AboutDavid L. Russell, PE Expertise I`m a Chemical,Civil and Environmental Engineer and have a number of projects in all phases of the environment.
I have worked in the chemical industry and am active in professional societies, and am currently on an industrial wastes committee for the Water Environment Federation, and have taught courses in remediation in the US and abroad.
I have written one book on Remediation of petroleum Contaminated Sites, and have a second book on PRACTICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT to be published by John Wiley in September, 2006. I've also written over 30 articles on various elements of environmental problems and cleanup. Most Recently, I have addressed a NATO Scientific and Techical Conference on Ecoterrorism, and have worked with the same group on remediation of sites contaminated with Chemical Warfare Agent materials and othe materials as well. . I can answer q`s about Chemical and Environmental Engineering, land development, air pollution, water pollution, soil and water cleanup, combustion, international environmental problems, industrial processes chemical processes. Civil and Environmental and Chemical Engineering. Overall, I have over 35 years of experience in this area. Note: I do not answer homework questions
Experience I love work in the third world and developing areas
because it is challenging and one can get a sense of accomplishment.
1. How can I freeze then unfreeze water as quickly as possible?
2. Can I mix anything to water to help the freeze/unfreeze proccess?
3. Can I use a better liquid to make my idea work?
Thank you.
Mike Flanagan UK
Answer MIKE:
What you need is some way to store the energy of expansion. For example,a very fine tooth set of gears which are connected to the piston and to other gears which drive a spring or turn a wheel. You need to take advantage of the tremendous mechanical advantage from the expansion.
One way of doing something like what you want is to have a long thin extension- think a tube on a funnel on the top of your cylinder. When you get the expansion of the water as it turns to ice, it will push water up the tube as it freezes. That will give you some motion and some power.
Sorry that I can't be of more help, but I believe that you have the right idea.
You might want to play around with some other materials -- a look at the CRC Handbook of Physics and Chemistry might suggest some answers. What you are looking for is the coefficent of volumetric expansion upon freezing. And you are right, for water it is about 9%.
Good luck,
As a follow up, you may want to look at the following article:
