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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue follow up



For what it is worth to the discussion:

1) When I read "Water Baby" the story of Alvin, I remember mention of how
difficult it was to keep the plumbing of the Hg system from leaking.

2) from this site here:

http://www.unols.org/dessc/papers/new_alvin_update.html

"Elimination of Hazards Associated with a Mercury Trim System  - The replacement
of the Hg trim system by a water based system integrated with the variable
ballast system will eliminate both the potential health threat to the Alvin
technicians and the material hazard associated with carrying Hg on a ship with
copper alloyed piping."

3) The moveable lead weight seems like a good idea to me. I'll bet that an
electro-mechanical actuator can move the lead from side to side or end to end
much faster that pumping Hg. In SOLO that could be a big advantage.

Regards,
Jeff




Quoting Brian Cox <ojaibees@ojai.net>:

> I don't intended on drinking it, and it will be in a closed loop and
> sealed.  The fact that it is liquid makes it ideal for pumping from
> point A to point B.
> 
> Brian
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: atozed@juno.com
>   To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
>   Cc: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
>   Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 6:30 PM
>   Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue follow up
> 
> 
>   The good news is that is weighs 246 pounds a quart. The bad is it's
> toxic waste, and evaporates easily. It has gone from being expensive to
> being a liability. My advice is stick with lead, slide it if you need
> to.
>   -Peter
> 

>   On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:03:20 -0800 "Brian Cox" <ojaibees@ojai.net>
> writes:
>     Does anybody know where I can get some mercury ?
> 
>     Brian Cox
>       ----- Original Message ----- 
>       From: Bob Duncan
>       To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
>       Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 3:04 PM
>       Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue follow
> up
> 
> 
>       I can cast lead.
> 
>          Bob
> 
>       "Dan H." <jmachine@adelphia.net> wrote:
>         Carl,
>         Sand or gravel is to light for ballast in a sub. It's mass is so
> much more
>         then lead for the same weight that it's impractical in a compact
> sub. A
>         load of gravel in a pickup truck pretty much fills the box. If
> it were
>         lead, it would be a sheet on the bottom of the floor.
>         Remember it only the displacement over and above what the same
> mass of water
>         weighs that's effective as ballast.
> 
>         Dan H.
>         ----- Original Message -----
>         From: "Coalbunny"
>         To:
>         Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 5:49 AM
>         Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue
> follow up
> 
> 
>         > Shawn, that is something that I have wondered about- will the
> ballast
>         > shift? I have read how a number of scientific units used lead
> or steel
>         > shot. Is there anything that prohibits that being used? IIRC!
> at one
>         > time even mercury was used. Of course we know the
> environmental
>         > implications from that. One thing I thought of using that
> should be
>         > cost effective and would be environmentally friendly is the
> use of sand
>         > or gravel. But since I have no real unit to use that ballast
> method
>         > with, I have no idea if it'll work.
>         > Carl
>         >
>         >
>         > NeophyteSG@aol.com wrote:
>         > > In a message dated 2/16/04 5:47:29 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>         > > Asmyth@changepoint.com writes:
>         > >
>         > > Because Solo is intended as a "flying" sub, it's designed to
> have a
>         > > very small self-righting moment. [snip] If Solo had
> conventional
>         > > stability, she could never roll or fly inverted.
>         > >
>         > > Totally understand. My design is facing similar constraints
> except that
>         > > all my nonessentials are fared external to the pressure hull
> which, Sgt.
>         > > Pepper-ish, is much smalle! r than yours appears to be. In
> my case, I'm
>         > > juggling axiometric placement of everything in the
> horizontal and
>         > > vertical planes through the hull's longitudinal axis,
> leaving the drop
>         > > weight(s) placement until near the end to essentially force
> the righting
>         > > moment equations to balance. I also liked the idea of
> essentially being
>         > > able to use just about everything except the pressure hull
> as a drop
>         > > weight should the absolute need arise.
>         > >
>         > > What gave me a worse headache was trying to figure out a
> functional
>         > > ballast system for a craft which will hypothetically have
> six degrees of
>         > > freedom, won't "slosh" around (changing the center of
> buoyancy), and
>         > > will work no matter what the orientation of the craft ...
> including
>         > > upside down.
>         > >
>         > > Given the batteries are snug against the hull "ceiling", I
> can't
>         > > reach the lu! gs to connect the cables unless they are
> upside down.
>         > > Plus, I don't want the lugs shorting out against the hull.
> If they
>         > > cannot go upside down, I'll probably have to lower
> everything by
>         > > about 3". Plus, all the cables will now be a few inches too
> short.
>         > >
>         > > Aside from simply not having the room, you're making me glad
> that I
>         > > chose to mount all but the two emergency reserve batteries
> outboard ...
>         > > not meaning to take pleasure from your pain. :)
>         > >
>         > >
>         > > In a message dated 2/16/04 7:00:24 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>         > > Asmyth@changepoint.com writes:
>         > >
>         > > The Lifelines can be used in any position, but only charged
> upright.
>         > > The Optimas can be used or charged in any position at all.
>         > > Unfortunately, I can't do a straight replacement because
> Optima
>         > > doesn't make a battery as large as the ones I'm using. So it
> looks
>         > > like I need to modify my hardware and calculations to turn
> them
>         > > right side up
>         > >
>         > > FWIW, possible KISS solution: Incorporate a pivot and latch
> into the
>         > > mounting hardware whereby you can drop them down into an
> upright
>         > > position for charging -- when you won't be occupying that
> space -- then
>         > > latch them back upside down and against the hull during
> dives. If the
>         > > current cabling reaches the lugs in their upside down
> position, you
>         > > won't even have to lengthen them because they'll just need
> to rotate
>         > > 180-degrees. Make sense?
>         > >
>         > > Warm Regards
>         > > Shawn
>         > >
>         > >
>         > > *****
>         > >
>         > > "Call nothing thy own except thy soul.
>         > > Love not what thou art, but only what thou may become.
>         > > Do not pursue pleasure, for thou may have the misfortune to
> overtake
>         it...
>         > >! ; Live in the vision of that one for whom great deeds are
> done ..."
>         > >
>         > > Man of LaMancha, D. Wasserman
>         >
>         > --
>         > Spotted Owl...it's what's for dinner.
>         >
>         >
> 
> 
> 
> 
>       Fact is stranger than fiction. Truth is stronger than fact. R.
> Duncan
> 
> 
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