Taking into account the physical properties of water, can we harness energy from it freezing and unfreezing?

Question

When liquids freeze, they get smaller, or stay the same volume. Water is different than most, when it freezes, it expands the same mass into a greater volume, this is why ice floats. If we were to put huge vats of water in some area that seasonally freezes, can we then pressurize these vats, so when the water freezes, it would push the generators somehow? Then when the water thaws, the generators can be reversed. Has this already been done?

I have seen several answers saying it wouldn't generate enough power, but if the generator were incredibly hard to move, and the container for the water really strong, could it push the generator simply because pushing the generator would take less energy than cracking the container itself?

Answer 1

Yes, in fact that has been done throught the concept of "Thermo-coupling" but again this method is economically infeasible, because the current generated in the process is in nano amperes.
or in very small qty.

Answer 2

how achievable thaw frozen pipes is to exhibit on all of your taps. they received't be frozen for the time of and the operating water may help to unfreeze what's frozen. If that fails ... Use a hair dryer to warmth the pipe the position you believe the freeze has exceeded off. Propane torches are risky and may reason fires, now to not indicate that a frozen pipe can crack or smash if warmed too immediately. make positive the taps are open even as the pipes are heated as a way to remove each and each and every of the ice contained in the equipment once the significant blockage is eradicated. note warmth to any suspect section. electric powered blankets artwork properly. in case you stay in a cellular domicile there's a better chance the significant furnish pipe will freeze on the point the position it enters your domicile. note warmth on to that pipe if achievable, from the point the position it leaves the floor to the position it enters your cellular domicile. in case you are able to not get appropriate of entry to the pipe, use a heater with a competent blower, which includes a structure web site torpedo type heater. Many condo organizations have them. you may want to objective to apply a warmth lamp or electric powered area heater, yet be careful you do not overload the circuit, and make positive the hollow is nice grounded to steer away from electric powered wonder. the position achievable, plug the software right into a floor fault interrupt secure outlet. And for the list, warm water would not freeze faster than chilly water, that is an previous better halves' tale. It would not even make sense that which could be authentic. I quite doubt that its the water heater, yet go ahead and reset that's it makes you sense extra effectual. in the adventure that they don't unfreeze quickly, you are able to favor to flow ahead and get in contact with a plumber. they'll cost you for an hours properly worth of work, even though it will probable merely take them 0.5 that to thaw each and every little thing out. From there, if the elements receives less than about 23 levels (warmth tape frequently works to about 23), go away your taps dripping only somewhat because its more durable for operating water to freeze because the temperature would not modify.

Answer 3

It would not work, you have too keep in mind that energy doesn’t get created or disrupted, it only transforms. So basically if you want to freeze some water you need energy, a part of this energy would get lost in the process (unless you have a closed system), for example a refrigerator needs electrical energy to get cold, but a big part of this energy gets lost, if you place your hand on the back of your refrigerator, on the bottom you’ll notice it’s warm, so there’s the loss of energy, the same goes too unfreezing.

If you find a place where water gets freest seasonally, it would freeze equally on the bottom and on the top, when two bodies with different temperatures touch each other (In this case water molecules), the hottest body will loose temperature, and the coldest body will gain temperature until they both have the same temperature, you have to read about enthalpy. If you have a glass of hot water and pour some cold water on in, then wait a couple of minutes, then touch the water, all the water on the glass will have the same temperature.

You could warm the upper part, you would create energy, but you’ll loose more energy than the energy you created. Another place where energy would get lost is in the generators, because of the friction that those machines create while turning, you can always diminish the friction with oil, but you would never get zero friction.

If you want to create energy, you always have to keep in mind the laws of thermodynamics, notice they are laws, not theories. You were breaking many of them when you came with this system. Notice you also don’t have a close system, so there would be many energy leaks.

* Zeroth law of thermodynamics, about the transitivity of thermodynamic equilibrium

If two thermodynamic systems A and B are in thermal equilibrium, and B and C are also in thermal equilibrium, then A and C are in thermal equilibrium.

* First law of thermodynamics, about the conservation of energy

The increase in the energy of a closed system is equal to the amount of energy added to the system by heating, minus the amount lost in the form of work done by the system on its surroundings.

* Second law of thermodynamics, about entropy

The total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system tends to increase over time, approaching a maximum value.

* Third law of thermodynamics, about absolute zero temperature

As a system approaches absolute zero of temperature all processes cease and the entropy of the system approaches a minimum value or zero for the case of a perfect crystalline substance.

Answer 4

That's great idea. But need to see what is the investment you are making and the power you are generating with such an arrangement.
There are also other feasible ways which are already in use like "Thermocouple" which generate electricity when two "Tips' of the thermocouple are maintained at different temperatures. Energy is generated taking advantage of different temperature zones in the ocean. This is already being done but not sure where.. may u can google it ..

Answer 5

Interesting idea, but you either have to add energy to freeze or energy to melt and that would exceed the power you would produce. If you did it naturally, it would only push a few times per year. Also, the volumes required would be huge. Building a dam works much better. The use of tides also works, except the technology is still problematic.

Answer 6

Some years ago I worked on a project in which the latent heat given off in the phase change from liquid solid to was used to maintain ambient temperature when it fell below the freezing point of the solution.This may be a feasible idea for use of energy

Answer 7

That's a clever idea. It would be much slower than vapourisation and condensation though, which is how a steam engine works. But a useful application of latent heat of freezing is wax storage heaters, which use cheap off-peak electricity to melt wax and then, as the wax cools and solidifies, the latent heat released warms the house.

Answer 8

Nice try ..... but doubtful.
Keep trying. Successful innovators and risk takers will be rewarded.

Answer 9

I think I'd rather burn things for energy...