April 29, 2005, Friday                           Kites-of-Water Project---several categories or types

  • The tease to leave the project and admit hybrid solutions beyond "just water" will be a source of other projects and targets, but the tease will not void the current extant "just water" kite construction and flying project.
     
  • Ice flies on airplane wings and degrades the performance of designed airfoils. Various wing warming de-icing systems are in place and are increasingly available to aircraft.  Icing on kites can similarly occur to degrade the performance of a kite.   "Ice throws" are ice parts thrown from aircraft and propellers and turbines. The ice thrown off an aircraft of body often flies through the air following various trajectories. Ice falling and flying from natural objects like cliffs and overhangs can damage property and kill or injure animals and people. Some of the ice parts that fly are of such shape that a bridling of the part and set in appropriate winds would net a successful kite system.
     
  • Nomads in very cold climates may find some solace in ice-only kites.
     
  • Space Shuttle slough ice might be bridled to avoid damages caused by loose flying ice. Such bridled discarded ice pieces might become kites that would bang around and still cause damage. More thinking is needed here.
     
  • More rigid frames of ice can hold in place very thin regions of ice plate.
     
  • Could extremely strong magnetic fields play an important part in obtaining special orientations in the ice crystals used for ice-kite parts?
     
  • Source of the water for a particular kite? Condition of the water? Purified? DO2?  Extraneous gases? Ionic balance? Environment during freezing? Dissolved gases? Air bubbles? Impurities?
     
  • Holy water? Water blessed?
     
  • Announced in 2000:   SPACE.com Exclusive: Breakthrough In Solar Sail Technology
    By Greg Clark Staff Writer posted: 09:45 am ET  02 March 2000  http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/carbonsail_000302.html   carbon-fiber material, 5 grams per square meter,

     
  • Perfecting the crystallization?
     
  • Surface defects and crack propagation in ice forms?
     
  • Dave Culp has posted two very interesting developmental posts that will serve to set the scene for deeper looks into hybrid kites-of-water systems and applications.

 

  • I April 29, mirror of Alternative-Kite:
    Friday, April 29, 2005 12:34 PM
    To : Alternative-Kite@yahoogroups.com
    Subject : [Alt-Kite] Re: Water kitesInbox
    I offer no solutions here,
    but a number of observations:

    Frozen water is brittle; so is glass. Glass spun into minute strands
    is not brittle (this is the basis for fiberglass), would water be the
    same?

    Glass and most (all?) polymers currently used for composite use are
    amorphous solids--they do not crystallize as they solidify. Could one
    of water's 14 phases include an amorphous solid? If so, it'd be a
    dawdle to build this kite.

    Composites such as fiberglass (and many others) gain their strength
    through the sharing of the strengths of different materials;
    fiberglass, for instance, leverages the high tensile strength--and
    compressive strength--of glass, with the flexibility and adhesive
    qualities of its epoxy resin. Would it be possible to relax Joe's
    "only water" specification to allow such a composite? Maybe we'll
    learn that spun ice has high compressive strength (for instance) but
    not tensile strength, and a composite of water and, say, carbon
    fiber would do the trick.

    Then again, perhaps water ice will find its best use as the "bonding
    matrix", using something else for the tension duty. I am reminded
    that aviators in WWII learned that in cold climates, the best runway
    material--better even than cement in severe cold--is a slurry of
    water and ordinary sawdust--spread out and left to "set up" in the
    cold.

    What are the strengths of water as a building material? It's one
    thing to do something "because it's there," but finding the best
    advantage of a material could bring actual development possibilities.

    I do not know the physical properties of even one phase of water ice.
    What is its elastic modulus? It's breaking strain? Etc. I do know
    that it is plentiful--and cheap. This leads me to think about large
    structures--such as solar sails, spacecraft and the like. Could
    water/sawdust make a useful giant space-station shell material? I
    don't know, a disadvantage to water is that it's heavy for its
    strength--not like titanium and carbon fiber, for instance. Still,
    it's nice to think you could melt and drink your excess spaceship
    compartments, when and if it's needed...

    How about building a "water kite" of ice? I'm speaking of so-called
    "trawl doors" and also of "hapas" (Google it), [ Dave added: "hapa sail"
    might be a better search.] ] which are underwater
    kites used to hold nets open, keep futuristic sailboats running
    efficiently, and to deploy and control towed antenna arrays from
    military ships, submarines and helicopters.

    If you could add something to raise the melting point of ice just a
    few degrees, so that it could exist in the ~34 degree water of Arctic
    oceans, for instance, you could have a simple, inexpensive and
    lightweight (weighs the same as the water it moves through)
    underwater kite structure.

    Dave
    		Dave, in the phases of water there is at least one amorphous phase, but because of the pressure in which it subsists, it won't be a dawdle to build or fly the kite unless some breakthroughs occur in materials. Leave this arena open, though.

    We will be exploring the reach of your ideas.

    The relaxation from the "water-only" is now established with the opening of types of kites of water; still Type-1 Kites of Water will remain "water-only" so such challenge is not lost.

     

     

I April 29, mirror of Alternative-Kite:    Alternative-Kite@yahoogroups.com 
Sent : Friday, April 29, 2005 12:18 PM
To : Alternative-Kite@yahoogroups.com 
Subject : [Alt-Kite] Re:   Water-Absorbent Crystals

Joe presented:  Here is possibly a neat application of the water-absorbent crystals in
>kiting: Loft a set of  dehydrated water-absorbent polymer bits into a cloud
>(caution: government airspace rules will mostly prohibit kite flying into
>clouds at altitude; check and plan first!) and perhaps soak up the water
>there; bring the bloated crystals back down  for use in hydrating
>activities, perhaps survival watering. How easily will Sodium polyacrylate
>hydrate when flown in humid airs by a lofty kite?  Extracting the held water
>may be tricky and perhaps involve salt and maybe solar distillation to get
>potable water for human consumption.

This is brilliant, Joe, and certainly attainable. Many consumers have
experience with this substance and may not know it; it is the main
ingredient in "super absorbent" diapers and feminine pads. As such,
it is available in industrial quantities, even at present.

It is my understanding that the stuff will give up its water simply
by drying and is fully re-usable--so a solar still or similar should
do it--even a fuel-driven still might be commercially feasible. The
material is sometimes used directly in topsoil to hold water during
dry spells; giving up its water as humidity demands--this is very
common in "super" soils offered at outlets like Home Depot.

Many of the world's droughts--for instance the most recent 10-year
stretch in Australia as well as many in the United States, are
accompanied by heavy cloud cover--it is especially frustrating for
farmers to watch their fields whither--under burgeoning gray clouds.

I recall stories of "dew catchers" in the distant past--maybe New
Guinea--where web-like structures of woven grass or other fiber were
left near hilltops overnight, with catch-basins to take the runoff.

Land-bound dew catchers of your material come easily to
mind--children could easily drag blankets of the stuff over dew-wet
grass, for later harvest in the still. Here in California's Mojave
desert, many small animals and insects rely on dew for 100% of their water needs--why not humans as well?

Cheers,

Dave
 

http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/proj.bib/hawaii/SFC.htm SEE. "The Standard Fog Collector (Schemenauer and Cereceda, 1994) is a 1- meter square frame with a double layer of 40% shade cloth mesh. It is set up perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. The collected fog (and rain) water is routed from the collection trough to a large-capacity tipping bucket gage with data logger to measure amount and frequency of precipitation. The cylindrical "harp" type fog collector is seen in the background."

One project: "FogQuest is a Canadian non-profit organization that assists families in developing countries tap into fog and rainwater as a source for clean water." http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/04/clean_water_fro.php

FogQuest: http://www.fogquest.org/index.shtml

Projects for Haiti, Chile, Yemen, and Nepal ...; Danda Bazzarr (elev. 7,000 ft) region of eastern Nepal;

Keywords: Air Wells, Dew Ponds, Fog Fences, fog water, cloud water, dew,  fog-catchers, fog water technology, "Harp" type Fog Collector

And now we add some new alternative-kiting key terms to the mix:  Kite-lofted air wells, kite-lofted dew ponds, kite-lofted fog fences, kite-lofted sponges, kite-lofted super-absorbent chemicals, kite-lofted deliberate icing forms with retrieval methods, kited water, kite-collected water, water collected by kite systems, kited dew collector, kited fog-water collectors, kites as fog-water collector, cloud-water technology, harvest water from clouds by kite systems, kite for water-collecting during camping and hiking, standard water-collecting kite, large-scale water-collecting kite system,            etc.

Dave, in my vision is a kite system that is steadily draining water from the sky back to ground through drops or through the hollow kite line (to lower evaporative losses).   April 30, 2005.

Also:  Air wells: http://www.rexresearch.com/airwells/airwells.htm

Some related patents (not comprehensive):
http://www.rexresearch.com/airwell2/airwell2.htm

 FogQuest@rogers.com
We are advancing kite-lofted water collectors. http://www.josephfaust.com/kiteworld/kiteofwater/2005april29.htm  and feel good about promoting your FogQuest. Can you take PayPal membership funds? Joe Faust Kiteworld for Kites of Water...

Professor Detlev Möller at moe@btu-lc.fta-berlin.de

Professor Detlev Möller,

moe@btu-lc.fta-berlin.de
Water from Kite Systems
We are advancing kite-lofted water collectors. http://www.josephfaust.com/kiteworld/kiteofwater/2005april29.htm
If you have a mailing list for the conferences, please add:
water@kitenotes.com

Thank you,

Joe Faust
Kite World for Water Projects

  Alon Gross  :: portable dew-and-water collector for camping and remote use.


 

  • Traveling on water (ice, snow, lakes, seas, slicks)  via traction kites is a dominate contemporary and still expanding application of kites. Kites are relating with grounded water is great enterprise. Water re-launchable kite surfing kite systems has been a strong win for kiting.
     

  • Kite fishing operates with the bodies of fish-holding waters in many ways. Bobs might be placed afar; using controlled-positioned kiting, the bait may be moved around wide parts of a water region.
     

  • Leonardo DaVinci has not been the last to point kites in a way to cross waterways with line to begin bridge building.
     

  • Kites have been fundamental in aviation development that has given us aircraft that can fly freely over bodies of water.
     

  • Kites made from plant parts retain a certain percentage of water. Drying the parts so the water content is low brings stiffness and lower mass to the parts and so increases the the success of many kite designs.  However, some fresh water-full leaves freshly cut and used for kiting have a firmness that might be wanted in some circumstances.  Freezing some plant parts that are fully hydrated might be used in some special kiting situations. Such kites are not Type-1 Water Kites, but are in one of the other type categories.
     

  • Dropping water from kites and kite tails and kite lines has been done for many reasons. Serious fire-fighting using kite systems  has not been done; and studies have yet to be made to see when and where such might be done to an advantage. Dropping water from kites along with seeds can be done. Dropping water to cool an area might be of interest to some resort or picnic spaces.
     

  • Living In A Kytooned Home

    A person living up in a kytoon home may collect water from passing clouds for drinking and greenhouse vegetable growing purposes. Fishing, "insecting" and birding might supply meats.

    Nice view of horizons...

    How long a person might live up in a kytoon can be extended by harvesting water from the clouds. Generating new hydrogen for the kytoon's buoyant lift can be obtained from the water obtained from the clouds along with use of solar energy. Plenty of energy from wind generators can light study lights for night reading, bed warmers, craft power equipment, de-icing the kite balloon, etc. Energy from the sun will be available. Radio communications ---transmission and reception would be great. Recreational auxiliary kites could be used in many ways ---flying about the main home while in an auxiliary kite, meditative kite flying from the base of the main kited home, etc.

    ..........development of kited homes is an ongoing story..   The kytoon need not just follow early forms--most  blimp-like teardroppers as WWII Barrage Kites (Domina Jalbert work on such before his parafoil successes.).
    http://www.tifr.res.in/~bf/kytoon.html 
    http://www.tifr.res.in/~bf/balloon_prod.html
    http://www.niwa.cri.nz/pubs/no8/nitrogen/
    http://www.thekitesociety.org.uk/Soft%20Kites.pdf
    http://www.pestmanagement.co.uk/lib/glossary/glossary_k.shtml   kytoon used in special manner --marker.
    http://www.isical.ac.in/~sushmita/paper/swati.pdf
    http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/cq-contest/1992-December/000208.html
    http://www.wxchat.com/phpglossar_0.8/index.php?letter=k
     

    Dave Culp brings tall support for what can be done with large kites as tugs and economic progress:

    "Ah, but what are you going to do for a living?                     [ Ed:  ...in the kytooned home.]
    Read my paper,     On KiteTugs©  for one alternative. It's at: http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/KiteTugs.html

    I wrote this in 1996, am still earnestly working to make it fact. Popular Science is doing a  feature on the concept this July or August.

    Also occurs to me you could sell electricity--and hydrogen--to earthbound folk (or to the ships you work for)

    Dave Culp                                      [April 30, 2005, mirrored from Alternative-Kite group.
    Occupations while living in a kytooned home:
    1. Be a KiteTug™  operator. Control watered drogue/sled to get to new tug assignments; control the main kytoon to travel to new jobs--new ships.
    2. Sell weather and air pollution reports to authorities.
    3. Take and sell photographs via wireless Internet operations.
    4. Write and publish over the Internet transmitted via radio waves.
    5. Sell excess insects to fishing persons for bait or even human food.
    6. Sell excess fish to neighbors; drop the lot from the kited home.
    7. Perform harbor traffic control duties.
    8. Run a retreat aloft for vacationers.
    9. As Dave suggested: sell excess hydrogen for burning in modern devices or for air-lift tasks.
    10. Sell excess electricity; charge batteries for sailing community.
    11. Make special artistic kites using materials from fish bones and other parts of the system; sell the kites.
    12. ...?

    Send ideas to:   water@kitenotes.com and/or Alternative-Kite@yahoogroups.com


     

  • http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary   Nice resource. But they may one day extend the definition of "kytoon" to respect new purposes of kytoons. But it fails to have a definition for kite even though the kite holds a honorable position in metrological sciences!

  • kernel ice—In aircraft icing, an extreme form of rime ice, that is, very irregular, opaque, and of low density.
    Kernel ice forms at temperatures of -15°C and lower.
     
     
    killing frost—See frost. 
     
     
     

  • Dave Culp's Outleader™ Space Kite  is an extension of the traction spinnaker kite and boat or ship traction kite:

  • http://www.google.com/search?q=Outleader&hl=en&lr=&start=40&sa=N <==Primary Google over "Outleader" 
    http://www.multihullsnorthwest.com/kiteship/kiteship.htm
    http://www.dcss.org/AAPT/AAPT.html
    http://www.kiteship.com/

  • http://www.kitetugs.com/gallery1.asp
    http://www.boatingoz.com.au/news04/1210b.htm
    http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/passagemaking-under-power/2005-March/000851.html
    http://www.nabx.net/gallery.php?year=2005&album=6
    http://www.peterlynnkites.co.nz/web/1archive/news/2005.htm Peter Lynn has some special comments...
    http://www.sailingsource.com/scuttlebutt/1781.php  Key comments by Dave Culp   This reminds me of the early hang gliding relations with Soaring Society of America as my Low & Slow and early USHGA operations faced the traditional soaring community.
    http://www.yellowairplane.com/MISC/Tethered_Airfoils/  Others step in the flow...

    ABOUT KITESHIP CORP
    KiteShip™Corporation is a group of
    forward-thinking sailors, designers and visionaries, who have been exploiting the fundamental advantages of traction kites for decades. The company, based in California, but with agents on all continents, is focused on designing, developing, manufacturing and licensing technology relating to large kites coupled to watercraft - from sailboats all the way to large commercial ships.

    CONTACT:
    Dave Culp, President, KiteShip™ Corporation
    2004 Silver Lake Way, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
    Tel: +1 925 550 6738
    Fax: +1 509 471 1881
    Web: www.kiteship.com