RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Hey, looky, rocket fuel as ballast!

["Motsenbocker, Marvin A." <MMotsenbocker@hewm.com>]

why not just use sodium bicarbonate with an acid to release CO2?  you would confine the reaction in a bottle with a filter on it to keep solids from escaping, at standard temperature and pressure, you get 22 liters of CO2 for each mole of bicarbonate, plus, no one gets crazy from thinking about a confined rocket propellant when you are not in the water and are transporting the thing around in public spaces.......................
Marvin


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael B Holt [mailto:tlohm@juno.com]
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 8:07 AM
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Hey, looky, rocket fuel as ballast!


On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 20:34:41 -0800 (PST) Dewey Mason writes:
>Hey Guys,
>I have been spinning our TDPF sub ideas off of some
>different engineering type folks, and all but one
>thought I was high on something, or just joking them
>around. Greg Kokes seemed to think I might live
>through my first sub, but in this he was alone.

Just one?  It is always good to get support.  I don't
always get that level of positive enthusiasm!

> I would like to hear the views of this group on the
>idea of using either a solid, slower burning
>propellant, or a two part chem-mix to create ballast
>blowing gas at extreme depths for normal return to the
>surface, or as an emergency alternative to HP air.

This is not a new idea.  It was originally suggested 
after the Thresher sank.   I don't know whether it
was ever tested, though.

I can't come up with a problem with it.   A small
rocket would certainly produce enough gas and
steam to fill the ballast tanks.  The only real worries,
as it occurs to me immediately, is ignition failure.

The other two problems are damage to the fuel by
water and the heat of the flame.  Some intial testing
and careful planning will solve those.


Mike Holt


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