Possibility of using CO2 to generate power?

[Ethan Bork]

I am going to start off by saying that I am a 15 year old kid with an idea that has probably been thought of before, but I thought I would share it because I want to know whether this is actually a possibility or not.

 

So we all know how wind turbines work. They use the wind to spin a turbine which then powers a generator. The problem is that wind is not controllable and as a result our power gained is inconsistent. What if were able to utilize the excess amount of CO2 in the air to generate power at a consistent rate?

 

What I have in mind is very similar to how wind turbines work. First, imagine that you have dry ice inside a bottle and you put a balloon on top. The balloon would slowly fill up with the CO2 released from the dry ice. If you were to rupture/open the ballon then that air would be released. With enough force, this could be used to spin a turbine.

 

So what if we were to have a container of some sorts filled with dry ice and this container is connected to a bag/balloon. On the end of this balloon is a pressure release valve that will release the air in the bag once it reaches a certain amount. This valve will be connected to a chamber of sorts with a turbine in it. With enough force the air being pushed through the valve could spin that turbine and generate power. That CO2 being released could then be recollected at the end and turned back into dry ice.

 

Cons:

-would most likely not be very efficient

-may not even work

-probably expensive to make the machine

 

Pros:

-utilizes the excess CO2 we have created

-does not matter how efficient we are with the CO2 since it can be reused and we have so much of it available

-would allow us to rely less on fossil fuels which in turn helps the environment

 

 

[Ethan Bork]

I am going to start off by saying that I am a 15 year old kid with an idea that has probably been thought of before, but I thought I would share it because I want to know whether this is actually a possibility or not.

So we all know how wind turbines work. They use the wind to spin a turbine which then powers a generator. The problem is that wind is not controllable and as a result our power gained is inconsistent. What if were able to utilize the excess amount of CO2 in the air to generate power at a consistent rate?

What I have in mind is very similar to how wind turbines work. First, imagine that you have dry ice inside a bottle and you put a balloon on top. The balloon would slowly fill up with the CO2 released from the dry ice. If you were to rupture/open the ballon then that air would be released. With enough force, this could be used to spin a turbine.

So what if we were to have a container of some sorts filled with dry ice and this container is connected to a bag/balloon. On the end of this balloon is a pressure release valve that will release the air in the bag once it reaches a certain amount. This valve will be connected to a chamber of sorts with a turbine in it. With enough force the air being pushed through the valve could spin that turbine and generate power. That CO2 being released could then be recollected at the end and turned back into dry ice.

Cons:

-would most likely not be very efficient

-may not even work

-probably expensive to make the machine

Pros:

-utilizes the excess CO2 we have created

-does not matter how efficient we are with the CO2 since it can be reused and we have so much of it available

-would allow us to rely less on fossil fuels which in turn helps the environment

[Janus]

It would take way more energy to make the dry ice from CO2 than you could ever get from running the gas through the turbine.

[Ethan Bork]

It would take way more energy to make the dry ice from CO2 than you could ever get from running the gas through the turbine.

Thank you! Now to keep brainstorming ideas haha.

[Klaynos]

Thank you! Now to keep brainstorming ideas haha.

This is a great reaction to being told why your idea is flawed.

 

Well done on thinking about the problem, coming up with an idea, getting others input into it and understanding and accepting why it won't work. That's a critical part of being a good critical thinker.

[swansont]

How much energy will it take to make the dry ice?

 

Unless you are actually creating the CO2 at a pressure higher than ambient, you will get less energy out of this system than it will take to create the conditions where it works.

[Endy0816]

Will probably see something akin to this used on Mars though.

 

The polar dry ice sublimating produces winds in the summer. We will also likely be harvesting dry ice along with ice and separating the two.

[swansont]

!

Moderator Note

Similar threads merged. One per topic, please.

[Strange]

Thank you! Now to keep brainstorming ideas haha.

 

 

This could be used as a way to store energy, though. For example, if you have an intermittent source of energy (solar, wind) you could use it to compress/freeze gas, and then later release the gas to drive a turbine and generate electricity.

[harlock]

So we all know how wind turbines work. They use the wind to spin a turbine which then powers a generator. The problem is that wind is not controllable and as a result our power gained is inconsistent.

 

Do you know focault currents? If you use it to melt sodium chloride(Fusion T. : 800°C, Enthalpy of fusion : 300 kwh/m3!), you can store any any wind energy(Hurricane energy also...........)!!!