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Well I know that gas-turbines exist simply to melt snow in some cases. I propose a snow plow that has a gas-turbine electricity generator with it's intake and first intake blade built in to the plow itself. Now the front of the turbine, where the first intake blades are, has flexitube so it can bend
with the snowplow. So that the tubine blades wouldn't tear up the flexi-tube, the axle has two sequential ball-and-socket joints in the front between the front blade and the compressor. The first is designed to make it go up-and-down while the second is to make it go side to side. This can be achieved simply by putting the axle through the top for side-to-side and through the side for up-and-down. (I'll try and attach a link of how it would work).
Well in one of my ideas, it was determined that a tremendous amount of heat is required to melt a parking-lot's worth of snow. Well first of all, the turbine would be insulated such that all of the heat would be kept in the combustion chamber to melt the snow. Then second of all, even if the snow didn't completely melt, it would still get sucked in and blown out the rear to get scattered (like a snowblower).
The truck would be powered by electric motors using the electricity from the turbines. Throughout the rest of the year (when there's no snow to cool it, since there's no cooling system to promote more efficient snow melting) there's a diesel generator (the turbine also runs on diesel) to generate electricity. The actual snowplow is made of carbon fiber to make it light and tough. The exhaust for the turbine goes through a normal looking (and idential to the generator's) exhaust system to make it quieter, with tips that are turned up slightly so they don't shoot steam directly into other drivers' radiators and air vents, and also would blow any unmelted snow into the air rather than the road. And of course the actual plow itself could be used to move snow.
Illustration
http://s210.photobu...s-turbine-shaft.jpg
How the ball-and-socket joints would make the front blade turn [acurafan07, Jul 29 2007]
How it looks
http://www.northeas.../images/tr_arr3.jpg
just in case you were tempted to think he's just making this all up [lurch, Jul 29 2007]
Pikachu?
http://www.pinktent...ous-snowplow-robot/
They kind of have a snow-block packing machine, ala acurafan07's idea. Cute, too! [k_sra, Jul 30 2007]
[link]
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Why do you want to melt snow so much ant turn it into steam? |
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What type of fuel does it use when its melting snow? |
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I was thinking diesel. It isn't so much that I'm obsessed with making snow into steam, this idea was actually inspired by an episode of the Simpsons. I already knew about turbine snow melters, so I thought wouldn't it be neat to combine the two? |
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(walks away, humming tune to "Mr. Plow") |
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I think it might be better to either compress the snow into blocks of ice, or melt it like you are suggesting but instead of heating it until it becomes steam and releasing it back into the atmosphere to refreeze and fall back to the earth like snow, you would refreeze it into solid blocks of ice, you can then do what you want with the blocks (dump it somewhere, go ice blocking, make ice cubes and use them for whatever you use ice cubes for). |
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Now that's a thought! Snow plow companies charging by the pound to every block of ice they collect. Ingenious! |
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Ice blocking is when you get a block of ice, and sit on it (with a towel) and slide down a grassy hill. |
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I just realized that in most places, the snow material scooped up would contain dirty stuff, so you wouldn't want to consume it, or use it for anything that needs to be sterile. You could filter the water though, before it is refrozen. |
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Wouldn't you need a Zamboni too? |
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LOL that would be one hell of a snowplow! Gas turbine snowplow with Zamboni-assisted ice re-surfacing. |
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Technically speaking, re-freezing the water into cubes of ice sounds like the best idea. They can then be storred in the truck's bed. |
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What you want is a turbine powered Zamboni |
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Are you proposing that the snow be passed through the turbine? If that's the case, then this is a bad idea. Turbomachinery doesn't react well to debris, and any ice that makes it to the combustor can flash to steam, causing excess backpressure and compressor stall at best, and a case rupture with uncontained rotor failure at worst. |
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What's up with the two separate joints? If you're trying to transfer rotary motion through a bent shaft, a nice beefy double universal joint would be much better. |
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Your right about the universal joint. I was thinking some sort of grate or meshed wire could be used to protect against large pieces of ice. |
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acurafan, I added a link for you. (Are there seven other acurafans here at the HB?) |
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Thanks for the link, that thing looks cool but its top speed has got to be about 2 mph. |
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As to the username, I made it in late '06 and thought it would be cool to make an '07 username. I later realized I could have made a much better username and the 07 tag is stupid; especially when it gets to be '08. |
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It will only feel truly stupid around December 12th or so. Meantime, you can adjust accordingly, yes? I did that once with my age (duh) and then breezed right by the number and wondered what I was(n't) thinking. |
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Anyways, nice to meet you. I'm going to go on thinking there are six other rabid acura enthusiasts who got their accounts here just moments before you did. |
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