the MBT can be at approximately atmospheric pressure. To dive the boat, the vent valves on top of the ballast tanks are opened to let air escape the MBT. Because in the USA/UK boats the air is pressurized, the air roars out of the vents, resulting in a large spray of water.

In the Russian technology, the Kingstons at the bottom of the MBT also have additionally to be opened in order to let water enter the MBT. It is claimed that because the air in the USA/UK boats is pressurized (more gas in the MBT and larger friction in the vent valves) the Russian MBT is flooded more quickly.

To surface the boat, the water in the MBT's is forced out by pressurized air. When the boat is deeply submerged, the water is forced out using high pressure air to overcome the water pressure. Once the boat is near the surface, the blowing of the MBT's proceeds with low pressure air. Once at the surface, the Russian boats close the Kingston valve and then opens the main vent valve briefly to equalize the air pressure in the MBT with that of the atmosphere. In the USAAJK boats, the main vent valve remains shut to keep the air in the MBT under pressure. The pressure inside the tanks remains equal to that of the low pressure air system.

Figure 1 shows the location of the MBT's in a modern diesel electric submarine. The bulk of the MBT's are located at the bow and aft sections of the boat and a small MBT surrounds the pressure hull in the center of the boat. A large portion of the space between the pressure hull and the outer hull is occupied by the fuel tanks. It is important to note that the MBT is only used to change the buoyancy of the boat from very positive (the boat is surfaced) to slightly positive (the boat is just still on the surface, decks awash this is called). The optimal rig for a submerged boat is neutral buoyancy: the boat neither floats nor sinks. This situation is accomplished by the use of the main trim tanks (MTT) located in the center of the boat. Once the MBT is full of water, the MTT is carefully filled with water until neutral buoyancy is obtained. For a submarine with a given weight, the amount of water required inside the MTT depends on for example the salt content and the temperature of the surrounding water. Maintaining neutral buoyancy in a submarine is a continuous procedure. For example the diesel engines consume fuel and the personnel eats food so that the total weight of the boat steadily decreases during a mission. This means that while progressing with the mission, the amount of water in the MTT has to be increased to maintain neutral buoyancy. Also the density of the surrounding water plays an important role. A well known example is the downstream area of a river where fresh and salt water mix leading to a different density than in the open sea. If a submarine enters such a region, the trim has to be adjusted. For military submarines an obvious action that changes the buoyancy of the boat is the launch of a torpedo. For this purpose, military submarines have a special ballast tank located in the vicinity of the torpedo room to compensate for the weight loss of the torpedo. Usually the water level in the MTT is adjusted using high pressure pumps rather than high pressure air because the latter makes much more noise. Some of the MTT tanks can however be emptied using pressurized air to get a quick blow in case of an emergency. Once a neutral buoyancy is obtained with the MTT's, the depth of the boat can be changed using the speed of the boat and the angle of the dive planes. This is thus dynamic diving , see fig.4 and 5.

The Figure 1 is the side interior cross section view of a submarine's approximate locations of the different tanks in a modern diesel electric submarine.

1- Main Ballast Tank, 2-Fuel tanks, 3-Trim Tanks, 4-Pressure Hull, 5-Free Flood Area

6-Trim Tank, 7-Torpedo Ballast Tank.

At neutral buoyancy conditions, it is also important that the submarine maintains a horizontal angle. For this purpose the submarine is equipped with two sets of trim tanks located in the bow and aft section of the boat. Both fore and aft trim tanks are connected with a line so that water can be pumped back and forth to obtain the required horizontal angle of the boat. Further note that in the military submarine of Figure 5 a large section of the submarine is free flooded. With the use of the free flooding sections, the overall size of the ballast tanks can be kept to a minimum.

Note on gas ballast tanks

Remember the distinction made between the Russian and US/UK boats in section Static

Diving? The Russian boats use a valve, the Kingston, to seal the bottom opening of the ballast tank to prevent water entering. The US/UK boats keep the ballast tank under pressure to prevent water entering. If one only uses a gas ballast tank to adjust the buoyancy of the boat, one can run in to trouble. Let us assume that the ballast tank is halfway filled with water to get the boat at neutral buoyancy and the boat is at a depth of 1 meter. At 1 meter below the surface the pressure of the surrounding water is 0.1 bars as a result the pressure of the gas inside the ballast tanks is also at 0.1 bars. If we would move this boat upwards, the water pressure will decrease resulting in an expansion of the gas in the ballast tank. The expanding gas will force water out of the ballast tank so that the boat gets lighter and will rise even more. On the other hand, if we would move the neutral buoyancy boat downward, the gas in the tank is compressed and more water gets in to the ballast tank. This will sink the boat. We may conclude that boats with a partially filled gas ballast tank are inherently unstable. For model boats this may not be a problem as long as the depth of the boat is controlled by the hydroplanes. Stable depth control at zero velocity is however not possible. Of course if the boat is fitted with Kingston valves water cannot enter the ballast tank and the problem is solved. We are not aware of any model boats equipped with Kingston. A different way to get a stable depth control is to use the MBT either completely full or completely empty. The trim of the boat is obtained with separate trim tanks. This is called the hybrid ballast system.

0018A few historical events leading to this inventionHowever since the year 2000, there have been nineteen major naval incidents involving twenty submarines: eight American submarines, five Russian, four British, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Australian, and one French. This only shows that somewhere we are still lacking behind in the submarine technology. We shall go through a few case accidents to ascertain which area shall we closely look into to make undersea life more secure and safe.

Case- 1.Kursk Disaster

On August 12, 2000, the Russian Oscar II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea.

Reason: The generally accepted theory is that a leak of hydrogen peroxide in the forward torpedo room led to the detonation of a torpedo warhead, which in turn triggered the explosion of half a dozen other warheads about two minutes later.

Despite a rescue attempt by British and Norwegian teams, all 118 sailors and officers aboard Kursk died.

Case-2.HMAS Dechaineux flooding :

In 2005, it was revealed that Dechaineux had almost sunk in February 2003,

Reason: The failure of a seawater hose at its maximum diving depth.The engine room was flooded, with one crew member almost drowned. The maximum dive depth(300-600 mts.approx) was later reduced, but remains classified.

Case-3. Ming 361 Loss of All Personnel

• One leading theory for the accident is called engine run-on casualty. • Reason: The diesel engines was still running while the submarine is submerged, instead of switching to electric motors. This results in the diesels sucking oxygen out of the inside of the submarine, suffocating the crew.

Case-4. K- 159 Sinking

On 28 August 2003, K-159 and her pontoons were manned by ten Russian sailors and taken under tow to Polyarny. That crew kept the pontoons pressurized and the submarine hull pumped out.

Reason: On 30 August they encountered a squall that ripped away one of the pontoons.By 0300 the wreck had sunk in the Barents Sea, 238 meters down, with nine of her crew and 800 kilograms of spent nuclear fuel containing some 20 petabecquerels (600 kilocuries) of radioactivity.

Case-5. French Submarine Accidents Post 1945

25th September 1952, Submarine: Sibylle

Sibylle was lost in the Mediterranean off Toulon. All 46 crew were lost. Reason: The hull collapsed after the boat exceeded her design depth. She was formerly the British submarine HMS Sportsman.

27th January 1968, Submarine: Minerve

Minerve sank in the Mediterranean off Toulon. The wreck has never been found. Reason: A fault in the snorkel caused her loss. All 52 crew were lost.

Claims

Claims;

1. 1 Claim an electrically/mechanically operated Ice Ballast System (IBS) which is easy to build, low cost easily onsite modifiable fail-proof reusable Ice hull for generating positive buoyancy along the present existing submarine ballast systems & comprises a Ice hull around the core pressure hull and along the outermost metal hull, acting as a natural ballast system comprising of a layer of ice within the submarine's external hull capable of acting as ballast, armor, stealth layer and rescue boat to rescue men and machine from the ocean bed even in the event of total system failure during war.

2. The IBS according to claim 1, comprises all air & water storage tanks and mechanisms around a central pressure hull wrapping it with a layer of ice framework which helps keep the submarine afloat and sink as and when required.

3. The IBS according to claim 1, comprises at least one fully controllable ballast compartment which is approximately 100% of the total volume of surface displacement of the submarine and is always 110% of the total dry weight.

4.The IBS according to claim 1, container compartment(s) is made of a flexible polymer material capable of functioning under high pressure and floats in sea & freshwater.

5. The use of IBS according to claim 1 within a submarine, increases the stealth, depth, speed and overall efficiency by at least 10%.