How Does the Thermodynamic Cycle Propel a Submarine?

By: Maria Sabatino Date: March 1, 2013

Audience and Scope This document is an introduction to the basic thermodynamic process that occurs on board a US naval submarine. It analyzes each individual component within the thermodynamic cycle and describes how these parts work together to propel a submarine. The components and technologies that comprise the thermodynamic cycle are expensive, on the order of millions of dollars. However, this process on board a submarine is essential to the propulsion of this massive vessel. The thermodynamic cycle is used in a variety of ways, the most common of which is to produce electricity. This text however, focuses on the thermodynamic cycle used on board American submarines and is directed to incoming Penn State freshman who are interested in joining the United States submarine force. After reading this text, the audience will have a basic knowledge of how a submarine is propelled through the depths of the ocean by application of the thermodynamic cycle. Provided this information, students will have an understanding of one of the major processes that take place on board a submarine and in doing so, may help determine if this area within the Navy is of interest to them.

Table of Contents
Section I. II. Page Number Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 Components .................................................................................................................. 3 o Working Substance ................................................................................................. 3 o Heat Source ............................................................................................................. 4 o Engine...................................................................................................................... 4 o Heat Sink ................................................................................................................. 5 o Pump ....................................................................................................................... 6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 6 Works Cited ................................................................................................................... 8

III. IV.

Introduction
The thermodynamic cycle is used in many applications to transfer energy using heat. One major agency that makes use of the thermodynamic cycle is the United States Navy. The thermodynamic cycle provides the work that is required to propel the massive submarines of the United States Navy. These underwater tactical vessels carry a crew of just over 150 for the larger class submarines, have a hull of over 500 ft, and displace over 18,000 tons of water when submerged. Its crew and technologies need to be maneuvered throughout the depths of the vast waters of the earth so that the United States Navy can exercise their core capabilities of forward presence and power projection. The word thermo refers to heat and dynamic means change. By combining these definitions, the thermodynamic cycle can be described as a process of introducing and removing heat to change the physical state of a substance until it eventually returns to the system in its initial state. This cycle is used to continuously produce work from the heat generated. A closed thermodynamic cycle is one in which the fluid never leaves the cycle but rather changes its physical state as it moves through each stage. Every thermodynamic cycle has certain basic components. Each component is unique in its function and vital to the cycle. These components include: working substance heat source engine heat sink or receiver pump. All United States submarines, whether fast-attacks, ballistic missiles, or guided missiles, use a closed thermodynamic cycle to produce steam that is used in the propulsion of the submarine.

Components
The following sections describe each main part of the thermodynamic cycle.

o Working Substance
The working substance transports energy within the Viscosity is the resistance system. In submarines, the working substance used is water. to flow in a substance. This is because water is economical, readily available, sufficient in supply, and is not toxic in case of leakage. Water also has a relatively low viscosity allowing it to be easily transported through the piping system. 3

o Heat Source
In the case of submarines, the boiler is the heat source supplying heat to the working substance. The boiler is a large tank filled with the working substance (water). In the boiler, the water is heated to produce steam. For all United States submarines, the heat is supplied by the nuclear reactor plant on board. Nuclear power is desired over diesel power by US submarines because nuclear reactors do not operate on fuel. There is no limit to how long a submarine can remain submerged except to replenish the food supply. This allows nuclear submarines to have improved operational performances and can have increased amounts of time devoted to the mission such as reconnaissance or tracking other vessels. Furthermore, the nuclear power plant on board a submarine provides more power than a diesel engine, allowing the nuclear submarine to travel at higher speeds. Nuclear reactors are not often applied to commercial vessels because of their great expense. Figure 1 is a picture of a typical nuclear reactor on board a submarine.

Figure 1. Nuclear Reactor on board the USS Toledo SSN-769

o Engine
The engine is the device that converts the thermal energy into work. On submarines, a turbine is the engine. The high pressure steam produced by the boiler enters into the turbine where a set of nozzles and blades exist. The transfer of thermal energy to work occurs in two phases. The nozzle converts the thermal energy into kinetic energy. The blade follows by converting this kinetic energy into work. The nozzles within a turbine increase the steams pressure. With this increased high pressure, the steam is 4 A nozzle is a mechanical device with large cross-sectional area for fluid to enter and a small area for the fluid to exit.

able to force rotation of the blades within the turbine. A very simplified version of this can be seen in Figure 2. The steam enters where the nozzle had a large area and exits out the point where the nozzle has a greatly decreased exiting area. The same amount of steam that enters the nozzle also must exit the nozzle, therefore resulting in a higher pressure upon exiting the nozzle. This high pressure, traveling at high velocities, is directed toward the blades and forces them to rotate. A shaft is connected to the rotating blades, resulting in the shafts rotation. Likewise, the propeller is connected to the shaft and the rotary motion is transferred to the propellers rotation. Figure 3 is a more accurate depiction of what a turbine on board a nuclear submarine would look like.

Figure 2. Simplified Nozzle and Blade

Figure 3. Real Life Turbine

o Heat Sink
The heat sink or receiver absorbs heat from the working substance. In the case of submarines this is done with a condenser which uses the seawater external to the submarine to cool the working substance. Through this cooling, the steam is converted back into water, allowing the cycle to be repeated. The condenser receives the working fluid as steam because it is emitted out of the turbine at very high temperatures. The condenser used is a cross flow heat exchanger which can be seen in Figure 4. Cool seawater enters the condenser and flows through the piping represented in Figure 4 as the horizontal light blue strips. Simultaneously, hot steam flows across the cooling pipes of seawater and condenses into a liquid to then move on to the pump.

Figure 4. Heat Sink -Cross Flow Heat Exchanger Condensing Steam into Water

o Pump
The last basic component of the thermodynamic cycle is the pump which moves the working substance from the condenser back to the boiler. The pump intakes a large amount of water when the piston contracts. The water is then expelled when the piston returns to the extended position. This process is repeated to transport the water back to the beginning of the thermodynamic cycle.

Conclusion
Figure 5 is a simple diagram illustrating all the parts within the thermodynamic cycle and how they work together. The boiler introduces heat, designated by Qin, to heat the water from the pump and convert it to steam where it is passed to the turbine. W out represents the work that is then output by the turbine as it processes the steam and transfers it to the propeller to provide motion. The high temperature steam exiting the turbine is denoted by Tout. At this point, the low temperature seawater enters the condenser, signified by Tin. The condenser uses the seawater to remove heat, indicated by Qout, and cool the working substance back to water. The liquid is then sent to the pump where work is introduced, shown as Win, which forces the water back to the boiler so the cycle can repeat. This thermodynamic process enables the United States Navy to propel submarines efficiently throughout the depths of our earth's waterways.

Figure 5. Basic Closed Thermodynamic Cycle

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