On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 04:27:58AM -0800, John Green wrote:
>
> Hi, Ben, I agree, a real winning piece of thinking - I have to admit
> that 'no' was my first thought too re a water powered version.
> However, as water has greater mass, the 'belt' could be extremely
> smaller, and the stroke maybe larger (or not) to span multiple coils
> maybe, and possibly not be a belt at all, but a pivoted oscillating fin.
Unfortunately, the main physical effect that the Windbelt depends on -
sustained oscillation - can't be sustained under water; water is quite
good at damping oscillation (in fact, the term "damping" seems
strikingly apropos here. :)
> Footnote- As for ram pumps, I lived in a UK hamlet that had one, and the
> clicking noise was heard a mile away. So, don't even go there :-)
Funny - I saw one supplying water to a mountain cabin, and it was
totally silent. Bad bearings, maybe?
--
Ben Okopnik
-=-=-=-=-=-
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