Can Bernoulli's Law Increase the Depth Range of Submarines?

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    Bernoulli Submarine
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the application of Bernoulli's law to submarines, specifically exploring whether a jet engine-like mechanism could be used to increase the depth range of submarines by manipulating water pressure around them. The conversation includes theoretical considerations of fluid dynamics, pressure changes, and energy conservation in the context of submarine design.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose using a jet engine-like device to speed up water around a submarine, suggesting that this could decrease pressure according to Bernoulli's law.
  • Others argue that simply speeding up the water does not necessarily decrease pressure, especially if energy is being added to the system, as in the case of a turbine or pump.
  • A participant suggests that a rocket engine could be an alternative method to increase speed and potentially enable super cavitation.
  • Some participants mention that moving through a fluid creates non-uniform pressure distributions, which could allow for greater depth survival if the submarine's structure is optimized.
  • There are discussions about the implications of energy conservation, noting that Bernoulli's equation applies only when no energy is added to the system.
  • One participant clarifies that the pressure in a high-velocity jet created by a pump would not be lower than the surrounding water due to the energy input from the pump.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the exit pressure from a turbine must be higher than ambient pressure for flow to occur, complicating the application of Bernoulli's principle in this context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the application of Bernoulli's law to the proposed submarine design, with no consensus reached on whether the suggested mechanisms would effectively increase depth range. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of energy addition on pressure changes.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include assumptions about the behavior of fluids under varying conditions, the dependence on specific designs of propulsion systems, and the complexity of real-world fluid dynamics that may not be fully captured by Bernoulli's equation.

Beeld
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Hi people,

It may be a strange question, or impossible, but maybe you could help me out.

It's about submarines, high pressure and Bernoulli's law.

What if we build some kind of jet engine-like thing on the front of the submarine, not to 'pull' it forward, but to speed up the water direct next to the submarine. In this was, following Bernoulli's law, when the velocity of the water increases, the pressure must decrease?

Will the submarine implode later than a similar submarine without this stuff? If we assume that the water coming out of the engine covers the whole side.

More simplified: Can you use the decreasing pressure effect from Bernoulli's law to help increase the depth range of a submarine?

Just curious...

The attachment includes a simple picture to make the story more clear.
 

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  • bernoulli saving submarine.jpg
    bernoulli saving submarine.jpg
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Speeding up the water doesn't decrease the pressure, depending on how the water's speed is increased. In the case of a turbine, the exhaust at the exit nozzle would have higher velocity and higher pressure, since the engine peforms work on the water.
 
rcgldr said:
In the case of a turbine, the exhaust at the exit nozzle would have higher velocity and higher pressure, since the engine peforms work on the water.

How about a rocket engine to speed up the submarine? In case of torpedos it even enables super cavitation.
 
DrStupid said:
How about a rocket engine to speed up the submarine? In case of torpedos it even enables super cavitation.
In general, moving through a fluid makes the otherwise uniform pressure distribution non-uniform. If the structure is optimized for this, it might survive at greater depths when moving than when static.
 
Beeld said:
Hi people,

It may be a strange question, or impossible, but maybe you could help me out.

It's about submarines, high pressure and Bernoulli's law.

What if we build some kind of jet engine-like thing on the front of the submarine, not to 'pull' it forward, but to speed up the water direct next to the submarine. In this was, following Bernoulli's law, when the velocity of the water increases, the pressure must decrease?

Will the submarine implode later than a similar submarine without this stuff? If we assume that the water coming out of the engine covers the whole side.

More simplified: Can you use the decreasing pressure effect from Bernoulli's law to help increase the depth range of a submarine?

Just curious...

The attachment includes a simple picture to make the story more clear.
Yes, why not. Nice idea. (Water stream pump decreasing the pressure)

We could also spin the water around the submarine. (A centrifugal pump decreasing the pressure)
 
Last edited:
Thank another question to make something clear. Please see the attachment picture. Is it true what I'm describing? The black thing is an jet engine-like thing which sucks the water in the front.
 

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  • pressure.png
    pressure.png
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No - the pump is adding energy to the stream, so the static pressure in the high velocity jet will be basically the same as in the surrounding water.
 
Beeld said:
Thank another question to make something clear. Please see the attachment picture. Is it true what I'm describing? The black thing is an jet engine-like thing which sucks the water in the front.

I know others have said it, but I'll say it a slightly different way


The reason that the pressure is lower when velocity is higher is essentially because of conservation of energy (namely bernouilli's equation,) so an increase in kinetic energy comes from a decrease in pressure

But, like with any form of conservation of energy, it only applies when no energy is being added to the system.

In your situation, though, the engine is adding energy, so the water does indeed have more velocity, but that velocity comes from the energy of the engine, instead of the energy of the pressure. (So pressure is still the same.)
 
The exit pressure from a turbine has to be higher than ambient, otherwise there would be no flow out of the turbine. Once past the exit nozzle, then no more work is done, Bernoulli applies, and the pressure decreases as the water continues to accelerate (until the pressure gradient becomes zero or negative and the pressure returns to ambient). There are complicating factors such as interaction with the surrounding flow and viscosity.
 
Last edited:
  • #10
Ah well, that makes sense. Bernoulli is actually just some application of the first law of thermodynamics. Thanks!
 

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