Perhaps I PERCEIVED Vance's post where it
stated that I knew all the answers as him stating that I am a "know
it all". Perhaps I was wrong and that was not really what he
meant.
If I perceived an imagined wrong and spoke out of
turn accordingly, then for that I apologize to Vance and this forum for
my misunderstanding. I guess I am so very careful to always strive to be
polite to everyone
that when I perceive (wrongly or not) an insult
to me, I do get a bit sensitive. I will try and work on that and strive to not
be so thin skinned and sensitive in the future.
That being said, on to further design
discussion.
After more thought on the matter and even though
I still believe the hydrolator and hydrocaps (along with the pressure
induced intake of air and outgo of exhaust of the battery pod/motor
pressure equalization system itself) would be sufficient to preclude any
hydrogen problems, I have decided to change one
aspect of my design. By making this change it should increase the safety
factor and eliminate any possibility of any motor sparking causing a
hydrogen explosion no matter how remote that possibility may be.
This change would simply entail installing a "T"
fitting on my scuba regulator replacing the mouthpiece so that the air from
the regulator can go into two seperate hoses. Then INSTEAD of just
pressure equalizing the battery pod and allowing the pod to extend that
equalization to the motor via the flexible
conduit going to the motor steering shaft, I would seperately pressure
equalize the motor and battery pod. Here is exactly what I mean.
First install the tube onto the scuba regulator
that will replace the mouthpiece. Then attach a "T" fitting to that tube
unless I can find a "T" fitting that will attach directly to the regulator and
in that case omit the tube and just install the "T" fitting directly to the
scuba
regulator. Then from both ends of that "T"
fitting attach air lines. One of which will go to the battery pod and the
other that will go to the motor's hollow steering shaft. Then by sealing with
bondo, silicone, or epoxy both ends of the conduit that carries the wires
from the battery pod to the motor, I can
isolate both systems, which will prevent any however slightly remote
possibility of hydrogen from ingressing into the motor housing. But there is
one more thing I would have to do as well to make SURE the conduit would not
transmit hydrogen from the battery pod to the
motor. Since air or hydrogen can actually seep thru the open ends of the
insulation of the wires and between the strands of insulated wires themselves,
I would have to do more than just seal both ends of the wire
conduit.
That would not be enough because the air/hydrogen could just seep thru the wire's open ends and
then thru the insulation even though the ends of the wire conduit would be
sealed. So to insure total air tight integrity I will have to epoxy the wire
ends themselves so that where the strands of wire in the battery pod exit the
insulation, the epoxy covers and seals the
strands and insulation leaving only the round connectors not epoxied at
the ends of the wires. That way the conduit between battery pod and motor is
now sealed at both ends with epoxy and the ends of each wire are also sealed
against any air/hydrogen seeping thru the wires
themselves.
Although it might not be necessary to do all this
with the hydrolators and hydrocaps taking care of the hydrogen, it still seems
a good idea and potentially safer way to go since with this method it
insures (no matter how small the possibility) that hydrogen could not
enter the motor and and possibly ignite due to
motor sparks.
Both the battery pod and the motor will still be
pressure compensated against the outside water pressure by the use of just one
scuba regulator. Just with seperate air hoses.
I am going to constuct a tray that will hold my 4
batteries in the pod. This tray will slide out as a unit and allow access to
the batteries by unscrewing my pvc pod endcap when needed to check the
hydrocaps and hydrolators and also to check the acid and water
level
within the batteries..
But to avoid disturbing the large O ring seal on
the endcap every time I recharge, I will install a forced air system in the
pod that wil allow me to vent hydrogen out of the pod when charging the
batteries. I will only have to install one fitting because the other end
of
this forced air system will be the open end of
another tube that will contain the wires to go to the charger that I describe
immediately below.
Also I will install a short pvc tube into the
battery pod that will have a screw on waterproof cap with an O ring seal. This
tube will contain the wire ends that I will attach my charger to so I will not
have to remove the batteries every time to recharge them.
In addition to all this I will have absorbant
diapers in the bottom of the battery pod just as a precaution to help
soak up any small amounts of water in the bottom of the pod that may
accumulate from the hydrolators dripping any water into the bottom of the
pod.
And the final component will be a leak
detector installed about one third of the way up the side of one of
the batteries so it will not give me a false reading that it might if I
installed in on the bottom where it might contact any wetness on the absorbant
diapers
that might be caused by small amounts of water
dripping from the action of the hydrolators.
After much research, personal thought and taking
into account other helpful member's advice from both this forum and many other
sites and forums, I believe this will be a safe and efficient system for a
battery pod and air pressure equalization system.
Does anyone have any comments?.
Kindest Regards,
Bill Akins.