Thermal marine propulsion system

Abstract

A mechanical propulsion system of a watercraft includes one or more propeller or impeller units operable to provide thrust for forward cruise. Disclosed herein is a non-mechanical marine propulsion system that utilizes heating-elements installed at submerged-regions of bow and stern of a waterborne watercraft in order to generate a pressure-difference between the bow and the stern by virtue of boiling and displacing surrounding water, and thus provide a net thrust to propel, steer or brake the watercraft. Further, a non-mechanical active roll stabilization system also based on the above concept is disclosed.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A marine propulsion system, characterized in that it comprises:
 one or more heating-elements each having a hot-side configured to boil water so as to generate a thrust along a normal-vector to the hot-side when in a submerged situation.   
     
     
         2 . The marine propulsion system of  claim 1 , further comprising a control-unit and a power-supply connected to the heating-elements. 
     
     
         3 . The marine propulsion system of  claim 2 , wherein one or more heating-elements symmetrically and at least partly form or cover a region of each of bow and stern of a watercraft, wherein the regions are fully-submerged when the watercraft is in a waterborne situation, and wherein hot-sides of the heating-elements make contact with water in which the watercraft floats. 
     
     
         4 . The marine propulsion system of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more heating-elements in the region of the bow are configured to be heated independently of the one or more heating-elements in the region of the stern so as to generate a net forward or reverse thrust for propelling, reversing or braking the watercraft. 
     
     
         5 . The marine propulsion system of  claim 4 , comprising plural heating-elements in each of the regions of the bow and the stern, and each of the regions is configured to be asymmetrically heated in lateral directions (left and right) by adjusting input-powers to the plural heating-elements so as to generate an asymmetric thrust for steering the watercraft. 
     
     
         6 . The marine propulsion system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 an active roll stabilization system comprising:   a sensor device for detecting undesired watercraft movements (roll) and for supplying thereon based control-signals to a control-unit;   the control-unit for controlling one or more stabilizing-elements for the purpose of damping the roll; and   the one or more stabilizing-elements being one or more fixed-fins mounted on hull of the watercraft, each of the one or more fixed-fins being characterized in that it comprises a first heating-element forming a first airfoil-shell and a second heating-element forming a second airfoil-shell fixed opposite to the first airfoil-shell at a mean camber-line,   wherein the one or more fixed-fins are fully-submerged when the watercraft is in a waterborne situation,   wherein hot-side of the first heating-element forms airfoil-surface of the first airfoil-shell and hot-side of the second heating-element forms airfoil-surface of the second airfoil-shell, and   wherein the first heating-element and the second heating-element are configured to be heated independently of each other so as to generate a net clockwise or anticlockwise torque for counteracting the roll of the watercraft.