Yamato 1
Encyclopedia
Yamato 1 is a boat built in the early 1990s by Japanese conglomerate "The Mitsubishi Group" through their subsidiary company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd
at Wadasaki-cho Hyogo-ku, Kobe. It uses a MagnetoHydrodynamic Drive
(MHD), driven by a liquid helium
-cooled superconductor, and can travel at 15 km/h (8 knots).
The Yamato 1 was the first working prototype of its kind. It was completed in Japan
in 1991, by the Ship & Ocean Foundation (later known as the Ocean Policy Research Foundation). The ship was first successfully propelled in Kobe
harbour in June 1992. Yamato 1 is propelled by two MHD thrusters that run without any moving parts.
MHD works by applying a magnetic field to an electrically conducting fluid. The electrically conducting fluid used in the MHD thruster of the Yamato 1 is seawater.
In the 1990s, Mitsubishi
built several prototypes of ships propelled by an MHD system. These ships were only able to reach speeds of 15 km/h, despite higher projections.
Today the Yamato 1 is on display at the Kobe Maritime Museum
.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
at Wadasaki-cho Hyogo-ku, Kobe. It uses a MagnetoHydrodynamic Drive
Magnetohydrodynamic drive
A magnetohydrodynamic drive or MHD propulsor is a method for propelling seagoing vessels using only electric and magnetic fields with no moving parts, using magnetohydrodynamics. The working principle involves electrification of the propellant which can then be directed by a magnetic field,...
(MHD), driven by a liquid helium
Liquid helium
Helium exists in liquid form only at extremely low temperatures. The boiling point and critical point depend on the isotope of the helium; see the table below for values. The density of liquid helium-4 at its boiling point and 1 atmosphere is approximately 0.125 g/mL Helium-4 was first liquefied...
-cooled superconductor, and can travel at 15 km/h (8 knots).
The Yamato 1 was the first working prototype of its kind. It was completed in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1991, by the Ship & Ocean Foundation (later known as the Ocean Policy Research Foundation). The ship was first successfully propelled in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
harbour in June 1992. Yamato 1 is propelled by two MHD thrusters that run without any moving parts.
MHD works by applying a magnetic field to an electrically conducting fluid. The electrically conducting fluid used in the MHD thruster of the Yamato 1 is seawater.
In the 1990s, Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
built several prototypes of ships propelled by an MHD system. These ships were only able to reach speeds of 15 km/h, despite higher projections.
Today the Yamato 1 is on display at the Kobe Maritime Museum
Kobe Maritime Museum
Kobe Maritime Museum is a museum in Kobe, Japan focusing on the history of Japanese shipping and Kobe harbor.One of the exhibits is the Yamato 1.-External links:*...
.
Further reading
- Yohei Sasakawa: Yamato-1 - the world's first superconducting MHD propulsion ship. Ship & Ocean Foundation, Tokyo 1997, ISBN 4-916148-02-9
External links
- Magnetohydrodynamic and the Mitsubishi Yamato
- Popular Science November 1992 Superconductivity Goes To Sea
- Popular Mechanics August 1990 100 MPH Jet Ships
- Ship Sails on High-Tech, `Silent' Drive The Washington Post, June,17, 1992;
- Japanese Ship's Magnetic Attraction; Revolutionary Drive Design Lacks Moving Parts The Washington Post, June, 22, 1992