Current Nuclear Weapons Development

Forest Green said:
Does it have little holes spurting steam? Serious question - what are they?
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I think it's a combination of water & steam/gas.

Not entirely sure but I think it's got something to do with the gas bubble created by the ejection mechanism that kicks the missile out above the surface before the boost stage ignites.

The way I'm thinking...the gas bubble created in the launch tube stays with the missile for a while, trapping some water in all the gaps/crevices in the missile and once the bubble dissipates, all that water flows out.

Note that I haven't read any literature on this, just running the physics in my mind. Could be something else entirely!
 
Forest Green said:
Does it have little holes spurting steam? Serious question - what are they?
Click to expand...
Assuming that an M51 works like a Trident, that's internal gas pressure venting off.

Whole tube gets pressurized to whatever keel pressure is, let's say 150ft for easy numbers. 44lbs/100ft, so ~66psi that is coming out as the missile rises.

And I suspect that the steam is water condensing out of the air as the expanding gas cools off.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Whole tube gets pressurized to whatever keel pressure is, let's say 150ft for easy numbers. 44lbs/100ft, so ~66psi that is coming out as the missile rises.
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Doesn't the Trident II get ejected by a solid-propellant gas-generator venting into a canister of fresh-water and the steam generated is used to eject the SLBM?
 
NMaude said:
Doesn't the Trident II get ejected by a solid-propellant gas-generator venting into a canister of fresh-water and the steam generated is used to eject the SLBM?
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Yes, but the tube is pressurized (well, equalized to sea pressure) with nitrogen first. Boats have a huge nitrogen system onboard.

Equalize tubes, open hatch, fire gas generator and enclosure cutters.
 

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