Cloud refueling

[Carlobrand]

Occurs to me that a particularly clever engineer could rig up some device to scoop water from clouds, say some gill arrangement attached forward of the scoops that admitted air and then vented it out a side vent after passing it over coolant coils that condensed water out of the air flow to pass on to the scoop. I wonder if the starport authority would take issue with someone just circling over the port collecting fuel.

Figure a square meter vent traveling at a bit under the speed of sound, drawing maybe 300 cubic meters of atmosphere per second, with the cloud at maybe 0.02% water, some fraction of 60 liters of water per second being available for condensation, which translates to some fraction of 24 dTons of water being available if I did the math right. You ought to be able to draw adequate fuel in a reasonable time if your vents are large enough and your condenser reasonably efficient.

 

[whartung]

Occurs to me that a particularly clever engineer could rig up some device to scoop water from clouds, say some gill arrangement attached forward of the scoops that admitted air and then vented it out a side vent after passing it over coolant coils that condensed water out of the air flow to pass on to the scoop. I wonder if the starport authority would take issue with someone just circling over the port collecting fuel.

Figure a square meter vent traveling at a bit under the speed of sound, drawing maybe 300 cubic meters of atmosphere per second, with the cloud at maybe 0.02% water, some fraction of 60 liters of water per second being available for condensation, which translates to some fraction of 24 dTons of water being available if I did the math right. You ought to be able to draw adequate fuel in a reasonable time if your vents are large enough and your condenser reasonably efficient.

60 l/s is about 1.5hr for 24 dTons. That's actually a long time in clouds when you're flying (vs parked). Depending on the speed you're traveling. You might be able to just park and hover in a cloud bank, not sure if the density maintains though.

But it's an interesting idea.

 

[mike wightman]

If there are clouds there is rain, if there is rain there are rivers, lakes, seas.

Just land and suck it up, much faster.

If they won't let you land and do this I very much doubt if they would grant permission to hoover up a cloudbank...

 

[Fovean]

I agree with Mike. But the maths you guys are throwing around are giving me ideas about gas giant refueling and how long that might actually take...

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Wow!

Occurs to me that a particularly clever engineer could rig up some device to scoop water from clouds, say some gill arrangement attached forward of the scoops that admitted air and then vented it out a side vent after passing it over coolant coils that condensed water out of the air flow to pass on to the scoop. I wonder if the starport authority would take issue with someone just circling over the port collecting fuel.

Figure a square meter vent traveling at a bit under the speed of sound, drawing maybe 300 cubic meters of atmosphere per second, with the cloud at maybe 0.02% water, some fraction of 60 liters of water per second being available for condensation, which translates to some fraction of 24 dTons of water being available if I did the math right. You ought to be able to draw adequate fuel in a reasonable time if your vents are large enough and your condenser reasonably efficient.

Yeah this is cool. Might be a new form of GG or ice Giant atmo skimming. I like it.

 

[Carlobrand]

...If they won't let you land and do this I very much doubt if they would grant permission to hoover up a cloudbank...

I was figuring the air space over the starport but, yeah, traffic controllers might not approve of the idea.