Non fossil fuel propulsion

yes indeed - as I mentioned, the process may have some major downsides on local environments, and needs careful study and trials before it becomes standard operation.

My gut feeling is that we will end up with a number of large permanent 'space stations' in the 'arid' ( nutrient poor ) areas of the ocean ( like the south east pacific ) where the temperature gradient from deep cold water to warm surface water is used to generate power, while the nutrients create huge fish rich areas, and hopefully lower CO2.

Tests early in the 19th century proves the feasibility of the science, but a lot of engineering and testing will be needed before the dream of permanent living environments in a hostile ocean becomes a reality.

 

I hope your right

Hell I hope I'm wildly wrong about the whole thing but there's a lot of reasons for me to believe global warming is catching up to us fast.

From that last link

I suspect its going to be a long, ugly, uphill battle, and one we'd better start fighting in earnest, fast

Yikes, springs, $400 for the fronts and $550 for the rears

 

Here's a way to achieve non-fossil fuel propulsion..........

http://www.strathsteam.com/index.html

 

I like THIS idea of a wood fueled boiler for a steam engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ROF-CImcDkc#!

Doesn't 'burn' wood. Friction heat!

 

My perpetual motion machine will outdo that, as soon as I can plug it in to the power point.

 

Conservation of energy prohibits believing in perpetual motion.
The wood is consumed, albiet slowly. I don't know if the heat generated, produces sufficient steam to power the spinning drum. I 'd like to find out, but don't have the funds. Not yet!

 

Of course it doesn't - and you don't need to do any math to figure it out !

Everyone seems to forget the electric engine spinning the metal wheel under the table.

The only question is whether the production of heat is more efficient than an electric bar radiator or other electric heat pump.

 

I'm not suggesting it could be self sustaining as configured.
I specifically mentioned the work or force required to spin the metal plate/drum. I didn't forget the electric motor for even a minute.

One inefficiency in any apparatus of moving parts, is friction. If the friction equals or exceeds the motive force, the device is stalled. Brakes work this way, of course.
Obviously, in this device, the input force exceeds the friction of the wood, because it continues to spin.
The friction is being converted to heat, at less than 100% efficiency conversion. Some of the friction is converted into 'shredding' or 'grinding' of the wood by the minute irregularities in the metals surface.

Is there any energy gain from the wood itself?
I suspect 'some' because the wood is charring, indicating combustion. But then the heat 'used' for charring wood, is lost to steam production. Probably a net loss.

If the water is preheated by a solar water heater before being introduced to the 'flash' steam generator, could the solar 'input' of energy offset some % of the energy loss in the spinning steam generator? Sure. But how much?

I don't believe this device is an answer. I posted it more as an example of a blind alley than a workable solution.

 

Thinking about it isn't gonna come up with a working idea, doing it, (over and over) might. For those that say "Nay", nay to you. Sit back and read about it. For those out there putting their blood, sweat and tears into it, God Speed! Watch, Listen, Learn, then adapt, humans are good at adapting! some of us anyway....... most of the world benefits from the innovations from a few .... could it be you? Many ideas are lost in time, with the information sharing of the internet maybe, just maybe, we can jump a few hurtles and learn from the past achievements. You're either propulsion or an anchor .......

 

Actually, I have an experiment I'm working on, electricity from thermocouples and solar heated water.
It's not very efficient yet, but it does work.

 

cool. when enough ideas are shared and put together, then we are on to something! work on ........

 

OK.
I'll share my original inspiration and basic concept.
It's my plan to make it open source anyway.

observe in this youtube how restricting the flow in the coil tube causes an ice spray by venturi cooling. The current applied to the coil is 400 v 5000hz AC at very low miliamps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1oFzXOZnE8&feature=related

this inspired me. Ice spray applied to one side of a peltier chip and hot water from a passive solar water heater to opposite side, gives you current.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLOutPgrpY

I use a fast switching computer circuit (friend soldered one up for me) instead of variac oscillator to power the ice spray venturi.

It will take an array of peltier chips similar to a solar cell array but smaller area for amount of power harvested. Could be stacked while photo cells can't.

The major advantages of peltier chips used as seebeck effect TEGs over photo-cells is, smaller area per unit power produced, less fragile, work at night and during overcast days, don't need to track the sun, and storing hot water overnight is low tech. Water is heated by sun during the day. All definite advantages I think.

Disadvantage is: Not sufficiently efficient or affordable yet.

I'm investigating how to make home made peltier chips. They contain bismuth baked onto a ceramic wafer. And what else?
The bismuth is easy to obtain. Pepto bismol is bismuth.

Still investigating, researching, and experimenting.

 

Hello everybody,
I just read the whole thread.
And I got to the conclusion that the algae bio diesel is a real winner.

For example, take Detroit this city has a lot of land that is now laying waste.
It is not possible to use that land for farming because it's havilly poluted.
But it is possible to build algae farms on that land, just pour down a good concrete slab and build the "factory" on that.

Another interesting idea is the "third??" generation of bio fuels, it's the one that uses garbage.

I am as opposed to the use of prime food producing farmland for the production of "green" *coughs* fuel.
But to stop wasting the waste and study the energy potentional in that would also be graet.

Whatever we have to get used to the idea that "cheap and easy" energy will be a thing of the past very soon.

And that will be great because we, human beings are at our best when we meet a real challenge.

 

I think we can even do away with the concrete slabs, and just use plastic tubes

 

ya the concrete isn't entirely necessary but then again neither is the plastic, which doesn't transmit light very well and will over time react poorly to the UV light. Glass is the way to go and its easier to clean. Lasts basically forever and in the end costs less. Eventually there will be giant glass tubes all standing vertically in an high rise like configuration, at least thats the latest I hear.