To those more knowledgeable about these types of things, this may seem like a “dumb” question. However as a non-scientist it makes perfect sense to me.
1.
Suppose one had an ignition system that completes a circuit allowing current from a battery to heat a heating element for a boiler full of water. Or… initially one had to plug up the heating element into a power source.
2.
The steam from the boiler powers an alternator/generator that:
a. Powers an electric motor for the vehicle
b. Generates even more electricity to heat the boiler. intensely hotter (using gear ratio factors to make the rotation even faster) and heating elements of the hottest variety (losing very little energy as it transfers from electricity to heat – almost none lost as light)
Here’s the part that may be dumb – I feel like I’m missing something otherwise it would’ve already been done…… The water tank may have to be huge (so 4 passenger cars would have to be or about the size of minivans for water storage – so what?)…. and you fill up on WATER. From any available water source!!
Of course you don’t turn off the engine during the day – unless you want to wait until the water heats. (but you can turn it down very low)
But voila’!! The vehicle runs on water!!!! Even dirty water – ocean water – bath water – laundry water.
Ok. Why won’t this work?
Ok guys – granted it is a steam powered engine. but is essentially an ELECTRIC ENGINE – much as trains use diesel engines to generate electricity to power electric engines to power the locomotive. OBVIOUSLY some engineer somewhere figured you’d come out on top by using the fuel to power and electric engine. Hmmmm?
Correction :
To power AN electric engine.
Finally assuming I “can” control the rate of the boiling water – not impossible and assuming the weight (payload) to be the weight of 4 passengers and the water. The seam engine would be no bigger than the what fits normally in the engine space allowed in the average truck – or minivan as it were. C’mon where are the real scientist that can give substancial and significant reasons why this can’t work.
ok… I fdidn’t make it clear that the electricity for the heating element comes from the alternator. The faster the car goes…the faster the water boils. so having enough electricity to generate enough steam is contigent on how fast the electric motor is turning. this seems like cyclical logic.. but hey… everything in you gasoline engine is cyclical as well. So what? (Instead of charging a battery to fire spark plugs, I’m heating the boiler) Also when I take my feet the accelerator, the wheels are still turning …producing even more electricity.
6 Responses
Im not going to say that this would not work but it is kind of improbable because you really wouldn’t be able to control the rate of the boiling water. So you gould run out of water very fast causing you to have no more energy for the propulsion. Also this is very expensive to to make all of these things and even know that it would be worth it in the long run we just don’t have the money in our economical crisis
Well, i’ll be the first I guess to say , no, this won’t work. Why ?
because what you describe is a steam powered engine, something that has been used in the old west in locomotives.
Now your talking about having enough steam to move a vehicle which means you’ll have to take into account the weight and carrying capacity to determine how much power you will need to produce.
Being a boiler / steam system, you will need a heating source. A heating element uses way too much amperage to effectively heat a boiler system…. Thus the reason that they make gas lit travel stoves and hexadymine tablets for camping. Electrical for the most part is reserved to places with 120 volts AC.
Obviously fire stoked system would require a load of wood or other fuel to burn and would be a public safety issue.
On the other hand, if you try to break down water to its components of oxygen and hydrogen…both being ingniteable, you’d be more efficient, however, you would need a way to break the atoms down, which has been shown possible through mircowave radio waves and such, but there is still an initial energy requirement to run this equipment which make it unfeasible.
you can if you have a stem engine,and the option is to develop a hydrogen extracting and your gone
To complex for the average person to operate. You cant just put water in a sealed container and boil to steam then turn a turbine in an attempt to make power.
The other issue is the amount of battery power alone would be ridiculous. The heating element would have to be up around 1000 deg F to heat the water to the point of boiling. And the convection of 1000 deg heat would melt every hose/belt in your car. Not to mention the entire car would be a furnace. This has been attempted back in the day. Research steam powered car/buggy.
It is not efficient enough for today’s time. Top speed probably 30 mph
but good thought
Let me start off by saying Hydrogen is a great option for free energy. I built my first hydrogen cell about 10 years ago. Have converted over 50 vehicles in the last 10 years (hydrogen & EV) & now currently run a truck (and another 2 electric vehicles, 1 on Ethanol & 1 biodiesel), my home hot water heater, home stove & home generator on hydrogen for free with caught rain water & the help of a $10 solar panel. I offer a step by step DIY guide to walk anyone interested threw the process. You can find it at www agua-luna com or you can email me.
There are basically 3 safe ways to make & use hydrogen… chemically, electrically & molecularly, the first 2 being easier so I’ll only discuss them here. The following steps were taking directly out of the DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their vehicles or home on 100% water safely. The entire guide is available at www agua-luna com
On demand h2 generators are a bit different from the Hollywood versions like seen Chain Reaction with Keanu Reeves, that tend to explode violently every time a film is being made. However when used in an on-demand system there is no storage of hydrogen & oxygen in its gas form, only liquid (water) & is only transformed into gas “on-demand†in small cylinder sized amounts. It’s actually safer then gasoline as it doesn’t evaporate, creating explosive fumes in the tank & isn’t explosive in it’s liquid form (water) like gas.
Chemically
1. You’ll need a 6inch x 1ft schedule 40 pvc pipe. With pvc cement glue a cap on the bottom & use a screw on cap for the top. Drill a small hole (1/4inch or so) in the side close to the top, screwing in a small copper shut off valve. Place a few feet of stranded (food grade is good) flex hose to the valve & into the air intake of your engine (carburetor or fuel injections).
2. Now crunch up a couple aluminum cans (beer cans, soda cans etc) & drop them into the pvc pipe, along with a couple cups of lye (Red Devil drain opener has lye in it, some Clorox & Drano’s do to).
3. Then simply add water, screw on the top & wait a few minutes.
What happens in simplicity is that aluminum & lye don’t really get along so they battle, & as always the innocent civilians (water H2O) that the most casualties, by giving up its hydrogen & oxygen. This then builds up in the void of the pipe & is ready to be vented into your engine, by opening the valve. You may need to start your engine on gas then switch it off after the hydrogen starts burning.
Electrical is a bit easier then Chemically.
1. Simply take a small solar panel 1.5 amps is what I use ($9 at harborfreight.com), connect the 2 wires from the panel +- to 2 conductors (carbon cores of batteries work well, just be careful removing it from the jacket), but any conductive material will work ie. Copper, aluminum, steel, etc.
2. Drop the wires into a water tank (I use 55gal drums), make sure they don’t touch each other.
3. Drill a small hole (1/4inch or so) in the side close to the top, screwing in a small copper shut off valve. Place a few feet of stranded (food grade is good) flex hose to the valve & into the air intake of your engine (carburetor or fuel injections).
4. Then simply add water, screw on the top cap & wait.
After a few hours tiny bubbles will form & rise off one conductor (that’s hydrogen) & even smaller bubbles that just looks like foam will rise off the other (oxygen). I don’t remember which likes the positive & which likes the neg hydrogen or the oxygen.
The third method is more complicated & is what I use for my vehicles. It’s just a modified Joe’s Cell, there’s a step by step DIY guide available to walk you threw the process here www agua-luna com
It also covers the other 2 methods described in more detail.
Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online & on-site workshops, seminars & internships to help others help the environment.
Dan Martin
It won’t work. Why? Simple, you just described a perpetual motion machine, so, quit wasting time, move on.