Re: TECH: SUPER/ULTRA CAPACITORS, was Re: PHYS: Fractal NanoporeStorage (Out of olive pits!)

From: James Rogers (jamesr@best.com)
Date: Tue Mar 05 2002 - 23:56:28 MST


On 3/5/02 10:24 PM, "Adrian Tymes" <wingcat@pacbell.net> wrote:
> (You know, I wonder if a simple high-pressure carbon dioxide grenade
> might make a viable anti-combustion-engine weapon, if it could remove or
> at least heavily dilute oxygen in the area for long enough to stall the
> engine.)

Carbon dioxide probably isn't the best choice. It becomes a liquid at
relatively low pressures and behaves in an extremely non-ideal manner
(gas-wise that is) when it is de-pressurized. In systems that use
pressurized CO2 as propellant, you have to carefully limit your bleed rate
from the pressure resevoir or it quickly drops off to anemic levels as the
propellant rapidly becomes extremely cold.

Of course, there are plenty of other inert gases that you could use to
quench combustion that exhibit better behavior e.g. the heavy noble gases.
Plain old nitrogen makes a great cheap gas propellant that is also mostly
inert.

-James Rogers
 jamesr@best.com



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