Heavenly fuel

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murilo
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re: Heavenly fuel

Post by murilo »

ecc,
this last link doesn't work.
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Post by jim_mich »

Murilo, the link works, but it is not a web-page. It is a PDF file. Some browsers don't open PDF files until they have fully loaded.

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Post by eccentrically1 »

It is a paper by Elon Musk, the guy behind the tesla electric car and paypal, describing an alternative to high speed rail in california, calling it Hyperloop. capsules , or pods that would travel at transonic speed (760 mph) through low pressure tubes.
It's An open source project, so i posted it here for anyone interested.
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re: Heavenly fuel

Post by murilo »

Jim,
now yes! Thanx!
ecc,
nothing personal, it's a kind of religion... never download a file inside to files... Thanx!
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Post by eccentrically1 »

http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/index.html

coming soon to a planet near you
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Post by eccentrically1 »

Gravity has huge weekend, it's a must-see ( on a giant screen in 3d).

I ran across this yesterday


http://longnow.org/clock/

Very cool.

They have a charitable thing at http://longbets.org
Mostly small stuff but check out warren buffets for a million; the s and p 500 outperforms fund of hedge funds net fees, costs, and expenses by 2017 end.
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Post by eccentrically1 »

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi. ... 016932.pdf

graphics and presentation of warp drive mechanics 101

it had to be named warp drive, how cool is that.
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Post by eccentrically1 »

this works in 1-2 mph winds, a game changer for generation of electricity for a single home:

http://sheerwind.com/technology/how-does-it-work


FAQ:

How do you make more energy?

"INVELOX does not create or add energy to the natural wind; it is a passive mechanism that converts part of existing static pressure energy into dynamic pressure or kinetic energy. INVELOX captures, accelerates, and concentrates wind. As an example, the power density of wind at 7 m/s mph is less than 200 W/m2 while a power density of about 12,000 W/ m2 can be realized at 27 m/s."

What are the details of the system inside?

"Sorry, we do not comment about the detailed dimensions or the details of the inside because they are part of our trade secret."

i'd like to figure this out and try a small one on my chimney since we never use the fireplace anyway.
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re: Heavenly fuel

Post by jim_mich »

This technology is quite simple. At the top are large openings facing in multiple directions. The wind enters the funnels on the side that points into the wind. The wind is directed downward. Of course this causes an upward sail-type pressure that tries to lift the tower and the sideways pressure tries to tilt the tower. But the tower withstands these forces, and redirects the wind downward.

As the wind travels through the duct work, the passageway constricts. This causes the air flow to accelerate. At some point the passageways from the front side merge with the passageways leading from the back side. This results in a venturi tube type of effect that sucks additional air in from the side and back facing tower openings. The venturi effect adds air to the volume that is flowing downward.

They then turn the air horizontal and run it through a standard small wind turbine and vent the air out sideways at ground level.

I see a number of problems that they will face.

The setup in the picture seems to be made of fabric stretched over a framework. This makes for a cheaper cost, but will limit the lifespan. Solid sheet metal or solid plastic would last much longer. But maybe the picture is just a prototype?

The sideways turn of the ducting at the bottom is not needed. It would work just as well if the tower were a little taller and the air flow stayed straight down and through a vertically pointed turbine. After the turbine, they could spread the air outward in a cone-shaped pattern in all direction and then back upward around the tower. This would produce a second venturi effect helping to cause a sucking action on the outward side of the turbine and increase efficiency. It would also reduce the 'foot print' of land needed for the tower.

Overall this seems to be a good idea. They need to add some method at the top of the tower that would open up vent panels during high winds so as to keep the tower and its panels from being destroyed by gale force winds. But maybe they have that already figured out or are working on it?

Overall it looks like a rather good idea. I think this arrangement, or similar, has been used in the past, IIRC.

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Post by eccentrically1 »

quite simple, yes. a carpenter like me could do it!
i would make the fan blades with the little tubercules that humpback whales have to make it even more efficient like whale power ceiling fans. it would turn from the slightest movement of air, less than 1 mph i bet. the smokestack version they have probably does have a vertical chute that installs in your chimney, maybe, and vents through the ash hole. i imagine the prototypes will be adopted in areas where there aren't high winds and they'll upgrade the new versions with better materials and fail safe designs. if the price was right, i would consider buying one. it's not perpetual motion, so it can't be too expensive.
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