🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec17.165111.10240@vexcel.com>, dean@vexcel.com (Dean Alaska) writes:
>It seems that the energy would never be more than in a tank of gasoline
>and that it need not be shielded any better than that tank of gasoline
>for it to be considered as an alternative from the perspective of
>safety.  We know how dangerous an exploding gas tank can be but we
>also know that it doesn't explode too often.

Dean, try the following experiment:  Take a fairly small amount of gasoline,
dump it on the ground, and light it (carefully, and preferably from a distance).
Measure how long it takes to burn.  Make an estimate of how long it would take
to burn, say, 10 gallons of gasoline in similar circumstances.  You're probably
going to come up with an estimate of at least 15 minutes (at least you would if
you'd ever seen a gasoline fire).  Now, 15 minutes is 900 seconds.  Assuming
the flywheel had even 1/9 the energy as that found in a tankful of gasoline,
and that the catastrophic failure of the flywheel takes a full second (both of
which are pretty generous assumptions in your favor), then the power generated
by the failure of the flywheel will be 100 times that of the burning of the
tank of gasoline.  Note the critical distinction between total energy and
power.  That flywheel's going to make one hell of a big bang.  And it's going
to do it before anybody has a chance to get away from the car.  The gasoline
explosion's going to be very mild in comparison, though the heat released as
the rest of the gasoline burns non-explosively will be pretty intense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.