Mervyn Campbell
15th January 2009, 12:43
What would be the value of capturing escaping gas (air) rising in a liquid (water) environment to utilise the pressure of the liquid displaced by the gas. It would be reaping the stored energy which was required to get the gas into the liquid environment. The liquid pressure controls the volume of the liquid displaced, and the resistance of the viscosity of the liquid will control the speed with which the ‘bubble’ of gas can rise to escape the liquid. The volume of gas, and therefore the displacement power of the gas in the liquid, increases as the pressure decreases which results in more energy being liberated as the ‘bubble’ rises. (Boyle’s Law).
For every 10 metres depth in water an additional 1 bar in pressure is required to get the gas subsurface. Compressing air to 2 bar is relatively cheap.
If alternate sources of energy expended for other purposes are used to do the compressing e.g. humans walking over bellows under a pavement or climbing stairs or vehicles crossing a bridge/ramp in a high- or throughway, etc. then energy being expended anyway is harvested and stored as compressed air. Gasses can be produced by chemical reactions deep in water (sea) by providing the ingredients at depth. Electrolysis at depth may be practical. Biogenesis from fermentation by yeasts, or aerobic bacteria that produce with air, CO2 from organic material, or anaerobic organisms that produce CH4 Methane in an anaerobic environment e.g. septic tanks and sewage disposal units. (and more detail)
For every 10 metres depth in water an additional 1 bar in pressure is required to get the gas subsurface. Compressing air to 2 bar is relatively cheap.
If alternate sources of energy expended for other purposes are used to do the compressing e.g. humans walking over bellows under a pavement or climbing stairs or vehicles crossing a bridge/ramp in a high- or throughway, etc. then energy being expended anyway is harvested and stored as compressed air. Gasses can be produced by chemical reactions deep in water (sea) by providing the ingredients at depth. Electrolysis at depth may be practical. Biogenesis from fermentation by yeasts, or aerobic bacteria that produce with air, CO2 from organic material, or anaerobic organisms that produce CH4 Methane in an anaerobic environment e.g. septic tanks and sewage disposal units. (and more detail)