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AssigneesHiroharu Kato, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
InventorsHiroharu Kato, Yoshiaki Takahashi
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A method for reducing the frictional resistance of a navigating vehicle, and a method for generating micro-bubbles for reducing the friction of the navigating vehicle and an apparatus therefor. The friction reduction is achieved with the expenditure of a small amount of energy, thereby improving the overall energy efficiency for operating the ship. An air bubble/water mixture is injected towards the stern of the ship, at an inclined angle to the underwater surface, into a boundary layer formed in the vicinity of the underwater surface of the ship. The friction reduction is effectively performed because of the dynamic energy of the water, being a larger mass than air, enables the gas-including mixture to be injected over a longer distance into the boundary layer than in the case of air bubbles alone.
A low friction navigation vehicle comprising a gas mixture generation and supply apparatus (2) for generating and supplying a gas bubble/water mixture, said gas mixture generation and supply apparatus being carried on a navigating ship (1), and fluid ejection openings (3) communicating with the gas mixture generation and supply apparatus (2) in a submerged surface (4) for ejecting the gas bubble/water mixture towards the stern of the low friction navigation vehicle, wherein said ship (1) comprises a double hull structure, and a plurality of said gas bubble/water mixture generation and supply apparatuses (2) are disposed in space sections formed between an outer hull (11) and an inner hull (12).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.