cheaper electricity
2007-06-07 05:50:28 · 8 answers · asked by junior j 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Unfortunately in life and in physics nothing is free. There needs to be a change in elevation for the water to flow through the pipe. The discharge of the pipe must be lower than the inlet or the water will not flow. There will also be friction (energy loss) in running the generator, so there would need to be a pretty good elevation difference to make enough electricity in the generator to make it worth the effort. Once that is all running, now you have water discharging the pipe at a lower elevation than the well. To get it back to the well you would need to pump it. Unfortunately there is also friction and heat (also energy) losses in pumping so you would end up using much more energy getting the water back to the well than you recovered with the generator.
Generators are currently used in conjunction with manmade dams to create electricy by passing water through the generator as the water is released from the dam. This is called hydroelectric power. There is also a tremendous amount of work being done on recovering some of the energy from ocean waves. In both of these cases, man is trying to convert some of nature's potential energy into electricity.
2007-06-07 06:10:12 · answer #1 · answered by cheme1901 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, because ...
The force needed to lift the water out of the well is equal to the force of gravity pulling it back down. Even if the water were inside a pipe. it would go nowhere. Imagine two heavy objects attached to one another by a rope. Haing the objects over a branch using the rope between them. If both objects are equal in weight, neither object will move. All the water in the pipe is the same material and is exactly equal in weight and density.
Hydroelectric generators use falling water to generate electricity. The force pulling water out of this "well" is the sun. It shines on the earth, evaporates water, makes rain and the rain then fills the reservior.
The only way to make the water flow through the pipe is to be able to change the force of gravity. The water would then weigh more on one end of the pipe. Nobody can change gravity. In fact, nobody even knows what it really is.
2007-06-07 13:05:11 · answer #2 · answered by Roger S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Siphon works only downhill from the water surface level and once done, will not run back into the well.
There are places that use falling water to generate electricity and then use that electricity to pump water up to later generate electricity, but they are doing it to store power from times of light electrical usage to times of heavier usage.
See Niagra Falls or http://www.nypa.gov/facilities/blengil.htm
2007-06-07 12:59:38 · answer #3 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't siphon water from a well and put it back into the same well. Siphoning only works if you siphon the water to something lower than where the water originated.
Siphoning also won't turn a very large turbine or very fast.
2007-06-07 13:00:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Siphons do not work against gravity. For a siphon to work, the overall flow through the siphon must be downward. You cannot siphon water out of a well to the surface and then let it fall through a turbine.
2007-06-07 12:56:41 · answer #5 · answered by PoppaJ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A siphon will not pull water without a vacuum (at the top), and it takes energy to develop a vacuum -- more energy than you will get by running that water back in the well and turning a water wheel/generator.
.
2007-06-07 12:57:55 · answer #6 · answered by tlbs101 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How do you get the water out of the well? You need a pump. What runs the pump?
2007-06-07 12:53:39 · answer #7 · answered by vinster82 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Explain how you'll syphon out the water !!
2007-06-07 19:59:42 · answer #8 · answered by Norrie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋