Yes, my point was that we nor Bob has been able to see the inert gases expand rapidly to 1000 psi and then contract back to ambient pressure. If we can figure out the proper combinations to do that, then affixing that phenomena to an engine should be pretty straightforward. If I were to magically hit on the proper combination, I would expect it to destroy my test fixture (bomb reference). Anything less would get me no farther than where Bob is at now.
If we go the other way and attempt to recover electrical energy instead of mechanical power, there is no way to know if it will be in excess of the power needed to initiate the reaction since Papp didn't build such a device. We also don't know if mechanical motion isn't still needed to generate the excess electrical power, in which case we might as well focus on harnessing it directly in the form of an engine.
Bob is pretty far along in the development process. He can generate a pretty strong thrust and do it repeatedly, but even he insists the pressures are not nearly as high as what Papp was developing in the original motor. So where having a good gas mixture and electronic initiator is key, it still isn't enough to replicate the Papp prototype.
I hope that clears things up a bit. In any event, the costs associated with getting that far along are outside my capability at present, so the best I can offer is to sit on the sidelines and participate in the discussion. As much as I would like to assemble a working Papp engine, it's just not possible for me to engage in.
If we go the other way and attempt to recover electrical energy instead of mechanical power, there is no way to know if it will be in excess of the power needed to initiate the reaction since Papp didn't build such a device. We also don't know if mechanical motion isn't still needed to generate the excess electrical power, in which case we might as well focus on harnessing it directly in the form of an engine.
Bob is pretty far along in the development process. He can generate a pretty strong thrust and do it repeatedly, but even he insists the pressures are not nearly as high as what Papp was developing in the original motor. So where having a good gas mixture and electronic initiator is key, it still isn't enough to replicate the Papp prototype.
I hope that clears things up a bit. In any event, the costs associated with getting that far along are outside my capability at present, so the best I can offer is to sit on the sidelines and participate in the discussion. As much as I would like to assemble a working Papp engine, it's just not possible for me to engage in.
