air powered scooter.

[PolsVoice]

I did a SB search trying to find if anyone had any plans for an air powered scooter. The only thing that I found seemed to employ air pressure to turn a prop. I'm wondering if there are any plans for a scooter that just uses a directed flow of raw air from a AL80 cylinder. Even if there is no method of altering the direction of the nozzle, it seems to me that if the air flow could be easily regulated and directed straight back, all that would be needed would be a way to make the tank neutrally boyant, and a few handles to the user could turn the tank to direct the thrust.

Or is this a pipe dream?

- PV.

 

[ScubaRon]

I'm not an engineer, but is there enough "power" in an AL80 to achieve any speed for a sustainable period?

 

[Coo's Toe]

This board finally seems to be catching up with some of the whacky ideas I've had a couple years ago...

First, there is not enough stored energy in an Al 80 to power you through the water for very long. You would need to be dealing with a lot more pressure, which in turn would make the device heavier.

The change in weight from heavy to light as the air disappeared would lead to numerous problems.

I've done a lot of research on existing air driven motors. Nothing off the shelf is really going to suit your needs. While you *could* make one work with step down regulators, you're still going to run into the fact that they're air hogs, designed to be run off a compressor. Your supply will run out before you get far.

There's a dozen other reasons...

I assume you want to build a cheap scooter. Air power is not the direction you want to go if cheap is the goal. Not to mention the "won't work" thing.

Batteries are your friend. Electric motors are your friend. You can modify existing trolling motors to build a *cheap* scooter for shallower recreational depths. That's probably where you should start.

 

[Zacrifice]

What about using Hydrogen and Oxygen to produce electricity that can be used for the motor?

Under compression you end up having a lot of both and enough can be produced to run a bus all day!

Its worth a thought, and I thought I have given it

 

[UWSojourner]

I think I'll wait for a coffee grinder sized Mr. Fusion product first.

 

[in_cavediver]

What about using Hydrogen and Oxygen to produce electricity that can be used for the motor?

Under compression you end up having a lot of both and enough can be produced to run a bus all day!

Its worth a thought, and I thought I have given it

In theory, you could use several small expirementer class fuel cells with hydrogen and compressed air. (The fuel cells I have seen use ambient air, not O2). The problem will be cost. Hydrogen gas isn't expensive or all that rare. The fuel cells and the engineering to use them would cost quite a bit. (although, I am watching the hybrid vehicle lab closely where I work, getting idea's for a higher end scooter)

Mike

 

[extreme]

There was a scooter in the 1980's with a motor that attached to your tank and used the pressure from you scuba tank to power the motor. It also had an attachment where you could reclaim some of the air that went through the plastic motor to your reg, so a tank of air would last longer.

Extreme out.

 

[Lat. Adjustment]

What I'm waiting for is the fuel cell powered DPV, long pulls with power outputs for camera/video lights and the warm water from the chemical reaction could be directed into the wetsuit.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I eat three hard-boiled eggs and a pack of Velamints about an hour before I dive. There's some kind of reaction between the sulfur in the egg yolks and something in the Velamints that causes mass gassing. This combination has proven itself reliable for about 3 or four seven second "turbo boosts." If people ask about the bubbles I just tell them that my alternate must have been free-flowing.

 

[Gary D.]

I did a SB search trying to find if anyone had any plans for an air powered scooter. The only thing that I found seemed to employ air pressure to turn a prop. I'm wondering if there are any plans for a scooter that just uses a directed flow of raw air from a AL80 cylinder. Even if there is no method of altering the direction of the nozzle, it seems to me that if the air flow could be easily regulated and directed straight back, all that would be needed would be a way to make the tank neutrally boyant, and a few handles to the user could turn the tank to direct the thrust.

Or is this a pipe dream?

- PV.

Watch the "Alias" re-runs this summer. You would think they were doing 30mph just by opening the valve.

Forget it and channel your mental energy elsewhere.

Gary D.