HYDRAULIC JET PROPULSION

Jet-propulsion devices are not limited to using gases as working fluid; liquids, such as water, may also be used. A simple example of a liquid jet device that operates on the reaction pecation is the spinning lawn sprinkler.

Attempts to develop hydraulic jet propulsion for ships were made by British and Swedish engineers as early as the 1920s. In such a system, water is inducted at the forward end of the ship, passed through high-pressure pumps, and then exausted at the stern through one or more nozzles that produce high-speed water jet. both highly effecient pumps and high speeds are required to make hydraulic jets competitive with other means of ship propulsion. Although water-jet propulsion has not proved successfull for lage vessels, it is currently employed in some high-speed boats and pleasure craft.

                                                                                                         to go back