Gas Saving idea: UCP member idea contest

[werty]

here is my idea...

a steam engine converted to run off turbocharged compressed air

there would be more than one air compressor, one pushing the engine, the other constantly refilling, the turbo would help create the needed boost and hp. It would be powered by large batteries that are recharged from braking/wheels spinning/ + other ways to help charge

it would be clean and get infinity mpg

im not sure if this idea works, but it sounds good on paper (might need some tweaking to actually work)

[Rockefella]

here is my idea...

a steam engine converted to run off turbocharged compressed air

there would be more than one air compressor, one pushing the engine, the other constantly refilling, the turbo would help create the needed boost and hp. It would be powered by large batteries that are recharged from braking/wheels spinning/ + other ways to help charge

it would be clean and get infinity mpg

im not sure if this idea works, but it sounds good on paper (might need some tweaking to actually work)

I can't see the efficiency being too great..

[h00t_h00t]

Slaves.

Pull!
*gets whip out*

[matek]

1) Get to top of hill.

2) Get onto thingy with round thingies at bottom of thingy.

3) Jump at speed onto combination of thingies.

4) Thingy uses NO Fossil fuel but thingy fuel

I win

[Matra et Alpine]

Too many power conversions, werty.
EVERY time you put another step you lose power.
Also, air powered engines don't have hte exit air flow speed to run a turbo. If htey did then again it's an unecessary and lossy conversion> Turbo works on internal combustion as you squeeze more FUEL in to extract teh energey from. But to compress the air in a turbo takes more energy than you can recoiver from teh comrpessed air ( cos it it didnt' then you foudn energy from nothing )

[werty]

Too many power conversions, werty.
EVERY time you put another step you lose power.
Also, air powered engines don't have hte exit air flow speed to run a turbo. If htey did then again it's an unecessary and lossy conversion> Turbo works on internal combustion as you squeeze more FUEL in to extract teh energey from. But to compress the air in a turbo takes more energy than you can recoiver from teh comrpessed air ( cos it it didnt' then you foudn energy from nothing )

air powered engines dont have exit flow? what about all that excess steam or smoke you see pouring out the top of a train?

[PsychoChimp22]

Walk places within 2 miles of where you are?
lazy people

[Matra et Alpine]

air powered engines dont have exit flow? what about all that excess steam or smoke you see pouring out the top of a train?

That's DELIBERATELY released power to draw smoke through the firebox and increase the fule burn. You don't see that on oil fired boilers.
Triple expansion chambers are used for steam and the final release is at clsoe to normal air pressure.
ANY exit air flow is energy NOT extracted by teh engine, so it's "lost". Why lose it ? Better efficiency is achieved if it's used fully the first time around>
As said, turbo ( and supercharging ) makes sense when it's fuel/air mix that is being pre-compressed to increase the latent energy.

[matek]

All the ideas with magnatism fail as a result of Lenzes law so if you dont have a Degree in a specific direction in Physics then you might aswell give up because they all fail as a result from one or another law.

[junaman]

All the ideas with magnatism fail as a result of Lenzes law so if you dont have a Degree in a specific direction in Physics then you might aswell give up because they all fail as a result from one or another law.

or unless you're Peter.....

[carbrochuretom]

how would you generate compressed air?

You could compress the air at your house using an air compressor, fill a compressed-air tank in the car, and the car could run off of it. You could use an engine very similar to a steam engine (using pressurised air instead of pressurised steam) to convert the compressed air to rotational energy.

The main problem you would have is the size of the "gas tank" you would need to get any kind of reasonable range. You would need a LOT of compressed air to take a car very far.

[derekthetree]

All the ideas with magnatism fail as a result of Lenzes law so if you dont have a Degree in a specific direction in Physics then you might aswell give up because they all fail as a result from one or another law.

even with one (nearly!), i don't think i could talk about one in great detail

[Matra et Alpine]

All the ideas with magnatism fail as a result of Lenzes law so if you dont have a Degree in a specific direction in Physics then you might aswell give up because they all fail as a result from one or another law.

No they don't the back-emf is manageable and even the small emf local loops can be reduced. Back emf is not complex. Anyone who has done the basics of an electrical engineering course that covered motores and generators will know the math and the ways to mitigate. It's NOT quantum physics ... its' just electrical engineering

They aren't as efficient as folks would like because of the inefficiency introduced by the back-emf. So if that's what you meant by "fail" then that's OK. But jstu as with EVERY change in energy from one type to anotehr the loses are what kills "free" power ideas.

and let's get it right Lenz's Law is "only" Faradays induction equation with a minus sing in front WHich of course Maxwell's equation provide all teh foundation for and he of course was ALSO a Scot ( born a mere 7 miles form me and a over a century )

Jsut keeping up the appearance of God-like qualities

[matek]

They aren't as efficient as folks would like because of the inefficiency introduced by the back-emf. So if that's what you meant by "fail" then that's OK. But jstu as with EVERY change in energy from one type to anotehr the loses are what kills "free" power ideas.

and let's get it right Lenz's Law is "only" Faradays induction equation with a minus sing in front WHich of course Maxwell's equation provide all teh foundation for and he of course was ALSO a Scot ( born a mere 7 miles form me and a over a century )

Exactly so was just revising that with teacher exam in a couple of weeks a levels

[Matra et Alpine]

Exactly so was just revising that with teacher exam in a couple of weeks a levels

ah the memories

So do you still use the thumb, index and second fingers at 90 deg each to remember the force vectors , left hand for generators, right hand for motors .... ?