mickeyt500
Oct23-09, 08:15 AM
Hey all....So i have this project, to use any other liquid apart from water in a solar powered steam engine.
At the moment i am still in research phase, and have been reading on quite a few liquids although i have been concentrating on ethanol, as it is readily available and has a BP of 78 degrees. So here is an idea that i thought of, rather than using a rankine cycle to use an absorption cycle or a vapour power cycle, where the need for a pump is eliminated. Ethanol when mixed with water at a ratio of 89 % to 11% forms an azeotrope, meaning the molecular ratios are unaffected by evaporation. So in the boiler (powered by the solar panel) the ethanol from the azeotrope mixture evaporates (at 78 degrees while the water is still in liquid form) and the pressurised vapour exorts energy to the turbine. The resulting low pressurised vapour passes to the condenser where it mixes with water at room temperature.
Now that is just an idea, and i need all u brainy people to help me out...
When water mixes with ethanol its an exothermic reaction and 777J/mol of energy is released, so can this energy released in the condeser be helpul to us? can it cause the ethanol to revapourise? Any improvements or suggestions to the design will also be appreciated, and thought on alternatives to ethanol :)
Btw i have viewed the previous thread on this as well :)
At the moment i am still in research phase, and have been reading on quite a few liquids although i have been concentrating on ethanol, as it is readily available and has a BP of 78 degrees. So here is an idea that i thought of, rather than using a rankine cycle to use an absorption cycle or a vapour power cycle, where the need for a pump is eliminated. Ethanol when mixed with water at a ratio of 89 % to 11% forms an azeotrope, meaning the molecular ratios are unaffected by evaporation. So in the boiler (powered by the solar panel) the ethanol from the azeotrope mixture evaporates (at 78 degrees while the water is still in liquid form) and the pressurised vapour exorts energy to the turbine. The resulting low pressurised vapour passes to the condenser where it mixes with water at room temperature.
Now that is just an idea, and i need all u brainy people to help me out...
When water mixes with ethanol its an exothermic reaction and 777J/mol of energy is released, so can this energy released in the condeser be helpul to us? can it cause the ethanol to revapourise? Any improvements or suggestions to the design will also be appreciated, and thought on alternatives to ethanol :)
Btw i have viewed the previous thread on this as well :)