I have another idea, Will it work?

Question

I have asked this question once and found it was not possible due to the laws of physics..But now I think that I have found a way to make it work.
First of all, can the energy be harnessed from the ocean by moving the water from high pressure to low pressure? No. For example if one was to put a straight pipe from the surface of the ocean down deep into the ocean, where the pressure is much high, nothing would happen. This is because of the laws of physics, the water would sit there because gravity is forcing it to stay there and the pressure is the same as if there was no pipe.
Now heres my new idea to this: If one was to put an long funneled pipe that was smaller at the surface and wider at the bottom in the same position, would the pressure at the bottom be forced up? I believe yes because the pipe would take pressure off of the top of the pipe, and the pressure at the bottom would remain the same, it would cause the water to flow to the surface where it could be used to make energy.

Answer 1

sorry, no joy.

you can't fool mother nature. In this case, gravity wins.

Answer 2

I'm not exactly sure of the setup you have in mind, but if it's what I have in mind, then the answer is ...

It will work! And in fact, so will your other invention, that someone told you will not work. You will put that pipe down into the ocean, then, I assume, flip some kind of shutter on the end, and water will rush up the pipe, and you can use that to generate energy. Since there is a low pressure inside of the pipe before you flip the shutter (about 1 atmosphere) and a high pressure at the pipe inlet, the water will rise up in the pipe when you open the high pressure end, assuming the column or air in the pipe is free to leave through the top.

But don't file for a patent yet ...

The problem with this whole scheme is the Third Law of Thermodynamics, which, requires the energy you get out of this tube generator to be lower than the amount of energy that it will take for you to push the cylinder into the ocean in the first place. So it WILL make energy, but it will cost you more energy to sink the tube.

Now, don't walk away dejected. Because the important part is that you apparently have a good mind and you're thinking of ways to harness the ocean power. That's a good thing.

Look at what these blokes did ...

http://www.wavegen.co.uk/

I covered these guys as a rookie reporter over ten years ago, and many engineers told them that they would never get their invention to work. But they persevered, and now they proved to the world that a energy harnessed from ocean waves can be cost-competitive with other types of energy.

So keep thinking, you'll come upon something that works soon.

Answer 3

The flaw is that the system you describe would still be in equilibrium. The forces on the water don't change just by adding a funnel. The water pressure inside the funnel is everywhere the same as the pressure outside the funnel at the same depth.

There are ways to harness energy from the ocean. One uses turbines to capture the energy in moving water from waves and tides. It's similar to hydroelectric power generation in dams, but much harder to engineer, since sea water is corrosive and the water motion isn't steady and continuous. You need to extract energy from normal waves but still survive storms and hurricanes. There are also ways to exploit the temperature difference between the sea floor and surface.

Again, don't give up! As you learn more science and engineering, you'll be able to figure out for yourself what could work, what can't, and what is practical. Meanwhile, keep asking here!

Answer 4

If your idea worked, an ordinary funnel that you could get at the hardware store would produce enough force differential to produce a small fountain.

The catch in this particular idea: the water on top presses down on the pipe, which in turn presses down on the (tapered) column of water inside the pipe.

This would happen whether or not the pipe is supported. By Newton's Third Law, because the water inside the pipe is pressing on the pipe, the pipe is pressing on the water with an equal and opposite force. The forces remain balanced and nothing moves.

Answer 5

If the bottom funnel opening is a mile wide, the pressure inside the funnel would be the same regardless of whether the tube from the surface is also a mile wide or only the size of a straw. Pressure is an intensive property and cares only about the height of liquid creating it. Strike 2.

Answer 6

nope, The column of water inside the pipe and outside the pipe will still experience the same pressure at any given depth. You need to introduce an force imbalance to the pipe to make it flow.

Answer 7

Check out this site:
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/nyos.htm

Answer 8

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