You guys are hilarious.
A bit of backstory: In essence, its an art project for Burningman (see here: http://burningman.com), and no, I'm not trying to build a perpetual motion machine. Please, for God's sake, don't tell me I can't build a perpetual motion machine. I already know that...
Right. We're wanting to use a lightweight Stirling engine.
See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
Note that one side of the Stirling engine is hot, and one is not (like a McDLT)?
Note that as a gas is compressed, it generates heat, relative to its surroundings.
Note that...
SO- with all that said, why don't we get on to some pragmatic questions?
After all, that's what this forum is for, right?
For example:
If I am using superheated nitrogen to lift the balloon:
1). How big does the balloon need to be, what should it be made of, and what is the ideal...
No goofball, I said: "Use fractional distillation to remove the oxygen from the surrounding air, leaving only nitrogen. This will be our "fuel". "
I then went on to talk extensively about nitrogen.
Besides, I'm not trying to generate energy, I'm trying to generate lift.
Anyway- here's the...
Exactly.
So- let's assume you remove ~22% of the stuff that's making the air we breathe heavy in weight...
That leaves us with just the ~78% nitrogen.
Heat the nitrogen. Fill the balloon with that nitrogen.
That *should* mean you get at least 22% more efficiency than a 1970's Remax hot air...
Ugh. Lot of help you are. ;-)
But that's also the other thing I hadn't mentioned- the oxygen waste product from the fractional distillation could then be used for breathing while aloft.
In essence, nothing in the system is wasted, because it recycles all of the waste products to do what...
Ok, well- I'm somewhat reluctant to discuss it in great detail, because I want to be the first person to actually do it, but basically, the general idea is:
1). Use fractional distillation to remove the oxygen from the surrounding air, leaving only nitrogen. This will be our "fuel".
The...
No- I totally understand. No disrespect to the Forum intended.
...But where the heck else can you find a Physicist?? I mean, its not like you can just go get one out of the Yellow Pages.
Plus, all the folks I know over at JPL are busy with the Mars Moon Rover project right now...
This...
So, I've come up with what I think is a pretty darn neat idea for my Burningman project, but the technical implementation thereof is what I'm getting hung up on.
The reason?
...It involves things I conceptually understand, but have never implemented on an applied basis- like...