Friday, January 7, 2011

How urinating led me to solve costal energy problems

One day I stepped into my bathroom in my apartment, and started to do my business. There was a square pad of toilet paper floating in the loo, and as per the rules of the universe, it became a target.

Now, when I noticed that a stream of fluid hits a porous membrane with such small holes, the air trapped in the stream is forced through the paper, but, the water tension doesn't allow it back through. That is to say, it forms a bubble underneath.

Now if bubbles form underneath, that means the air is supporting the weight of  the paper, so there is a pressure differential that has formed. Now, if a pressure differential has formed, is there some way to harness the potential energy that's formed? Could rain preform the same function? Could you use this somehow to charge air tanks? Would it be possible to have a pneumatic powered vehicle charged by the energy of rain?

Well, a week later while in the shower (note that all good thinking happens in the shower!) it came to me that maybe instead of a porous membrane, a closed cylinder (one end opened) floating in water would serve the same function. IE if the water level rose, or the cylinder was pulled lower in the water, pressure would form, and you could use this to power a generator.

Where does water rise and fall normally? The sea. You just tether this cylinder to the ground, stick an air line at the top, and you've got a near free, constantly changing air pressure! And thus I solved the world's costal energy needs.


Oh, and sorry about the lack of pictures... I'm a poor artist, and I've never had luck drawing on a computer. Maybe I'll try sketching ideas and scanning the pictures in...
*edit, well I got pictures up... if you have comments on how I can improve... I'd much appreciate it! Now I really want a drawing pad for my computer...

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