🚀 go-pugleaf

> Nick Janow writes:
> Pumping is simple, since aluminum is highly conductive.  Just use
> electromagnetic fields to thrust it through a pipe.  There's no moving
> parts
> to worry about.  I think this is being used in sodium reactor research, so
> it
> isn't an untested technology.


        I think the fundamental problem with this is where to get the large
amounts of power needed.  Even moderate sized rocket engines use turbopumps
generating several thousand kilowatts of power.

        Paul Deitz has pointed out in E-mail to me that molten aluminum would
be an ideal candidate for pressure feeding.  Relative to normal fuels such as
hydrogen (density 70 kg/m^3) and RP-1 (density 800 kg/m^3), aluminum with a
density of about 2700 kg/m^3 will require small tanks.  The tanks are very
hot, meaning that little mass of pressurization gas will be needed.  A useful
technique might be to have the molten aluminum stored in a spherical steel
tank pressurized by injecting liquid nitrogen into the tank (which because of
the heat will immediately vaporize).  Is nitrogen available from the moon?



--
Bruce Dunn    Vancouver, Canada   Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.bc.ca