Forum Freshman
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
Posts: 9
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I recently have made a plan to harness energy from lightning. I cannot post the images, but here is what I wrote:
Lightning Electrolysis Plan:
Summary of Lightning:
The use of lightning has often been debated as to its practicality. Large amounts of arguments have ensured, regarding the use of transformers and other equipment to harness the energy from this electric impulse. Due to the fact that the type of lightning in concern was cloud to ground lightning, the trouble of diluting the effect of an impulse led to yet unsolved problematic issues. The use of a capacitor is effectively destroyed due to the high energy involved. Due to this, lightning has not been implemented into the world’s energy mix.
The reason lightning has so much power is due to its high concentrations. Lightning is formed by friction between water molecules in a cloud, which leads to large amounts of charge forming. These charges are far more concentrated than the winds that formed them. A lightning discharge occurs when the charge difference is enough to propagate through the sparse water particles that are either in the form of rain (cloud to ground lightning) or water droplets (in cloud and cloud to cloud lightning). Other types of lightning occur, but these are very rare. Since these water particles have large amounts of resistance, the potential difference has to be enormous for the discharge to happen. When a discharge happens, it is almost instantaneous, so harnessing the energy is a formidable task.
Summary of Plan:
A simple explanation of my plan would be to discharge the charges as and when they occur. This method is designed strictly for cloud to cloud and in cloud lightning (the most common types). A device on top of a mountain in the Himalayas will form a highly conductive medium. The device will contain saline water, using the electric current passing through to make hydrogen via electrolysis. Palladium membranes will effectively prevent oxygen from mixing with the hydrogen again. The hydrogen will be extracted at the top of the tube (5). The ways to encourage the hydrogen to go through the palladium is as follows:
1) Buoyancy. The hydrogen will naturally float upward to the direction of the top of the tube
2) The hydrogen, when it is collected, will be pumped to a gathering area further down. The collection
chamber at the top of the tube will therefore have a low pressure, counteracting with the high pressure inside the tube. This will push the hydrogen to the tube where it is collected.
To prevent the mixture of the oxygen and the hydrogen, oxygen must be gotten out of the system also. This occurs at the bottom of the tube (3/6) because oxygen is heavier than air. Oxygen will go out after the hydrogen gets out. It will be encouraged because it is heavier than air, and that the high pressure inside the tube will push it out. The main components have been described, and the other ones shall be shown in the following chart:
1)A mountain in the Himalayas. The peak has been blasted off to make a flat surface
2)Insulated steel beams. The green represents the insulation, and the gray shows the underlying structure.
3)The tube to hold water made of high strength plastic. It contains saline that is water pumped in (see 9)
4)Copper caps to start the process of the discharge. They have spikes to pick up any charges around them.
5)Hydrogen collection chambers, with palladium membranes to prevent any mixture. The hydrogen is pumped to a station far below.
6)Oxygen to be released at the bottom. It is let out a watertight material that still lets it go through.
7)The pumps to get the hydrogen to a refining station. It incidentally causes 5 to have a low pressure.
8)Monsoon cloud. It has charges that just show and example.
9)Water is pumped in here. To prevent saline deposits, the water is first salinated, and then fresh water is pumped in.
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Nothing makes a person more productive then the last minute.
Science is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration
-Duelix
Because there are no images, this plan would seem confusing. Let me explain in a clearer way. There will be a mountain in the Himalayas, at a mid level altitude. On this mountain, there will be insulated steel beams, holding up a high strength plastic tube. This tube will contain salinated water, and will be connected to other apparatus. The first piece of equipment is the pumping device. This contains water, pumped from the mountain base, which comes in first salinated, then fairly pure. This is connected via a valve to the plastic tube. It will be powered by some of the hydrogen generated. Then there will be copper caps at either end. These will have copper rods stretching out, harnessing some of the charge in the clouds. When this happens, a current might flow through the tube, generating hydrogen via electrolyses. Because the charges are released as they build up, the lightning won't destroy the whole structure. Then, at the top of the tube, there will be a large hydrogen collection chamber. This has palladium at the bottom, allowing only hydrogen to go through. Because the hydrogen is sucked out, there will be a low pressure inside of the chamber. This, coupled with the high pressure in the tube, will force most of the hydrogen out. At the bottom, there is a watertight outlet. This will expel any other substance that is a by product of thee extraction. The high pressure in the tube will be sufficient to push it out.
If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reply.
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Nothing makes a person more productive then the last minute.
Science is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration
-Duelix |
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