Harvesting icebergs

[JMJones0424]

Here's the only problem I see-
This method of getting fresh water is either going to be inefficient or inconsistent.

Inefficient if conventional shipping techniques are used to move the mass. But this thread doesn't focus on those means, so this problem can be passed over.

Inconsistent because there isn't (to my knowledge) a consistent supply of "marketably large" icebergs. So lets assume you use an unconventional transportation method to economically deliver billions of gallons of freshwater at once to a location. Because you can not do this on a regular basis, the infrastructure required to normally supply freshwater there is still needed. So all you are really saving is operating costs for that infrastructure during the time that you use iceberg water instead of freshwater. This makes it nearly impossible to be profitable, unless you can ensure a relatively consistent supply of water to the same location.

I think rather than focus on transporting the once in a decade huge icebergs, you'd be better off figuring out a way to gather up and ship the everyday size icebergs and utilize these as a consistent freshwater source.

OR, rather than using the freshwater as a normal utility provided resource, instead bottle and ship it as a unique product in its own right for drinking water. The prices the market will bear for this are ridiculous, and then the water could be shipped in smaller amounts and distributed to a wider area, negating the local overload problem discussed previously. I seem to remember the US Navy experimenting with turning icebergs into aircraft carriers during WWII. Instead, turn it into an Evian plant.

[chilehed]

Originally Posted by Donk

We've already wrapped it to cut down on melting and improve streamlining. The wrap will have a pipe running from inside. During the journey the end of the pipe will be carried high, as with a water bowser. When it gets to journey's end, the berg floats offshore and the pipe is connected to the land. Simple!

It isn't going to travel far or fast, unless there are significant offshore currents. Shouldn't be hard to keep it away from those. Or it might be better to build an underwater "harbour" to hold it in place.

A uniformly shaped billion metric ton iceberg would be 100 meters deep and 3162 meters on a side. You're gonna wrap it in place in the open ocean in the Antarctic?? Or else build a harbor??

[Donk]

Originally Posted by chilehed

A uniformly shaped billion metric ton iceberg would be 100 meters deep and 3162 meters on a side. You're gonna wrap it in place in the open ocean in the Antarctic?? Or else build a harbor??

Nah - that would be silly!

No need to wrap it until the water starts getting warm. When it does, we do. I can buy a half-metre roll 200m long (=100 sq m) for around ten cents a square metre. I'd guess we could get a reduction for bulk, and wrap it for less than a million bucks.

The harbour would be at the destination, to hold it in place while it melts into cool, fresh water.

[chilehed]

Originally Posted by Donk

Nah - that would be silly!

No need to wrap it until the water starts getting warm. When it does, we do. I can buy a half-metre roll 200m long (=100 sq m) for around ten cents a square metre. I'd guess we could get a reduction for bulk, and wrap it for less than a million bucks.

The harbour would be at the destination, to hold it in place while it melts into cool, fresh water.

You're not kidding, are you.

[Donk]

I'm kidding in that I don't intend to do it myself. I'm willing to bet, though, that somebody is going to make the attempt in the next fifty years - possibly much sooner than that. Call this thread a "thought experiment". Ideas on how it might be done, and the problems they'd encounter. If I'm still around when it happens, I'll be interested to see how close we got.