h a l f b a k e r yExpensive, difficult, slightly dangerous, not particularly effective... I'm on a roll.
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[Edited for clarity (I hope)]
1. At least two insulated compartments serve as the
expansion/compression chambers. Preferably these will
be transparent.
2. In each chamber there is some
coolant (say the safest Freon alternative).
3. Each chamber has controlled valves to stop or enable
gas flow between the chambers.
4.a The chamber is heated by concentrating sunlight.
4.b. For catching the light and transfering it to heat -
(i) If the chamber is transparent, then inside there is a
dark colored material (i.e. a metal sheet, or smoke
particles)
(ii) if the chamber is not transparent then the light is
concentrated on an external section which is dark
colored, and which is not insulated, so that the gas
inside heats up.
5. For cooling,
(i) either via cooling fins when sun is not concentrated
on the chamber and fins (this is the simplest)
(ii) or via heat-bridge which is electrically connected
during the cooling phase but disconnected during heat
phase
(iii) or via a coolant sent into the chamber during the
cooling period.
6. The alternating heating and cooling cause the gas
inside to alternatively compress and expand or to
alternatively liquify and evaporate.
7. The pressure changes in the chamber move a piston.
It is like a "flame eater" engine, but instead of hot flame
alternatively entering the chamber or cool air entering
it, this motor uses the concentrated sun rays
alternatively being focused on
different sections of the engine, in order to create the
movement.
The concentrated sunrays (with Fresnel or hyperbolic
mirrors or using clear plastic tubes filled with water used
as "magnifying glasses", or whatever other idea is used
to concentrate the sunlight) are alternated to switch the
phase of the chamber from heating to cooling. When the
sunrays are focused into the chamber, (and on its
cooling fins) it heats the gas inside. The rays are then
deflected to the other chamber, while this chamber cools
(or is actively cooled).
Possibly cooling elements of various sources could be
"sent in" during the "compression" cycle, and it would
still be worth the output.
==============================
An even more interesting motor of this sort could be a
section of pipe with several one way air pressure valves.
Heating up the sections in succession would cause a
continued flow of gas - with air being the easiest
(In a way, this would be analog to linear electric dc
motors).
==============================
Going even further -
Perhaps making the compartments alternating phase in
quick succession, would create perhaps an "AC" motor of
gas. (of course this is only an analogy - it would be gas
flow and not electric current, but perhaps this can be
done at an ultrasonic level, and with ionized gas, would
directly create an alternate electric current ...)
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/deseminate /
What you do with a seminal idea? |
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/deseminate/ Or perhaps what happens to the hyperbolic? |
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it's like you are trying to invent a whole new culture of technology complete with new terminology and new basic principals. possibly the wording of this idea was translated somehow. An "AC motor of gas" is at best a mixed metaphor. |
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Don't underestimate the power of a Metaphor ... |
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Ooh, Metaphor power. Now we're talking.
There'll be Metaphor-powered cars next... |
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I'm not entirely sure I've understood the idea, but if I
have, it's the coke can motor. |
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edited for clarity (I hope). |
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desemination deseminated. |
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What's "the coke can motor""? (I see only Stirling
engines
in a coke can - almost nothing to do with this idea) |
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Already baked. Look up "striling engine". There is also a very recent version developed for the purpose of solar energy, it uses a collector dish to concentrate light to the engine. Looks like a sat dish with an engine instead of receiver at the focal point. The engine itself is packed with extremely high pressure gas to maximize effects.
It's been a year or two since reading about the project, they may have statistical data by now. |
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I would think that a small reflector that was geared in time to the cylinders would allow the engine to be "in time" which would also allow an efficient stationary collection system. The addition of a centrifugal system of timing modification would make the engine efficient in a wider window of speeds. There is the need for a substantial heat sink, the ocean, or a geothermal sink of some sort. Using ambient air is going to greatly reduce efficiency and total output in the kind of conditions where a motor of this sort is going to be worth its salt. |
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Having not read the idea (honesty is my vice), I may have
missed this. But, if this were developed on a trans-national
basis, the enture solar-refocussing issue would be solved. |
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Max please read the idea! I believe it is worth a
serious discussion! |
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WcW - why so? Solar towers have been built
around the world, one near my parents at the
Weitzman Institute is said to give very good
results. They use various types of Stirling and
other heat engines. |
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Theoretically there is almost 1kW of power in 1
square meter on a clear day. That's not something
to be pushed aside. |
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The Stirling moves the air with a displacer from
the heat accepting location to the heat
dissipating location, using inertia of the
movement caused by the original expansion of AIR
from heat. In this idea, instead I move the source
of heat altogether. Since it is concentrated
sunlight, a very tiny movement (of a mirror) is
enough to remove the heat and divert it to the
next cylinder. Shouldn't take much more energy
than was being put into the Stirling for displacing
the air to the cooling area. Should it? Why can't
we have an intelligent discussion here? |
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Alternating where the 'hot' part is takes up a lot of energy because of the heat capacity of the surrounding material. |
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This might work well on a small scale with glass chambers and thick black smoke as a working fluid though. But it would be less efficient the bigger it was. |
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You have a black substance that looses heat to its
surroundings quickly (copper painted black). It
gets bombarded with sunlight and quickly the
whole thing heats up, gas expands and piston
pushes out.
None of the heat can escape without first working
on the insulated air. |
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A tiny move of the mirror diverts the light to the
next cylinder, and opens a gate to allow flow of
heat out of insulation layer (perhaps a set of
copper "switches" connecting to cooling fins. |
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Or: Even easier: This could be more like a Rankine
cycle with butane. The light concentrates on the
lower are boiling the butane. Pressure pushes the
piston, but, JUST AS IN THE STIRLING, the gas
reaches an area with cooling fins and chills down,
while the light has been stopped. |
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This is not like the minto wheel, it's a steam
engine using the pressure to push a piston, not
the change of center of gravity. |
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[Marklar], to which coke can motor are you
referring? |
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