there should be a way to use gunpowder as a fuel in an automobile
2006-09-23 09:42:58 · 4 answers · asked by ljmuller 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
The typical ratio between the specific energy of fuels and exposives is about 10 to 1. It takes 10 lbs. of explosives to equal the energy in 1 lb of gasoline. This seems odd at first since explosives are so energetic. The reason for explosives is not the energy content but the fact that they can release the energy very rapidly. This rapid release menas that the explosive must have both a fuel and an oxidizer contained in it. Oxidizers (other than pure oxygen) weigh about 8 times as much as fuels. Even though fuels contain much more energy per pound, they do not ordinarily explode because it is diificult to mix a large amount of fuel with the air needed to get an explosion. Instead, fuels burn at their surface only where both fuel and air are present.
In short, if you devised a car to run on explosives, the gas tank would need to be 10 times bigger than it is now to get the same range.
2006-09-23 10:29:28 · answer #1 · answered by Pretzels 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the gas in your engine doesnt explode,if it did the engine would blow apart.It burns at a much slower rate than an explosion.
2006-09-23 16:57:52 · answer #2 · answered by frank m 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well you could but with gasoline being a liquid you can "reload" each cylinder much faster with an atomized liquid than you can with grainy powder.
2006-09-23 16:45:37 · answer #3 · answered by gsschulte 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe dats wot dem arab fellahs are doing in iraq wen dey blow up dem cars with dem in it?
2006-09-23 16:46:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋