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+- Submersible glider powered by thermal changes on Monday February 11 2008, @03:45PM Anonymous Coward
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Anonymous Coward
on Monday February 11 2008, @03:45PM
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robot
An anonymous reader writes "The torpedo-shaped glider moves through the ocean by changing its buoyancy to dive and surface, unlike motorized, propeller-driven undersea vehicles.
To power its propulsion, the submersible gathers thermal energy from the ocean. When it moves from cooler water to warmer areas, internal tubes of wax are heated up and expand, pushing out the gas in surrounding tanks and increasing its pressure. The compressed gas stores potential energy, like a squeezed spring, that can be used to power the vehicle.
To rise, oil is pushed from inside the vehicle to external bladders, thus increasing the glider's volume without changing its mass, making it less dense. The oil can be shifted inside to increase the density and sink the vehicle. A vertical tail rudder allows the glider to be steered horizontally.
"This glider allows longer missions than previous [battery-run] versions," said Ben Hodges, a physical oceanographer at WHOI. "It could be out there for a year or two years. None of the old ones could go beyond six months. And producing fewer batteries is good for the environment.""
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