Dave et al: I agree water flow (and therefore volume) are the major
considerations for a water brake. However, that may be the easiest to
implement. You only need enough water to "absorb" the intended horsepower
for the duration plus a little more. If you are going to "pull" 800 HP for
less than 30 seconds it is not going to be a very large volume. (Mayf we
did these specific heat calculations about 2 years ago on the list). So if
your water-well or municipal system can't supply the needed pressure and
flow, a simple storage tank & pump will do the job. I'm looking at my US
Plastics catalog and an 80 gallon heavy duty polyethylene square tank is
$141 today. Do the specific heat calcs and add 100% for design
inefficiencies. Water volume is not an issue or problem. -Elon
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