Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Unconventional UW Propulsion YIKES!

["Paul Suds" <paul_suds@hotmail.com>]

Toni, has a very good point about aluminum powder (aluminum oxide). I 
originally sent out papers from Penn State University on their research in 
this field. It's called vortex propulsion and is very simple in concept. You 
introduce aluminum powder into a vortex reaction chamber where it reacts 
with salt water and creates steam. This steam and residual aluminum are 
ejected from your nozzel. The aluminum powder must be injected into the 
outer periphry of the vortex chamber. Without going back and looking at the 
paper, I don't know what type of pump that they are using for the aluminum 
powder and whether there is another fluid use to allow it to be pumped out. 
For all the H2O2 guys out there, they also had another design for this as 
well. Both of these could be used on a torpedo to increase it's speed and 
range.
I still have it it word documents and could send it to those interested.
It's supposed to have 3 times the energy density as the Mark 50 torpedo 
(very fast torpedo). PSU actually built one and tested it. For our purposes, 
all you would need on board would be the aluminum powder and peripheral 
equipment. It would have to be scaled down so that your sub does not travel 
at 90 knots, but I think some experimenting would be in order. Here's the 
introduction.

The vortex combustor is an emerging technology for the direct reaction of 
aluminum metal or alloys with water for air-independent water-breathing 
power generation.  The Office of Naval Research has initiated the 
development of the basic combustor technology for an underwater ramjet for 
very high speed torpedoes.  Since a vortex combustor can operate on either 
water or air, the technology can also be used for a cruise missile that 
operates initially under water but then emerges and operates as a normal 
air-breathing cruise missile on the same aluminum fuel.  In the past, 
aluminum has not been used as a fuel because of associated combustion 
difficulties.  The solid product (Al2O3) of this reaction tends to 
tenaciously coat unreacted aluminum fuel, thus inhibiting its reaction.  
Power systems based on the aluminum-water reaction have very high energy 
density and specific impulse because the reaction is very energetic and only 
the aluminum is carried onboard. Figure 1 compares the energy density of a 
vortex combustor torpedo system with other torpedo powerplants. Figure 2 is 
a similar comparison for rocket-type underwater systems.

The Applied Research Lab has demonstrated the essentially complete 
combustion of aluminum with steam (H2O vapor) using a revolutionary vortex 
combustor.  The vortex concept is depicted in Figure 3, showing the desired 
intense reaction of aluminum and water at the core of the circulating flow 
field.  In the vortex combustor steady-state operation, aluminum fuel and 
oxidizer are injected tangentially at the outer periphery of the combustor, 
forming a centrifugally fluidized bed of fuel and oxidizer.  An intense 
reaction zone at the core heats the incoming fuel, melting the aluminum and 
initiating combustion.  The shearing action of the vortex breaks up molten 
fuel particles and fractures the oxide layer to expose more fuel as the 
smaller particles are carried radially inward along spiral paths.  The 
resulting rapid reaction heats and boils the aluminum with the final 
combustion taking place in the vapor phase.  Both the shearing action and 
the long residence time of fuel particles promote complete combustion in a 
small volume.  Diluent water is added to the combustor exit flow to control 
the discharge temperature and augment thrust in underwater ramjet 
configurations.


________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com