TRANSPORTATION METHOD USING GASEOUS AND / OR LIQUID CUSHIONS, TOTALLY CONTAINED IN DEPTH OR CONTAINED AND REAGENTS ON THE SURFACE, WITH ADJUSTMENT OF CONTAINMENT WALLS.

摘要

To reduce water/hull friction areas and thereby the power needed to drive ships, gas cushions (2) are formed and maintained: either confined at depth below the deep submerged hull (1) of ships between fixed and/or mobile and/or adjustable walls and partitions (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 16, 19). The energy potential of the gas cushions (2) is used in full to propel the ship by direct reaction with gas escape through adjustable-size openings (20), or to drive one or more propellers after pressure reduction in a turbine. Devices (21, 22) detect the water level well ahead of the ship and actuate the mobile sections of the walls and partitions. With the same aim of saving propulsion energy, liquid cushions can be formed by fitting ships hulls with a system of low partitions.