human
Five hundred horsepower. Hm-m-m. He took a deep breath.
gpt
No wonder those copper studs are so thick.
human
Yeah, said Bending.
gpt
If I short 'em across at low voltage, they get hot.
human
Sure. The amperage is self-limiting. You can only draw about four hundred amps off the thing, no matter how low you put the voltage. When I said five hundred HP, I meant at a thousand volts. As a matter of fact, the available power in horsepower is roughly half the voltage. But that only applies to this small model. A bigger one could supply more, of course.
gpt
What does it weigh?
human
Little over a hundred pounds,
gpt
May I ask where you're getting power like that?
human
Sure. Hydrogen fusion, same as the stellarator.
gpt
It's powered by deuterium?
human
Nope. Water. Plain, ordinary aitch-two-oh. See those little vents at the side? They exhaust oxygen and helium. It burns about four hundred milligrams of water per hour at maximum capacity.
gpt
Where do you put the water?
human
Why put water in it? Sam asked coolly.
gpt
That small whirring sound you hear isn't the hydrogen-helium conversion; it's a fan blowing air through a cooling coil. Even in the Sahara Desert there's enough moisture in the air to run this baby.
human
And the fan is powered--
gpt
said Bending.
human
It's a self-contained unit. Of course, with a really big unit, you might have to hire someone to hang out their laundry somewhere in the neighborhood, but only in case of emergencies.
gpt
May I sit down? asked Olcott. And, without waiting for Sam Bending's permission, he grabbed a nearby chair and sat.
human
Mr. Bending, he said,
gpt
Well, that one cost several hundred thousand dollars. But the thing could be mass produced for ... oh, around fifteen hundred dollars. Maybe less.
human
Is it dangerous? I mean, could it explode, or does it give out radiation?
gpt
Well, you have to treat it with respect, of course, Bending said. He rubbed his big hands together in an unconscious gesture of triumph.
human
Just like any power source. But it won't explode; that I can guarantee. And there's no danger from radiation. All the power comes out as electric current.