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air driven alternator in military application...

dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA132005&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

A few years back I got the idea of mounting a 2nd small as possible alternator on my Camry that would be air driven.
My idea was quickly shot down and discredited so I never pursued it.

BUT the idea has never left me as I just "feel" it could be done such that at hwy speeds belt driven alternator may never actually have to engage.

Well, the link above shows how it was down years ago to supply power to missiles!

Article is dated. Wonder if the old unused ordinance is still lying around that these mini alternators on it?

Pete

pgmomni -

Sounds like a story I heard about USA jet fighters in Vietnam. They didn't have machine guns, but they needed them to dogfight. Soooo, they made an "external gun pod" that was powered by a ram air turbine :

U.S. aircraft gun pods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

XM12/M12 and SUU-16/A
Developed as a pod for high-speed fighter aircraft which lacked a gun, this pod was fitted with a single M61A1 20 mm cannon and 1,200 rounds of ammunition. This weapon is powered by a ram-air turbine, and fires at a fixed rate of 6,000 rpm. However, for this firing rate to be achieved the aircraft needs to fly over 300 mph (480 km/h), and the pod is designed to be optimal at speeds above 400 mph (640 km/h). Its weight, 1,650 lb (750 kg) loaded, also precludes it from many light aircraft.

Ram air turbine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-F-105_RAT.jpg

Quote:

A ram air turbine (RAT) is a small turbine that is connected to a hydraulic pump, or electrical generator, installed in an aircraft and used as a power source. The RAT generates power from the airstream due to the speed of the aircraft.
With the exception of crop dusters (see below), modern aircraft only use RATs in emergency - in case of the loss of both primary and auxiliary power sources the RAT will power vital systems (flight controls, linked hydraulics and also flight-critical instrumentation). Some RATs produce only hydraulic power, which is in turn used to power electrical generators. In some early aircraft, small RATs were permanently mounted and operated a small electrical generator or fuel pump.

I don't think it would help MPG unless it is only deployed in braking/coast down events.

CarloSW2

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfg83 (Post 169174)

I don't think it would help MPG unless it is only deployed in braking/coast down events.

CarloSW2

I don't think it would either, there's only one way to find out OP.

Actually there are several ways to find out.

Frank -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Lee (Post 169194)

Actually there are several ways to find out.

Do tell, do tell!!!

CarloSW2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Lee (Post 169194)

Actually there are several ways to find out.

*it was meant for him to test it and realize it doesn't work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfg83 (Post 169200)

Frank -

Do tell, do tell!!!

CarloSW2

It's like Paul Simon says "There must be 50 ways..."

One could build one and do a proper test.

One could think about the physics of it.

One could investigate the results where it's been done already...

Smokey Yunick tried putting a propellar on an alternator, for one of his race cars, they out-lawed it right away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex-x-fire (Post 169375)

Smokey Yunick tried putting a propellar on an alternator, for one of his race cars, they out-lawed it right away.

I bet he had some other "creative system" going on and the propeller was just a diversion.

Smokey did it because his engine kept throwing belts at the high rpms he runs at. So he gave up on the belt drive and put a prop on it.