Dead Ends

When you are pressed for time, it is a bit frustrating to spend time on something only to find out that it hasn't given the anticipated results.

For example, I just spent time reading a summary of Diamandis' book about Abundance.  Let's be clear here--- I'm not a critic of Diamandis.  In fact, I'm a fan.  But this book wasn't terribly useful with my time.  Even though it was a summary and not the book itself.  If there was anything I got out of the book, it was something that I read a long time ago about positive thinking.  It's just another way of saying everybody needs to think positive because things are getting better all the time.

I won't write a review of the summary.

Another apparent waste of time was in studying the Aluminum plus Potassium hydroxide method of obtaining in-situ hydrogen for fuel-cell powered vehicles.  To make a long story short, the thing would require a chemical laboratory installed on a vehicle in order to be useful.  Perhaps someday that will be possible, but it seems rather complicated.  I'd rather stick with the KISS principle--- that is, keep it simple, stupid.

The ammonia cracker for the in-situ production of ammonia is a better idea.

Two dead ends this morning.  Let's hope there isn't a third.

Update:

Yep.  A third.  I just spent time on something about there being ammonia on Mars' moon Phobos.  Yeah, it could be used as a propellant.  Phobos is a lot easier to get to from Earth.  The imagination beckons.  But it is a waste of time.

Update:

Might as well mention that I calculated that a maximum mixture of ammonia in water would give you about a 120 lb tank for the storage of 3 kg of ammonia  hydrogen.  Maximum is 30% ammonia solution by weight.  Run the numbers.  Anyway, that would be enough ammonia to take a fuel cell car about 150 to 180 miles.  Add a battery and that would be roughly 200 mile range.

Concerns about toxicity are scare tactics.  There must be some other reason why this is being opposed.