Alternative Propulsion Thread

[ctsbillc]

Many electrically powered boat use no batteries, same as diesel electric trains.

Batteries are a energy store, no more, and certainly the energy density is not close to diesel.

[fastcat435]

We use a sensor bearing for directional and speed info and can reverse as fast as you can pull the control handle(s) back.
Many other systems also use ac motors because of the higher efficiency. in our case brush less and maintenance free, our controller/amplifier makes ac from dc and dc from ac to recharge.
gideon

[ctsbillc]

Do you use regenerative from the prop while sailing? I imagine the effect on a boat speed even with regenerative is less than the drag of a fixed prop.

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by ctsbillc

Do you use regenerative from the prop while sailing? I imagine the effect on a boat speed even with regenerative is less than the drag of a fixed prop.

yes we can regenerate while sailing and choose one or 2 props to do so or non at all and we lift the motors out of the water to decrease resistance

[ctsbillc]

Excellent. I've just been browsing your products on the web. Are there any technical white papers published on the technology?

[fastcat435]

Hallo

we have not published any yet until all the testing is done and the targets verified.
This will be doe before the end of this year and the information can than be seen on
green-motion.com

This site will go online around the 1st of December

If you want any detailed info send your e mail address to gideon@africancats.com

[GordMay]

Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3)

Ammonia is essentially non flammable, and is readily obtained and handled in liquid form without need for expensive and complicated refrigeration technology. Although ammonia contains 17.65% of hydrogen by weight, the fact that there are 3 hydrogen atoms attached to a single nitrogen atom allows ammonia to contain about 48% more hydrogen by volume than even liquefied hydrogen.

That is to say, a cubic meter of liquid hydrogen contains 71 kg of hydrogen, compared with 105 kg of hydrogen for a m3 of liquid anhydrous ammonia.

"Green NH3" is manufactured from simply air and water using clean renewable energy. The emissions from the burned ammonia are nitrogen and water vapor. Ammonia is easily and indefinitely stored as a liquid at about 150 PSI, but quickly turns to a gas when exposed to air.

More ➥ Green NH3 ( Ammonia )

[James S]

Now thats Cool...thanks Gord

[Captain Bill]

Anhydrous ammonia might make a good fuel, but the handling issues are pretty scary. First of all NH3 spontaneously forms ammonium hydroxide on contact with water which is extremely corrosive and forms in the lungs immediately upon inhaling the fumes. There is enough moisture in the skin to do the same. I was in Pensacola Florida in the 70's when a train derailed and a tank car of the stuff leaked. We were luck and the wind was blowing out to sea, but one family that lived between the track and the bay was not. All 5 died a horrible death. Three of them before the rescue teams arrived but two lived a short while. I had a friend who was a respiratory therapist that helped work on one of the survivors. Despite having a full breathing apparatus he received 2nd degree burns on his arms and chest just from the fumes coming off the victim. I know people use this stuff for refrigeration, but in realtively small quantities compared to what is required as fuel. I certainly would not want large quantities of the stuff on my boat.

[Captain Bill]

I should note that this does work as fuel. The X15 rocket plane used anhydrous ammonia and liquid oxygen as fuel in the sixties.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Anhydrous ammonia might make a good fuel, but the handling issues are pretty scary.

It's not inert
➥ Firehouse.Com HazMat Zone - 2002 Hazardous Materials Studies - Handling Anhydrous Ammonia Emergencies

[ctsbillc]

Ammonia is lighter than air, but certainly you do want a leak in your cabin.

Talking about leaks, another recent discovery is that electrolysis of urine liberates hydrogen for a lot less energy than it takes to get it from water.

Urine Broken Down into Hydrogen Using Electrolysis | Experiments | Eco Trees

Maybe there's gold in them holding tanks.

:-)

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by ctsbillc

Ammonia is lighter than air, but certainly you do want a leak in your cabin.

Ummmm . . . I'm guessing that not was inadvertently left out of that sentence.

TaoJones

[ctsbillc]

Ops, sorry. An ammonia leak in a cabin would be pretty rough. This may be why Ammonia is never presented as a viable clean energy source. It may be clean after it has burned, but prior to that it is a distinct health hazard. It a poison gas, basically.

[BarnicleBill]

i got a idea ,why not use the electrolite thats right under your keel .just go to the junk yard and load up on all copper and zinc or iron that you can haul back to the dock and place the copper over one side and the zinc or iron over the otherside and conect to a muity meter and see what you get?? you might not be able to weld with it but you play around with the voltage and you might just trickle charge a battery OH almost forgot DON'T leave the outboard in the water ? and only try this if you HAVE a fiberglass hull HAVE FUN YAUL