Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Non-Tech : Alternative energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (4339)	2/25/2008 8:29:54 PM
From: Snowshoe	Respond to of 16955

>>So turbine blades behind a grille would create more drag than hitting a flat surface?<< Try it yourself and let us know how it works... ;>) propellerheadhats.com

To: Road Walker who wrote (4339)	2/25/2008 8:52:41 PM
From: A.J. Mullen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 16955

John, Let's go back to the perpetual motion machine. You say you are suggesting that, but it would be possible if you were right. If you could get energy out of the relative wind without slowing your car, then why not build an electric train that ran in a circle. Build it very simply - it only needs to carry the windmill. It can be heavy because once up to speed it doesn't need to accelerate or brake - it just needs to overcome rolling resistance and wind resistance - then switch on your windmill. If it produces electricity without slowing the train, then you can use that power to overcome the resistance that existed before the windmill was working. If it's not enough, just build a bigger windmill. At some stage you could run your train for ever and even export power. Free! It's not possible because the windmill will add resistance. If the windmill won't add resistance, then we can have perpetual motion! Your idea is more ambitious than you think. Ashley

To: Road Walker who wrote (4339)	2/25/2008 8:55:32 PM
From: Eric	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 16955

John Let me take a stab at it. In the case of a car the airmass going thru the engine compartment via the radiator removes heat. Air is moving with "resistance" through the car. It actually slows down compared to the air outside the car. If we add propeller blades and take energy away we are increasing the "resistance" and the airmass slows down even more as it flows through the car. Thus the car is experiencing more total drag as it goes through the airmass it is driving in. If there is more drag then more power is called for to maintain a steady speed. This requires the expenditure of more energy to keep the car moving at a constant speed. Regenerative braking is very useful to capture the energy we would otherwise throw away with current friction brakes. In stop and go driving this saves a significant amount of energy because it goes back into the battery of the hybrid or pure electric vehicle to be reused. It's not 100% efficient but probably around 70%. In a stop and go environment where the car is not accelerating beyond about 35 mph where air drag starts to build significantly this will add to the range of the vehicle. The equivalent parallel would be to put generators on the body of an aircraft. This would increase the total drag and thus the energy required to maintain flight. If you could look at the airmass blowing through a wind farm and specifically one turbine, the air slows down as it goes through the blades and thus the wind turbine is taking energy away from the moving airmass and converting it to electricity. regards, Eric

To: Road Walker who wrote (4339)	2/25/2008 9:11:00 PM
From: gg cox	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 16955

Take your car with low battery and turbines to the top of three mile steep hill.Lock turbines in place so that they do not turn.Release car and measure the distance when it comes to a stop. Repeat the above, this time allowing the turbines to turn in the wind coming through the grill to charge the low battery.The turbines are not spinning freely but are under load creating electricity to charge the low battery. Measure the distance when it comes to a stop. Will the car have coasted the same distance (all externals being the same) or less?<g>