Monday 30 March 2015

Why is controlling the buoyancy a critical feature of a submarine?

Submarines are vessels that stay underwater and travel long distances. Due to the nature of their application, they have to dive in the water, rise up to the surface and/or maintain a constant depth. All of this cannot be done without a knowledge and control of buoyancy. 


Buoyancy is the phenomenon in which a fluid exerts an upward force on an object immersed in it. This upward force is known as the buoyant force. If...

Submarines are vessels that stay underwater and travel long distances. Due to the nature of their application, they have to dive in the water, rise up to the surface and/or maintain a constant depth. All of this cannot be done without a knowledge and control of buoyancy. 


Buoyancy is the phenomenon in which a fluid exerts an upward force on an object immersed in it. This upward force is known as the buoyant force. If the object is able to control the buoyancy and displace as much fluid as its own volume, then it will be submerged. If the density of the object is more than that of the fluid, it will be submerged. 


A submarine uses this knowledge to its advantage. When a submarine has to dive, it takes in water in the ballast tanks (which increases the submarine's density, allowing it to submerge). When it has to rise up, the submarine can release the water from the ballast tanks, thereby decreasing its density and thus rising up. It can also control its level by maintaining a certain amount of water in the ballast tanks.


Thus, submarines control buoyancy for their operation in the water.


Hope this helps.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How can a 0.5 molal solution be less concentrated than a 0.5 molar solution?

The answer lies in the units being used. "Molar" refers to molarity, a unit of measurement that describes how many moles of a solu...