In areas prone to dense fog use a "fog plow" to clear the highways and reduce the risk of multi car pileups. Since the air where for occurs is generally still, the purpose of the fog plow is to create a "tunnel" in the fog. Continuous passes through the fog area will be necessary to maintain the path.

Fog Plow #1: on the front and top of a slow moving truck is mounted a large refrigerated panel, that while moving through the fog condenses the water vapor, leaving behind a wet road.

Fog Plow #2 on the front or rear of a truck is mounted a jet dryer, ducted to create a wall of superheated air directed upward, sucking in and burning off the fog, sending it skyward.
-- TitaniumZ, Jun 20 2003

Seed Clouds http://www.hydro.co...udseeding/faqs.html
[kbecker, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

As the fog goes skyward, doesn't other fog just spill into the "tunnel?"

Croissant for making me laugh, though. Very charming. +
-- snarfyguy, Jun 20 2003


The proximity of the refrigerated front end to the heated rear end would make the vehicle a giant blob of fog.
-- thumbwax, Jun 20 2003


// The airport ..used surplus jet engines ...to burn off fog //

The old Soviet air force did this as well. Technically quite practicable, but very thirsty for jet fuel; not commercialy economic for anything other than a vital runway in an emergency situation.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 20 2003


The plow should spread some stuff for cloud seeding too. They could put those salt spreaders they use in winter on a tall pole and put Silver Iodide into it. ... oops, bridge, didn't see that in the fog.
-- kbecker, Jun 20 2003


I think this one has already been baked, though not using either method described. I remember reading a few years back about a fog plowing truck fitted with a big water tank and an array of fine spray nozzles. Driving along a foggy road, the truck would spray water in all directions (perpendicular to direction of travel). Presumably, the water droplets in the mist would combine with the droplets in the fog, get heavy, and fall to the ground.

I haven't seen any fog plows driving around, so the concept may not have worked all that well. Any fog plow will have to make frequent passes over the same bit of road, and it may work out that it's just not worth the effort. Also, you'd want to equip the plow itself with some sort of forward-looking system that can see through the fog in order to keep the truck on the road and prevent it from hitting other vehicles. If you figure out a way to do that, you'd probably be better off productizing it and installing it in all vehicles, thus obviating the need for the plow in the first place. If you can't do that, on the other hand, it's probably safer and cheaper to close the road until the fog lifts.
-- ThinkTwice, Aug 08 2004


what about a low yield nuclear airburst to clear the fog?
-- JeffG, May 24 2006


'there is no such thing as overkill, only "open fire" and "i need to reload"'
-- tcarson, May 24 2006



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