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Speaker 1: stuff works dot com where smart happens. Hi Am Marshall
Speaker 1: Brain with today's question, how do torpedo engines work if
Speaker 1: they're under water? A torpedo is essentially a guided missile
Speaker 1: that happens to fly underwater. A torpedo therefore has a
Speaker 1: propulsion system, a guidance system, and some sort of explosive
Speaker 1: device that's gonna blow up the target. Torpedoes can travel
Speaker 1: several miles on their way to the target, and therefore
Speaker 1: they need a propulsion system that can run for ten
Speaker 1: to twenty minutes. Most missiles that fly through the era
Speaker 1: use either rocket engines or jet engines, but neither of
Speaker 1: these work very well. Underwater torpedoes use one of two
Speaker 1: techniques for propulsion. Batteries, and an electric motor is one option.
Speaker 1: This is the same technique that any non nuclear submarine
Speaker 1: must use when it's running underwater. Engines using special fuel
Speaker 1: is the other option. Most engines that were familiar with,
Speaker 1: like car engines and jet engines, draw their oxygen from
Speaker 1: the error around the engine and use it to burn
Speaker 1: the fuel. A torpedo can't do that, so it uses
Speaker 1: fuel that either does not need an oxidizer, or it
Speaker 1: carries the oxidizer inside the torpedo. Auto fuel spelled O
Speaker 1: t t O has its own oxidizer mixed in with
Speaker 1: the fuel. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't need an oxidizer. It turns
Speaker 1: the steam when it hits a catalyst. We don't encounter
Speaker 1: too many fuels that contain their own oxidizers in our
Speaker 1: normal lives for two reasons. When a fuel has its
Speaker 1: own sidizer, it tends to make it explosive. Dynamite, for example,
Speaker 1: has its own oxidizer and it's quite explosive. Rocket engines
Speaker 1: have to carry their own oxidizer. But because we normally
Speaker 1: run engines in the error, which has a good supply
Speaker 1: of oxygen, carrying the oxidizer means extra weight and hassle,
Speaker 1: which is unnecessary. For more on this and thousands of
Speaker 1: other topics. Because it has staff works dot Com audible
Speaker 1: dot com is the leading provider of digital audio books
Speaker 1: and spoken word, with over one titles to choose from.
Speaker 1: Audible lets you listen to your favorite books anywhere, anytime.
Speaker 1: Go to Audible podcast dot com slash stuff brain to
Speaker 1: get a free audio book download of your choice when
Speaker 1: you sign up today.