This is the eigth of a series of reports describing the progress of the Buckeye Bullet 2 at The Bonneville World Finals. The BB2 is a hydrogen fuel cell land speed vehicle designed to break the speed record for electric vehicles at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It is designed and built by Ohio State University students out of the Center for Automotive Research in Columbus, Ohio. More details may be found at:
http://www.buckeyebullet.com/
Dedicated BB2 fans may also enjoy the daily blog:
http://buckeyebullet.blogspot
More information on the Salt Flats may be found on the official website:
http://www.utah.com/playgrounds
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October 10th, 2007, 7 am
Yesterday the BB2 continued its preparation and attempted a run in the morning.
Once again, the vehicle responded well to the initial acceleration, pulling away very well under power, until it reached a speed of around 230 mph, then the power system shut down again. This time it was clear that the inverter was performing well, and it became apparent that the problem is a hydrogen leak that, appropriately, causes a shut down. We are very pleased about the safety systems in the vehicle!
This is a problem that the testing at TRC and the early run at the World Finals last week could not have detected, as it appears only at speeds above 200 mph (double what we can achieve at TRC) and at full power.
Yesterday afternoon the team opened the stacks and set on the painstaking task of checking all of the fittings in the H2 paths in the stacks. As of yesterday evening, the team was upbeat and working hard to isolate the leakage. We believe that this is the last unsolved problem, and if the repairs are completed successfully, BB2 might be ready for high speed runs later today. Two days left. No pressure.
We love life at the Salt Flats...
Go Bucks! Go Fast!
Giorgio Rizzoni
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