dmcowen674
No Lifer
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: CycloWizard
OK, enough is enough. This is the first time I've ever violated my own ignore list, but the propagation of ignorance stops here.
I've taken at least seven courses in heat transfer in my numerous years in school. I feel confident when I tell you that the heat transfer coefficient as absolutely nothing to do with turning this process energy-positive. A heat transfer coefficient is used as a proportionality constant in a convective boundary condition when solving differential energy balances in heat transfer problems having the form q=h*(T-T_0), where q is the heat flux (heat transfer per unit area per unit time), h is the heat transfer coefficient, T is the temperature at the boundary, and T_0 is the temperature of the surroundings where you're sending the thermal energy. Wiki describes only one special case such that I can assume it was probably written by an undergrad who took one whole combined class on fluid flow and heat transfer. But, even if Wiki was completely correct, your assessment is still 100% wrong. Try reading this - then you might be on the right track towards understanding the first thing about this issue.
So, as I stated at the beginning, the heat transfer coefficient has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether this process is viable as a net energy producer. NOTHING. So stop trying to be an expert in every area when you clearly have no idea wtf you're talking about.
Thank you.
It has nothing to do with heat transfer coefficients. All it has to do with is how much energy it takes to break a chemical bond, and how much do you get out of having one form.
In this you go from H2O + energy --> 2H + O --> H2O + energy
That energy is the same. The reason why internal combustion engines work is because the reaction is something like (I'll simplify it and use natural gas):
CH4 + 2 O2 + little energy --> C + 4H + 4O --> CO2 + 2 H2O + lots of energy
Notice how you end up with something different at the end. You start with methane and oxygen and end up with carbon dioxide and water. It is entirely possible to turn carbon dioxide and water into methane and oxygen, it just takes energy input to do so. If you can grant me that, then take it one step further. Start with methane and oxygen, and burn them to get carbon dioxide and water. Then put energy into the system to get back your methane and oxygen. If everything else is perfectly efficient, you'll end up exactly where you started with no gain in energy.
Notice how the final products are the same as the initial products. This is what that salt water thing does.
again you didn't introduce anything else into the mix.
Simple addition of another bond exponentiates the hydrogen burn and thus the core temp you started with without adding additional RF energy.
Step away from the formulas and look at the bigger picture.