Do torpedoes use hydrogen peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide propellant is used because it propels a torpedo further and faster than an electrical motor. Russia decommissioned torpedoes using the propellant shortly after the Kursk sank.
Can torpedoes cause fires?
The pressure inside the torpedo fuel tank can also grow if the torpedo is exposed to fire. Another option is leakage of hydrogen peroxide and its contact with a combustible material as well as a presence of an ignition source.
How much did it cost to raise the Kursk?
The Kursk nuclear submarine was successfully raised from the Barents sea floor today, more than a year after it became a tomb for its 118 crew. In an audacious 15-hour operation costing the Russian government £44m, a Dutch-led international consortium pulled the Kursk to a giant barge for transportation to a dry dock.
What fuel do torpedoes use?
Otto Fuel II
Otto Fuel II is a distinct-smelling, reddish-orange, oily liquid that the U.S. Navy uses as a fuel for torpedoes and other weapon systems. It is a mixture of three synthetic substances: propylene glycol dinitrate (the major component), 2 nitrodiphenylamine, and dibutyl sebacate.
Do torpedoes have propellers?
Thermal torpedoes use a fuel, such as OTTO Fuel II, which can be burned without an external oxygen source. A gas turbine or axial piston engine converts this fuel into torque that spins counter-rotating propellers, propelling the torpedo up to speeds in excess of 60 knots.
How fast do torpedoes travel?
Once accelerated, speed is maintained by an underwater ramjet fueled by hydroreactive metals using seawater as both reactant and the source of oxidizer; the torpedo travels at around 200 kn (370 km/h; 230 mph).
How big is a hydrogen peroxide propelled torpedo?
This hydrogen peroxide propelled, 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo was 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 m) long and weighed 2.0 short tons (1,800 kg). The Mod 0 warhead contained 1,260 pounds (570 kg) of Torpex (TPX) explosive and at the time was the most powerful conventional submarine torpedo warhead in the world.
What caused the first explosion of the Russian submarine torpedo?
Ustinov said hydrogen peroxide fuel leaking from an unarmed torpedo apparently caused the first explosion inside the submarine’s torpedo chamber. “The initial impulse which triggered an explosion of the torpedo was the result of an unusual process of events inside the oxidising agent reserve of the torpedo,” Ustinov said at a press conference.
Is hydrogen peroxide explosive?
Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide becomes explosive when it comes into contact with a catalyst, such as organic compounds or fire. In 2000, a Russian submarine designed to sink aircraft carriers became a victim of its own arsenal.
What happened to the Kursk torpedo?
Here’s What You Need To Remember: A Russian inquiry into the accident concluded that one of the Kursk ’s Type 65-76A torpedoes had exploded. A faulty weld in a torpedo or damage to a torpedo during movement had caused it to leak hydrogen peroxide. Like many torpedoes, the Type 65 used hydrogen peroxide as an underwater fuel.