Efficiency analysis and prototyping of a buoyancy-powered underwater glider

Limited development of buoyancy powered underwater vehicles has occurred with little analysis of the efficiency of this form of propulsion. A nondimensional method of analysis of the propulsion efficiency of these vehicles has been developed. A dimensional analysis was conducted by applying the nondimensional propulsion efficiency to the analysis of vehicles with various hull and wing sizes. Propulsion efficiencies of 70% to 75% were found to be obtainable with existing wing designs. A prototype was designed and built using the relationships between actual hull and wing size obtained from the dimensional analysis. This prototype was tested at sea to determine the accuracy of the prediction of performance of an underwater glider. These tests showed that the method of buoyancy propulsion is both predictable and reliable when applied to an underwater glider.