[AR] atomic hydrogen (was Re: arocket Digest V1 #58)
- From: Henry Spencer <henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 16:08:57 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 6 Nov 2013, John Schilling wrote:
> > And if you want a liquid fuel as the end result, the optimal chemistry
> > likely won't have molecular hydrogen as an intermediate product...
> >
> Molecular hydrogen, humph. I want a car that runs on atomic hydrogen.
> A car, and a rocket ship. Atomic hydrogen would be worth the bother of
> cryogenic storage...
Well, maybe. There is this problem with a positive heat of formation that
has too many digits before the decimal point, and an activation energy
that has too many digits after. It's the great-grandmother of all
energetic monopropellants, for sure... with all that implies. When the
fuel makes nitroglycerin look like dishwater, and the slightest *failure*
of cryogenic storage will let its true personality emerge, there is still
such a thing as it being too much bother!
"Huh? The tank vent valve has opened..."
"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!"
Henry Spencer
henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
(regexpguy@xxxxxxxxx)
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- » [AR] atomic hydrogen (was Re: arocket Digest V1 #58) - Henry Spencer
