Submerged Compartment Hose for Pressure Equalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distressed submarines face significant challenges in managing high internal pressures due to water flooding, leading to impaired breathing conditions and decompression risks during rescue, as current systems are inadequate for venting excess air at extreme depths and require power, which may be unavailable during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
A deployable hose system that creates a physical gas flow connection between the submerged vessel and the marine free surface, allowing for decompression and pressure equalization, which can be deployed by the submarine crew or rescue teams to reduce pressure and improve air quality, and is designed to withstand high external pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If powered compressors are used to vent air from the compartment, then the air pressure can be reduced rapidly, but significant power is required which may not be available during the accident
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the submarine's own ambient pressure differential to drive the venting process. The high-pressure air inside the compartment automatically flows through the hose to the surface without requiring external power or pumping, utilizing the natural pressure gradient created by the accident conditions themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces powered mechanical compressors with a passive pneumatic system. Instead of using electric motors or engines to force air out, the system allows air to escape naturally through a hose connected to the surface, substituting mechanical power with pneumatic pressure differential.
2Stress or pressure
If the submarine is located at great depths, then the external water pressure is high, but passive venting of excess air is not possible because the air pressure inside cannot exceed the water pressure outside
Solution Approach 1:
The hose acts as an intermediary channel connecting the high-pressure air space inside the submarine to the lower-pressure environment at the surface. This intermediary pathway allows air to escape from the high-pressure zone to the low-pressure zone, overcoming the barrier of deep water pressure that would otherwise prevent direct venting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions the venting problem from a horizontal constraint (water pressure at depth) to a vertical solution by extending the hose upward to the surface. This dimensional change allows the air to vent through the water column vertically, utilizing the pressure differential between depth and surface levels.
3Ease of manufacture
If rescue vessels attempt to dock with the submarine in shallow water, then the connection process is simple, but the submarine must be in shallow water which limits the operational depth range
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary depressurization of the submarine compartment before the rescue vessel arrives and attempts to dock. By reducing the internal air pressure through the hose connection to the surface, the pressure differential is decreased, making the docking process feasible even at greater depths where the submarine was previously too deep for safe rescue operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hose system effectively reduces pressure inside the submarine, preventing nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness, enabling safer conditions for the crew and facilitating secure rescue vessel docking, even at great depths without the need for power.
Implementation Method 1
The hose enables submerged vessel decompression by venting gas from the vessel and pressure equalization with the atmosphere at or near the marine free surface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for use with a submerged compartment is presented. The apparatus includes deployable physical connection hardware provided with the submerged compartment. The deployable physical connection allows for a transfer of fluid between the submerged compartment and a region near a marine free surface when deployed. The deployable physical connection hardware comprises a hose in one aspect.