"Wayne.B" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create way too much drag for a useful boat.


Thermocouples will work in heat alone. Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.

On Oct 7, 5:26 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news


On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.

Power it with one of those "Bobbing Duck" toys that If I remember
right are filled with ammonia. They are also heat engines.

Thermodynamics, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHrg, nightmares of grad school.
Statistical Mechanics, deriving all the laws of physics and even
entropy from basic statistical considerations was taught by a great
guy but I simply could not get it. EVERY DAY, he'd come to class,
draw a box and start putting dots in it, sometimes they were labelled
to be distinct and sometimes all identical. When deriving physical
laws, he insisted on using a weird system where e=h=c=G=1 so he did
not have to keep writing them down and he therefor lost me entirely.
I despaired of passing and just hung in there in spite of flunking
every test. DAMN if he didnt pass me. Turns out, there were two guys
who dropped out and he passed me cuz I was so stubborn than god. To
this day, at least once a week, I have nightmares of this. I gave up
a good job amd moved all the way across the country for grad school
and NOW I am failing, AHHHHHHHHH, then I wake up.

On Oct 7, 5:26*pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news




On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. *Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. * That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create *way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. *Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thermocouples cool themselves by generating electricity. You don't
have enough heat in the sea water for thermocouples.

On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:52:19 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Oct 7, 5:26*pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news




On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. *Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. * That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create *way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. *Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thermocouples cool themselves by generating electricity. You don't
have enough heat in the sea water for thermocouples.

Thermocouples have to have both a hot junction and a cold one to work.

Casady

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:52:19 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Oct 7, 5:26 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news




On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thermocouples cool themselves by generating electricity. You don't
have enough heat in the sea water for thermocouples.

Thermocouples have to have both a hot junction and a cold one to work.

Casady

Huh? Then how come the thermocouple in the heater pilot light keeps
working?

On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:36:54 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"Richard Casady" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:52:19 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Oct 7, 5:26 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news




On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. Proposals to help fuel economy by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thermocouples cool themselves by generating electricity. You don't
have enough heat in the sea water for thermocouples.

Thermocouples have to have both a hot junction and a cold one to work.

Casady

Huh? Then how come the thermocouple in the heater pilot light keeps
working?

Are you saying that all the wiring is at uniform flame temperature? I
didn't think so. What I said was that there has to a temperature
difference. Look up thermocouple in any physics text.

Wiki:Thermocouples measure the temperature difference between two
points, not absolute temperature. In traditional applications, one of
the junctions—the cold junction—was maintained at a known (reference)
temperature, while the other end was attached to a probe.


Casady

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:36:54 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"Richard Casady" wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:52:19 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Oct 7, 5:26 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

news




On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

This is what I was thinking, but since my thermodynamics training is
insufficient, I'd like to enlist your help.
Besides your technical expertise (sorry I can't say the same for
your
political judgement) you're down there where the water is warm.
What we need is a heat extraction process that will at least add
locomotion power to a boat.

Actually you need a temperature "difference" to extract mechanical
power. Most of the sea water power schemes that I've seen rely on
using the temp difference between warm water on top and cool water
from the depths. That might work for a stationary power plant but
would create way too much drag for a useful boat.

Thermocouples will work in heat alone. Proposals to help fuel economy
by
placing thermocouples along the exhaust pipe to turn waste heat into
electrical energy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thermocouples cool themselves by generating electricity. You don't
have enough heat in the sea water for thermocouples.

Thermocouples have to have both a hot junction and a cold one to work.

Casady

Huh? Then how come the thermocouple in the heater pilot light keeps
working?

Are you saying that all the wiring is at uniform flame temperature? I
didn't think so. What I said was that there has to a temperature
difference. Look up thermocouple in any physics text.

Wiki:Thermocouples measure the temperature difference between two
points, not absolute temperature. In traditional applications, one of
the junctions-the cold junction-was maintained at a known (reference)
temperature, while the other end was attached to a probe.


Casady

Wiki is mistaken. The cold junction is where the temperature can be
measured. But thermocouples are disimilar metals the cause a current to be
generated between the two metals when heat is applied. Milliamps of
current, or a real small amount. You can make your own thermocouple by
connecting the special thermocouple wire together and heat the junction.
Enough current is caused to be able to pull a solenoid if required. Very
low current solenoid, but still current generated. Check out Omega Corp.
We used to buy the thermocouple wire they manufactured.

On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 19:27:43 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

Wiki is mistaken. The cold junction is where the temperature can be
measured. But thermocouples are disimilar metals the cause a current to be
generated between the two metals when heat is applied. Milliamps of
current, or a real small amount. You can make your own thermocouple by
connecting the special thermocouple wire together and heat the junction.
Enough current is caused to be able to pull a solenoid if required. Very
low current solenoid, but still current generated. Check out Omega Corp.
We used to buy the thermocouple wire they manufactured.

The solenoid is a junction, of course. You have dissimilar wires
connected together at both ends. I have one intended to cover the
range -320F to 1800F so which end is hot or cold depends. So what?

Casady