The first prototype (here under trial in the water channel) has a 2-nozzle configuration, where the final version will use 7 nozzles to allow the control of all the 6-DOF of an underwater vehicle.
| The Water-jet Propulsion System has been developed for
the DIEE, Cagliari University,
and is intended as a test bed for advanced high-precision position-control
techniques for underwater robotic vehicles.
The first prototype (here under trial in the water channel) has a 2-nozzle configuration, where the final version will use 7 nozzles to allow the control of all the 6-DOF of an underwater vehicle.
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To produce and control the required thrust, the system
uses specially-designed variable-area nozzles.
The area of the nozzle is controlled by a spear valve To allow very high-speed control of the jet intensity, the spear valve is actuated by a directly-coupled linear electric motor.
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