Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Volcano Powered Rain Maker

Make Electric Power And Fresh Water
  (+4)
(+4)
  [vote for,
against]

Please See Link Below For Diagram.

A. Water Pumped From Sea.

B. Water Flows Through Volcano And Becomes Steam.

C. Hot Steam Drives Engine To Generate Electricity Which Also Powers Pump. Excess Steam Floats Into Sky. Excess Electricity Powers Grid.

D. Steam Clouds Condense To Release Rain Drops.

miciah, Nov 19 2005

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5036/thermal5kj.png http://img513.image...5036/thermal5kj.png
Diagram [miciah, Nov 19 2005]

Icelandic geothermal http://www.energy.r...u/is/reyk/works.htm
[bungston, Nov 19 2005]

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/694/thermal24th.png http://img509.image...694/thermal24th.png
Updated Diagram [miciah, Nov 22 2005]


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Annotation:







       Lots of engineering magic required here. Only a half-baked utility would invest so much capital in such an unstable situation (Enron?).   

       As this is your first idea (unless you've posted and deleted before - you've been registered for a while) - I'm giving an encouragement bun (+).
ConsulFlaminicus, Nov 19 2005
  

       It wouldn't have to go through a volcano, just anywhere the ground temperature is above 100C, which is lots of places. This is baked - search for geothermal energy. But to extract the thermal energy from the steam to generate electricity, you're going to be converting it back to water anyway.   

       It would be purified though, so why not send it downstream to irrigate plantation timber, soaking up the excess CO2 from other generators at the same time, and creating a long-term microclimate change favourable to downwind rainfall through transpiration.   

       You could harvest and sell natural sea salt too.
BunsenHoneydew, Nov 19 2005
  

       If you are already adding water to a preset system, you might as well own the rights to put up some dams.
sleeka, Nov 19 2005
  

       sleeka might appreciate the pronunciation of Miciah (Messiah)
po, Nov 19 2005
  

       That is really a phenomenal picture you put together for this, [miciah]. The bit about producing rain is bizarre enough that I cannot imagine you found it on the web. Did you hand-draw your electrical tower? I give bread for the picture, and also the image hosting service it is located on.   

       As regards geothermal power,with the exception of the rain bit, it is baked. People take advantage of the fact that when volcanoes are near the sea, seawater often heats itself up underground. Linked find a description of how they do it in Iceland.
bungston, Nov 19 2005
  

       thanks for your comments
i had the idea one morning in the shower, so i drew up the picture in paintshop.. actually i should have drawn it with a water tower elevated high up and with the pipe running diagonally upwards toward the generator, that way gravity would do most of the pumping work, and the steam would naturally float upwards toward the generator, actually i'll redraw it right now..... ok, see link.
the electric towers are clipart by the way, but the rest is me
that idea about the sea salt is good too :)
miciah, Nov 22 2005
  


 

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