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Disney Launches Fireworks With Compressed Air
rtphokie writes "When Disney debuted its new firework show at Disneyland recently, they also debuted some new technology which uses compressed air to lift fireworks. This virtually eliminates the need for smoke-producing black powder and other materials at launch, significantly reducing ground-level smoke, and apparently: 'Disney is in the process of donating all seven patents associated with the new air launch technology to a non-profit organization so these patents can be licensed to other pyrotechnic providers'. Something to think about for those of us attending fireworks shows this weekend in the U.S."
The release is very much lacking in details, but the concept is interesting. A friend of mine, a "licensed pyrotechnician," spent nearly three hours at our backyard launch (that rivaled any of the local shows) preparing powder and launch lines. The result was quite an investment in the firing equipment and materials; if the compressed air mechanism is really that efficient it will be reusable. Be clean and save money.
Start using the methods and devices commercially and you prevent them from being patented, everyone can use them freely.
Patent them and donate the patents to a non-profit, and you get a huge tax write off based on the assumed commercial value of the patents.
Disney isn't really doing anyone any favors here, they patent the common potato cannon and then donate the patents to a non-profit for the tax write off.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Disney does something environmentally sensitive, by developing this technology and then DONATING it, and it gets run into the ground. Sigh.
because rockets are only used by terrorists... ... that's why compressed air launch is necessary.
I know this is meant to be funny, but I would think anyone making a rocket propelled weapon wouldn't really care whether the propellent was black-powder based or air-based as long as it gets its payload to target.
Actually, the U.S. military has a preference for non-flamable launch/propellent technologies because it's safer for the troops who're fireing the rockets. Basically a flamable propellant adds little or nothing to the damage to the target, but if the ammo store is hit, it adds quite a lot to the destruction of the ammo store.
TW
They're using compressed air just to launch the fireworks into the air. The actual fireworks themselves are still going to contain gun powder and such, so you'll still have the big bang when the firework explodes and still get some black snow. There just won't be that big cloud of smoke when it goes up.
"People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
When I set up a show, I bring mortar racks, shells and a firing system. The press release was kind of sketchy but I'm assuming I would need to bring a high pressure compressor (a Home Depot 175PSI compressor is not gonna launch a 5Lb shell 1500 feet with any reasonable mortar length). I would also need hundreds of feet of high pressure tubing (A finale rack is at least 100 feet from the main guns), and lots of fast (read expensive) air solenoids. It would take forever to set up a show like that.
Then there is the safety problems, thy don't say how they ignite the time fuze and verify it's burning before a tubeload of rapidly decompressing, cooling air hits the shell. I would like to see some dud data.
For a recurring display where you can leave the equiptment and just drop shells in the same tubes every night or week, this sounds like a dream though. I just can't see it coming to a municipal 4th of july show near you any time soon though.