Energy Conversion
Energy Conversion
(OP)
What would be the best way to convert mechanical energy (i.e. human pedaling, cranking, etc.) into enough heat to boil water? Is there a way to go straight from mechaincal to heat, or would it work better to go to electricity and how?





RE: Energy Conversion
drive a dc generator that is connected electrically to a heating grid.
either way, it would likely take quite a while to "boil water". of course, how much water is needed to boil?
a solar water bag is better for warming water, but not quite boil.
good luck!
-pmover
RE: Energy Conversion
TTFN
RE: Energy Conversion
Going the Big Inch!![[worm] worm](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/worm.gif)
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RE: Energy Conversion
I remember a Dagwood comic strip from long ago. The door-to-door salesman comes around and says he is selling "hot rocks". The way they work is "You just rub them together to produce heat!" Closing line: "And if that doesn't work, by the time you're done, you'll be too tired to care."
RE: Energy Conversion
Certainly it is possible. The question is how much water, and in what time.
The sustainable power output of a human is relatively well documented. If the power meters on excercise bikes are to be believed, I can sustain 100 watts pretty much indefinately, and peak near 300 watts for (very) short bursts.
As IRstuff said, do the math.
RE: Energy Conversion
Going the Big Inch!![[worm] worm](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/worm.gif)
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RE: Energy Conversion
I'm not a real engineer, but I play one on T.V.
A.J. Gest, York Int./JCI
RE: Energy Conversion
But that spurred a thought.
Suppose you replace the damper on my exercise rider with an air cylinder and a check valve. That is to say, turn it into a vacuum pump...
RE: Energy Conversion
I'm not a real engineer, but I play one on T.V.
A.J. Gest, York Int./JCI
RE: Energy Conversion
If you turbine straight into a fixed volume of water that is well (perfectly) insulated, eventually that pot will boil - ie. as long as the heat doesn't get lost in the process.
I can't get past how fritzed out you are going to get when it takes 1hr to get your coffee fix in a morning - you are going to need to burn that energy off on a bike.
RE: Energy Conversion
Going the Big Inch!![[worm] worm](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/worm.gif)
http://virtualpipeline.spaces.msn.com
RE: Energy Conversion
RE: Energy Conversion
Going the Big Inch!![[worm] worm](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/worm.gif)
http://virtualpipeline.spaces.msn.com