[Vision2020] "Acceleration" Defined

Thu Jan 12 05:08:59 PST 2006

Ted,

Isn't Rocketdyne the outfit that manufactured the Terminators that menaced 
Los Angeles in the late 1980s and early 1990s?

Sunil

>From: Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com>
>To: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
>CC: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] "Acceleration" Defined
>Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:15:42 -0800
>
>Tom et. al.
>
>You seemed to miss the joke in my suggestion that the CBD could become a
>Trinitarian Village like "Chinatown" in some large US cities, but this is 
>no
>joke:
>
>You want horsepower?  Forget the dragster!  How about engines in one
>"machine" with the output of 13 Hoover Dams?
>
>Try this:
>
>http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/propul/SSMEamaz.html
>
>Rocketdyne's Space Shuttle Main Engine operates at greater temperature
>extremes than any mechanical system in common use today. The liquid 
>hydrogen
>fuel is -423 degrees Fahrenheit, the second coldest liquid on Earth. When
>the hydrogen is burned with liquid oxygen, the temperature in the engine's
>combustion chamber reaches +6000 degrees Fahrenheit - that's higher than 
>the
>boiling point of Iron.
>
>
>    - The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the three SSMEs is
>    just over 37 million horsepower.
>    - The energy released by three of Rocketdyne's Space Shuttle Main
>    engines is equivalent to the output of 13 Hoover Dams.
>    - Although not much larger than an automobile engine, the SSME
>    high-pressure fuel turbopump generates 100 horsepower for each pound of 
>its
>    weight, while an automobile engine generates about one-half horsepower 
>for
>    each pound of its weight.
>    - Even though Rocketdyne's SSME weighs one-seventh as much as a
>    locomotive engine, its high-pressure fuel pump alone delivers as much
>    horsepower as 28 locomotives, while its high-pressure oxidizer pump 
>delivers
>    the equivalent horsepower for 11 more.
>    - If water, instead of fuel, were pumped by the three Space Shuttle
>    Main Engines, an average family-sized swimming pool could be drained in 
>25
>    seconds.
>    - The SSME high-pressure fuel turbopump main shaft rotates at 37,000
>    rpm compared to about 3,000 rpm for an automobile operating at 60 mph.
>    - The discharge pressure of an SSME high-pressure fuel turbopump could
>    send a column of liquid hydrogen 36 miles in the air
>
>------------------
>
>Ted Moffett
>
>
>On 1/10/06, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
> >
> >  "Acceleration" as defined by Keith Black (http://www.keithblack.com)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> > One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
> >
> > than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.
> >
> >
> >
> > Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro
> >
> > methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same
> >
> > rate with 25% less energy being produced.
> >
> >
> >
> > A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the
> >
> > dragster's supercharger. With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the
> >
> > supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a
> >
> > near-solid form before ignition.
> >
> >
> >
> > Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
> >
> > At 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro methane, the flame front
> >
> > temperature measures 7,050 deg F.
> >
> >
> >
> > Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the
> >
> > stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric
> >
> > water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of
> >
> > an arc welder in each cylinder. Spark plug electrodes are totally
> >
> > consumed during a pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from
> >
> > compression, plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 deg F. The engine
> >
> > can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
> >
> >
> >
> > If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up
> >
> > In the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to 
>blow
> >
> > cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
> >
> >
> >
> > In order to exceed 3 00 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an
> >
> > average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before
> >
> > half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
> >
> > reading this sentence. Top fuel engines turn approximately 540
> >
> > revolutions from light to light! Including the burnout, the engine must
> >
> > only survive 900 revolutions under load.
> >
> >
> >
> > The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.
> >
> > Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and
> >
> > for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimate $1,000.00 per
> >
> > second.
> >
> >
> >
> > The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for
> >
> > the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is
> >
> > 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run
> >
> > (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
> >
> >
> >
> > Putting all of this into perspective, picture this scenario:
> >
> > You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered
> >
> > Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a top fuel dragster is staged
> >
> > and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the
> >
> > advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the
> >
> > gears and blast across the starting line and pass the dragster at an
> >
> > honest 200 mph. The "tree" goes green for both of you at that moment.
> >
> >
> >
> > The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down
> >
> > hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums
> >
> > and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you
> >
> > to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him.
> >
> >
> >
> > Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200
> >
> > mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he
> >
> > passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> > And that, my friend, is ACCELERATION!
> >
> >
> >
> > Take care, Moscow.
> >
> >
> >
> > Tom Hansen
> >
> > Moscow, Idaho
> >
> >
> >
> > "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of 
>arriving
> > safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
> > sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly 
>used
> > up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"
> >
> >
> >
> > _____________________________________________________
> >  List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >               http://www.fsr.net
> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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> >
> >
> >

>_____________________________________________________
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                http://www.fsr.net
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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