would this work

[mattr888]

to get the diploma i must do a final project the subject is renewable energy. Im not shore if my idea is going to work so would you tell me if it would and also ideas about how i can improve it.

im also wundring what liquid i should use to make it work the best.

 

 

the document is a word 03 one so it should open

 

 

thanks for taking you time to look at it and i hope you have some ideas on how i can improve it

diagram 03.doc

Edited September 22, 2010 by mattr888

[darkenlighten]

How does the water go up through the tube?

[Mr Skeptic]

A convection current powered turbine? Yes, it would work, if by work you mean convert a tiny tiny tiny fraction of the energy it gathered into electricity.

[skyhook]

water is the safest liquid for you to work with. it generates steam, which you need to be careful of if you unexpectedly is able to produce a lot of steam.

To get steam from the sun's energy, you can read up 'solar oven' or 'solar cooker' , which have lots of articles in the internet showing how to make one. It seems quite easy to make, therefore your instructor may not be very impressed to give you a high score. If you are able to generate lots of steam, you might be able to use the steam for some other applications, but some places on earth , it is not always easy due to the climate, its autumn now is it ?, or for some other reasons. If I make one myself, I'll like to incorporate a digital thermometer, as I'm curious how high the temperature gets inside, and how fast. If you can capture the data into a computer doing everything from software to hardware, the instructor will probably raise an eyebrow. 

If you can generate a lot of steam, you can use the steam to steam some bamboo poles or thin wood strips, plywood etc... and when the wood soften, you may be able to bend it for a short time, put into a jig, and after a short while it become rigid again. However, I don't think DIY solar oven is able to produce lots of steam. or you can direct the steam into a press, like what they use when ironing a shirt. Trying to be innovative isn't easy.

Edited September 23, 2010 by skyhook

[CaptainPanic]

It will work.

 

as far as I understand, you want to concentrate the sun's power in one spot, and evaporate it.

Then in the tube, it condenses, and falls down.

Then a turbine uses the water that falls down to generate some energy?

 

It will work because there is a temperature difference between the place where you evaporate and where you condense the water.

But, it will have a really (really!) low efficiency. Solar boilers (a solar steam engine) will be much more efficient - and also more complicated to build.

[darkenlighten]

Yea my point was that the flow was going to be minimal, especially with just a straight tube like that. The over all idea might do something if you use solar heating, but I doubt it'll be great. Though this might be the point of your project, try something, go through the design and analysis and see what happens.

[mattr888]

It will work.

 

as far as I understand, you want to concentrate the sun's power in one spot, and evaporate it.

Then in the tube, it condenses, and falls down.

Then a turbine uses the water that falls down to generate some energy?

 

It will work because there is a temperature difference between the place where you evaporate and where you condense the water.

But, it will have a really (really!) low efficiency. Solar boilers (a solar steam engine) will be much more efficient - and also more complicated to build.

 

how would i be able to make it more efficient but without doing much changing.

[CaptainPanic]

how would i be able to make it more efficient but without doing much changing.

 

It's not easy, because you're trying to get the potential (height) energy from a very small stream of water that falls down only a few centimeters. It's not exactly the Hoover Dam.

 

Note that the earth itself is a similar system as your design: water evaporates at the low level (sea level), it rises up in the air, condenses (forms clouds), falls down (rain) and becomes a river to run down. Then humans can place a turbine on the river (hydropower) to get energy.

 

You can double the height, which should (nearly) double the efficiency... but you only go up from almost nothing to twice almost nothing.

You can apply more heating (evaporate more water) to get a higher flow.

You can improve the cooling on the top (condense more water) to get a higher flow.

Edited September 24, 2010 by CaptainPanic

[mattr888]

if i change the liquid would it work more efficiently.

 

and would a normal magnifying glass work to boil water. im going to do my own exsperments as well

Edited September 28, 2010 by mattr888

[the.archer]

Clever idea, but i think it will not be effective or at least produce desired effect. I think you will need more energy to make water give enough steam to turn a turbine-giving power that is used somewhere. At the end of the day you will end up with very low current and that will not give you satisfactory marks. Give it more thinking and you may come up with something more useful.keep it up.

[Newbies_Kid]

Using low-boiling point liquid such as ammonia, methanol or propanol should increase the efficiency as less heat required to convert it into steam. But it may only practical if the design is a "closed system" because those liquid can easily evaporated and pressure control also must be took into account.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Newbies_Kid

[mattr888]

k and it would be fully in closed