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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Challenge (first mini-sub national)



On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 15:37:08 PST, Paul Suds wrote:

>Pat (Nemo), I read your e-mail to me, and am responding on the site for 
>everyone elses benifit. I thought your idea of using an internal combustion 
>engine underwater was a joke. In fact, I kind of thought that you were full 
>of hot air. In fact, as Doctor Suds, with my one eyed patch and pussy cat, 
>surrounded by loose women on my private island off of honduras, I would have 
>to wack you as an example to the others. Au Contraire, I may have to make 
>you number one, ha!! i think your idea has merit. I ran the numbers to prove 
>you wrong. here's a little lesson in stoichiometry:
>Assuming the following:
>You run under water at 20 knots.
>You run for 1/4 mile.
>You consume 1/2 gallon of Ethanol CH3OH
>Ethanol is approxiamtely 6.16 gallons/lb
>you would need 1407grams of fuel
>The equation is CH3OH+O2=CO2+H2O
>The ballanced equation is 2CH3OH+3O2=2CO2+4H2O
>therefore, 2 Moles of Ethanol require 3moles of O2
>There are 32g/Mole of Ethanol and 32g/Mole of O2 (coincidence)
>1407 grams of Ethanol fuel =43.75 moles of ethanol
>3/2 (3Mole of O2/2 Moles of Ethanol) times 1407 grams=2080 grams of O2
>Since there are 22.4 liter/mole of any gas,
>you would need 1430 Liters of O2.
>This is 50 Ft3 of Oxygen
>If you used Air, you would need 250 Ft3 of air.
>These are all theortical with a 100% yield.
>Someone check my numbers please (don't bother, they're right, ha)
>It woudld take you 45 seconds to go the 1/4 mile. If you could double your 
>speed (20 knots isn't that fast, 60 is), you wouldn't need as much. I was 
>just being conservative. Yeah, Nemo, you probably would beat the pants off 
>my electric unit, but now you've got me thinking. Hmmmm...that is dangerous 
>on Suds island. You should test out your engine with compressed gas as you 
>mentioned. Keep us informed. Hawaii, huh. Too expensive to move out there, 
>unless my henchmen could...... Suds

Paul, CH3OH is methanol.  Ethanol is CH3CH2OH, which is 46g/mole. 
Better rework the numbers.

-Sean