Re: Heating a City

In article
<6ddd4c3c-5dc1-4a70-b34f-964df44d59ff@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Charles Talleyrand <kitplane01@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> Lets suppose I've got *lots* of energy to spend, and I only want to
> heat just *one* city.  I'd like to raise the ambient temperature 20
> degrees above the surrounding area.  YOU ARE LIMITED TO CURRENT
> TECHNOLOGY, but have a VERY VERY LARGE BUDGET.  What might be the best
> way to do it?  And about-sort-of how much energy might this take?

Start by doming the city.  (Even cir***vallation would help.) 
Otherwise you will get huge convection that will take all your heat
away and cause chilling winds.

The air is 0.3% less dense than the cold air (assuming that is 20 F
degrees--double that for 20 C degrees.  Thus it will want to accelerate
upwards at 3e-3g = 3 cm/s^2 = (mach 1)/3 hours.  It won't be able to do
that because it has to push aside air above it and draw in the
surrounding air underneath it.  But it will, indeed, rise, pu****ng
aside air above it and drawing the surrounding air underneath it.


It may be easier just to heat what you want heated.  IR lamps to make
everybody feel toasty warm, and heated sidewalks to slough off the snow
and ice.  Incendiary devices for the buildings if that's why you want
to heat the city.

-- 
David M. Palmer  dmpalmer@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (formerly @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
)