The Crossroads of the Aether
Two ideas, one prop, one theoretical.
One is just for a prop. I came up with it while pondering over a new, original weapon that could be used to destroy zombies. And it came to me : the Anti-zombie reverse flamethrower. The concept is fairly simple, carry around a tank on ones back filled with "liquid nitrogen" with a hose and nozzle, maybe even a water gun attached to make it "functional". The entire idea is that one could spray zombies with the liquid nitrogen, and while it may not freeze them, it could at least slow them down and/or make them brittle enough to be smashed by a buddy armed with a bat. Aim for the head! I think this could actually be a viable, fun and even functional prop.
The second idea is just something that was knocking around in my noggin during my breaks at work the past couple days. I have neither the tools nor the money, or even the skills or real know-how to contemplate it. I just wanna see what others think.
The idea is this: A steam-powered generator capable of powering itself. It gets a little complicated, and is inundated with technical flaws and possible impossibilities. Say you have a boiler, or a water heater, turned on by electricity. Could one create enough heat and pressure to power a generator that could then direct that power back into itself? Like, say, you have electric heating elements to boil the water, connected to a generator, which is connected to a turbine, which is spun by the steam created by the water being heated by those elements. All I'm really wondering is: COULD IT BE DONE? Would too little power be produced? Or would it be too dangerous considering the pressure? Is it easily done, just not cost effective? And besides all of this, how do you start it in the first place? Now, I've come up with theories to answers, but I am in no way an engineer, and haven't bothered to look up any specifications, or anything. Considering it's a meandering thought of a poor part-time deli worker. But if it has any merit, I would love to discuss it further.
Either ideas are up for discussion, really. I just wanted to contribute something to the aether.
The second idea is just something that was knocking around in my noggin during my breaks at work the past couple days. I have neither the tools nor the money, or even the skills or real know-how to contemplate it. I just wanna see what others think.
The idea is this: A steam-powered generator capable of powering itself. It gets a little complicated, and is inundated with technical flaws and possible impossibilities. Say you have a boiler, or a water heater, turned on by electricity. Could one create enough heat and pressure to power a generator that could then direct that power back into itself? Like, say, you have electric heating elements to boil the water, connected to a generator, which is connected to a turbine, which is spun by the steam created by the water being heated by those elements. All I'm really wondering is: COULD IT BE DONE? Would too little power be produced? Or would it be too dangerous considering the pressure? Is it easily done, just not cost effective? And besides all of this, how do you start it in the first place? Now, I've come up with theories to answers, but I am in no way an engineer, and haven't bothered to look up any specifications, or anything. Considering it's a meandering thought of a poor part-time deli worker. But if it has any merit, I would love to discuss it further.
Either ideas are up for discussion, really. I just wanted to contribute something to the aether.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Theophilus J. Oddington on -
Thermodynamics is a harsh taskmaster. You're trying to create a steam-powered over-unity device, AKA a perpetual motion machine. If every process were perfectly efficient, wasting zero energy, then the best you could hope for is for your generator to produce exactly as much energy as your heater consumes. You wouldn't be able to get any useful work out of it.
In reality, every step is going to lose a little energy, from waste in the heating circuit to work done moving the turbine blades to magnetic hysteresis in the generator, so you wind up generating less electricity than the heater used up to make the steam. Without an external power source, the machine would wind down to a stop. As far as modern science knows, there is absolutely no way around this. Sorry.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Semprebon on -
The “Zombie Extinguisher” sounds like a great idea. Perhaps adapt a garden sprayer with a stainless steel tank, suitably modified. If really ambitious, you could perhaps form a double-walled tank structure (possibly disguised as an outer “insulating” wooden jacket) with space for some dry ice to cool the outside and perhaps give off some dramatic mist (although you’d likely need to insulate the actual inner tank to avoid having it freeze, and would need to take care that nothing on the exterior gets cold enough to actually hurt someone).
Count another vote against the perpetual motion machine; no 100% efficient energy conversions....
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Permalink Reply by Steamcrunk on -
If you looked for an old brass INDIAN COOLER, which is an old style backpack forestry department fire extinguisher, I think you'd have a good platform for either weapon to work on.
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-brass-smith-indian-fi...
http://www.nationalfirefighter.com/product_info.php?products_id=1253
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Permalink Reply by Steamcrunk on
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This one is fully restored, but I've seen used ones at barn sales for under $100.
http://cgi.ebay.com/INDIAN-BACKPACK-BRASS-FIRE-EXTINGUISHER-EMPTY-C...
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Permalink Reply by Brion Riecke on -
Well gosh... Now I wish I had studied physics in high school. Or ever for that matter. That even shoots my thoughts on a small scale experiment out of the water. Of all the reasons I thought myself for why it couldn't work, and why no-one had done it before, thermodynamics simply never came to mind. Or maybe it did, and I just worded it different to myself. Regardless, thank you very much for the input! Although, I could prolly still make the experiment, just without the whole "powering it's own power" deal. I still wanna make something that uses steam... well, eventually make something that uses steam. After all, even if it does nothing but waste twice as much power as it produces and only lights a light bulb, i think it would neat to make small scale. I could call it my thinga-majigger!
Thanks for the suggestions on the anti-zombie reverse flamethrower! That INDIAN COOLER looks like it would be great and easily adapted. And thanks for the suggestion about dry ice Jeff, I had thought of dry ice, but had no idea how to possibly implement it. And the cold exterior was certainly a concern. I'll have to keep these suggestions in mind.
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Permalink Reply by Theophilus J. Oddington on
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Hey, you take out the part where its output feeds back into its input, and you've got yourself a pretty decent description of a steam generator. We use coal, oil, nuclear reactions, that sort of thing to provide the initial heat to the water, and power huge swaths of the world with the resulting electricity.
So, your idea wasn't terribly far-fetched. You just went a little too far in trying to close the loop. Thinga-majigg away!
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Permalink Reply by Brion Riecke on
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Yes, exactly! I was talking with a friend at his welcome back party from filming an apocalyptic reality show, and he told me that you can take the stuff from self-heating M.R.E.s and put it in a bottle of water, throw the water-bottle, and it explodes making a very loud noise. That's what initially got me thinking about alternate ways to create steam power. I just went a little too far with the whole idea of powering itself thing. Originally I was thinking chemical, but quickly dismissed the idea. Far too much time and effort into creating the chemical, and I am in no way a chemist (I actually barely passed the class...). But I still really like steam-power. Just wish we had a more ecological way of producing it.
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Permalink Reply by Professor Quintus on -
MRE bombs are great in college with the community recycling bin being in the community room.
Sorry. Amusing ancedote. XD
you dont even have to throw it. Just put the cap on it. It generates heat which in turn turns the water to steam, which in turn pops the bottle... making the loud noise. very much fun on a boring sunday night
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Permalink Reply by C.D. Fleur on -
Perpetual motion machines were a very popular patent item in the 19th century. So don't give it up too soon. There are all sorts of weird science fair applications for this. After all, we could start a legislative procedure to selectively repeal some of Newton's laws. I don't ever remember voting for him, do you?
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