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Question of the Day
Question
How do the engines breathe in diesel submarines? Don't internal combustion engines take a lot of oxygen to run? Where would all of this oxygen come from when the sub is under water? Besides, is there enough exhaust pressure to push the exhaust fumes into the water in deep sea? I realize that with a nuclear sub this is not a problem, but it seems like there are more diesel subs than nuclear and in WWII there were no nuclear subs.
Answer
A diesel submarine is a very good example of a hybrid vehicle. Most diesel subs have 2 or more diesel engines. The diesels can run propellers or they can run generators that recharge a very large battery bank. Or they can work in combination - one engine driving a propeller and the other driving a generator.
The sub must surface (or cruise just below the surface using a snorkel) to run the diesel engines. Once the batteries are fully charged, the sub can head underwater. The batteries power electric motors driving the propellers. Battery operation is the only way a diesel sub can actually submerge.
The limits of battery technology severely constrain the amount of time a diesel sub can stay underwater. This is the huge benefit of using nuclear power in a sub. Nuclear generators need no oxygen, so a nuclear sub can stay underwater for weeks at a time. See How Nuclear Power Works for a description.
Here are several interesting links, including two very nice virtual tours:
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