![]() Bubbles impair efficiency and have the potential to collapse and degrade electrode surfaces. The formation of gas bubbles over the electrode surfaces is a key issue when electric current, magnetic field, and seawater combine. “Now that the glass ceiling in high magnetic field generation has been broken,” said Swithenbank, “PUMP aims to achieve a breakthrough to solve the electrode materials challenge.” MHD corrosion challenges These magnets have demonstrated the ability to generate large-scale magnetic fields of up to 20 Tesla, which could potentially result in a 90% efficiency in a magnetohydrodynamic drive. In recent years, the commercial fusion industry has achieved significant progress in the development of rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) magnets. The magnetic field strength used during this achievement was approximately 4 Tesla. ![]() ![]() This 30-meter vessel managed to reach a speed of 6.6 knots while maintaining an efficiency of roughly 30%. Breakthroughs in magnetic propulsionĪccording to Susan Swithenbank, who is the PUMP programme manager in DARPA’s Defence Sciences Office, the most impressive efficiency ever recorded in a magnetohydrodynamic drive was achieved in 1992 on the Yamato-1. The MHD drive may still require significant amounts of electrical power, which could mean that vessels using this technology will need a powerful generator. If power and efficiency issues are resolved, MHD drives could also theoretically propel submarines or ships at high speeds underwater, exceeding the capabilities of traditional propulsion systems, and with a greater manoeuvrability, as the MHD drive could exert force in any direction. However, as MHD drives operate on the principle of magnetism, that could make the vessel more detectable by magnetic anomaly detection systems. The MHD drive does not have moving parts, reducing noise and vibration, making it harder to detect via sonar, and improving the stealth capabilities of submarines and underwater drones in motion. The implications for naval defence and warfare from a working MHD drive could be profound. However, the obstacle the PUMP programme intends to address is the inevitable corrosion, hydrolysis, and erosion that the system’s electrodes are subject to during use.
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