Water jacket

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A water jacket is a water-filled void surrounding a device, typically a metal sheath having intake and outlet vents to allow water to be pumped through the void. The flow of water to an external heating or cooling device allows precise temperature control of the device.

[edit] Applications

Water jackets are often used in watercooling. They are also used in laboratory glassware - Liebig, Graham and Allihn condensers. In the past, water jackets were used to cool the barrels of machine guns such as the Browning M1917 or Vickers gun. Nowadays, barrels of machine guns are air-cooled to reduce weight and complexity. Water jackets are commonly used around a nuclear power core to contain radiation.

In a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine, like those in a typical automobile, the water jacket is a series of holes either cast or bored through the main engine block and connected by inlet and outlet valves to the radiator.

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