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Submersible [ edit page ]
Example of a submersible
Submersibles are one of the many types of vehicle players can design and operate for their sea rescue service in Stormworks: Build and Rescue.
Submersibles are similar to boats, but have the ability to operate whilst fully underwater. By flooding the hull compartments, or 'ballasts' (sectioned-off areas of the vessel designed to be flooded and drained), a submersible can force itself to sink under the water. As with boats, propellers are used for forward and backward motion, while rudders provide sideways movement, but are also used to provide upwards and downwards movement once underwater (known as 'hydroplanes'). An auto-ballast mechanism is often used to achieve neutral bouyancy by filling fore and aft ballasts according to the submersible's required weight distribution, making controlling the submersible much easier. A submarine often benefits greatly from having a very low center of mass as they do not need to stay above the water during manoeuvres, and have a tendency to roll.
Power Sources
In Advanced Mode, a submersible is typically powered underwater by batteries, using diesel engines only on the surface to charge the batteries (this setup is known as 'diesel-electric'). In Normal Mode, batteries are not available, so diesel engines are typically used instead. In the V1.2.1 update, nuclear power sources were added to Stormworks. This new form of fuel allows players to utilise nuclear energy to power submersibles. Unlike engines, nuclear power generation is a process which does not need access to air.
Ballasts
In a typical submersible design, the lower third (or even half) of the vessel is reserved for ballast. Unlike on a boat where these compartments would be left as air and closed off entirely, they are flooded to allow the submersible to sink. To do this, Fluid Pumps are used to push water in and out of the compartment through Fluid Ports that separate the inside of the ballast tank from the sea (or air).
Typically there are two ballasts, one in the fore (front) and one in the aft (rear). This allows the ballasts to be adjusted to modify the weight distribution of the submersible both up and down, but also forwards and backwards, allowing neutral buoyancy to be achieved. Each ballast will contain an "in" port and an "out" port, usually run through multiple pumps (as shifting ballasts on a single pump can be quite a time consuming task). They can be balanced using PID controllers.
Airlocks
It can occasionally be necessary to enter or leave a submersible whilst underwater. Using a regular door would cause the submarine to flood and sink. A solution to this problem is the use of an airlock to flood only a small section of the vessel then remove the water with a pump.
See Also