Can I Generate Energy from Lakes to Clean and Revitalize My Backyard?

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    Lake Pressure
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of generating energy from lakes to clean and revitalize a backyard pond, with a focus on methods for purifying water for drinking and creating a suitable environment for fish. Participants explore various approaches, including the use of pressure from lake depths and boiling water as a cleaning method.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests using the pressure from a 30-foot deep lake to generate energy for a boiler to clean a moldy lake.
  • Another participant questions the practicality of boiling a lake and the effectiveness of boiling water for cleaning, raising concerns about the type of contaminants present.
  • Some participants clarify that fish do not require potable water and emphasize the need for oxygenation rather than sterilization to create a habitable environment.
  • There are discussions about the energy requirements for boiling water and the inefficiencies involved in using lake water for this purpose.
  • Participants propose alternative methods for making water drinkable, such as filtering and treating water on an as-needed basis rather than boiling large quantities.
  • Cost considerations are mentioned, with one participant noting that engineering projects should be treated separately for drinking and fish ponds.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the effectiveness of boiling as a method for cleaning pond water, suggesting that it may lead to other issues like ammonia buildup.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views on the methods for cleaning pond water and the feasibility of using energy from lakes. There is no consensus on the best approach, and discussions remain unresolved regarding the practicality of boiling water and the overall project goals.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the proposed methods, including energy inefficiencies, the need for circulation and oxygenation in water bodies, and the challenges of storing treated water. The discussion also reflects varying definitions of cleanliness and the requirements for fish habitats.

  • #31
nduka-san said:
i mean by depth pressure
Yes. We understand that there is pressure at depth. But pressure by itself does not do anything.

Think of it like leaning on a heavy crate. You can lean on the crate all day and you will have done no work. For your force to do any good, the crate has to move.

The pond water can push on the bottom and sides of the pond until the cows come home. But unless there is some flow of the water, this force does no work.
 
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  • #33
could this be applied small scale in ponds
 
  • #34
nduka-san said:
No. You have misunderstood the technology. That is not energy generation. That is energy storage. They pump the chambers empty to store energy. Then they allow them to fill to harvest it.

Zero net. Actually negative net since there are always losses.

It is a form of pumped hydro. You raise water to store energy. You let it fall back down to harvest it. It's just that instead of confining the water that's been raised to the place it was raised to, they confined the water that's been raised to stay out of the place it was raised from.
 
  • #35
OH i completely missundrstood it ok then what would u recommend doing then for the lakes and ponds with no entryways but water ripples
 
  • #36
nduka-san said:
OH i completely missundrstood it ok then what would u recommend doing then for the lakes and ponds with no entryways but water ripples
If you have water ripples, you have wind. If you have wind, the best choice is to harvest that directly. Put up a wind mill and use it to charge some batteries. Use the batteries to power your boiling apparatus.

A quick trip to Google finds that these are commercially available. Search phrase "wind turbine" or "wind charger".
 
  • #37
what about one with flowing water instead the main point of the challenge is that its water based
 
  • #38
nduka-san said:
what about one with flowing water instead the main point of the challenge is that its water based
If the water in the inlet flows downhill, you run it through a turbine and harvest power.
If the water in the outlet flows downhill, you run it through a turbine and harvest power.

If the water in the lake flows at an appreciable rate you install a turbine and harvest power. However, one of the defining features of a lake is that the flow velocity within the lake is negligible. Otherwise it is called a "river".

You can google for "penstock".
 
  • #39
nduka-san said:
what about one with flowing water instead the main point of the challenge is that its water based
As jbriggs points out, from your descriptions, you don't seem to have water flow.
 
  • #40
jbriggs444 said:
It's just that instead of confining the water that's been raised to the place it was raised to, they confined the water that's been raised to stay out of the place it was raised from.
Not to derail an otherwise scintillating thread, but it's pretty ingenious. One of the big constraints and efficiency hogs on pumped hydro is that it tends to use a lot of water at low pressure. By "harnessing" the pressure at depth, it can store a smaller amount of water at much higher pressure differential, for the same energy storage. And high pressure, low flow is more efficient than low pressure, high flow.

The downside, though, is that you still need fairly large storage vessels to store a lot of energy.
 
  • #41
look at what happens when you put a ferris wheel under water
 
  • #42
nduka-san said:
look at what happens when you put a ferris wheel under water

What on Earth are you talking about? This thread seems to be turning into a bunch of random combinations of machinery and water. Do you have a question? If so, think about it carefully and please write a complete description so it can be answered.
 
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  • #43
I'm using it as an example as it will keep on moving like a turbine that's what I'm trying to use like a circular turbine that is turned by water pressure that way it keeps on moving
 
  • #44
nduka-san said:
im using it as an example as it it will keep on moving like a turbine that's what I'm trying o use
No. It will not keep on moving. It would come to a stop in a matter of seconds.
 
  • #45
jbriggs444 said:
No. It will not keep on moving. It would come to a stop in a matter of seconds.
what would you recommend doing then
 
  • #46
nduka-san said:
what would ou recommend doing then
You could stop tilting at windmills.
 
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  • #47
jbriggs444 said:
You could stop tilting at windmills.
ok that's true its more based upon a water turbine
 
  • #48
*WHOOSH*

[The sound of an allusion flying by without being captured]
 
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  • #49
nani?
 
  • #50
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  • #51
the description of the plan for it is to have a water turbine underneath the water for a unclean pond or river than using a turbine some turbines i was thinking of modeling are these two but on a smaller scale
1607099103791.png
1607099158841.png
 
  • #52
Those work with flowing water. As far as I can tell, you don't have running water.
 
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  • #53
ok then what would u suggest for a pond
 
  • #54
nduka-san said:
ok then what would u suggest for a pond
Unless you've got flowing water, nothing. There's no way to extract work from it.
 
  • #55
nduka-san said:
ok then what would u suggest for a pond
A diesel generator.
 
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  • #56
Ibix said:
Unless you've got flowing water, nothing. There's no way to extract work from it.
There are some approaches that could yield results. Though a $1000 budget may preclude some of these.

Use the pond as a heat source for a heat engine if you can find a colder heat sink somewhere.
Use the pond as a heat sink for a heat engine if you can find a warmer heat source somewhere.
Use the pond as both source and sink and tap the differential set up by evaporation or solar heating.
Lay solar cells on top of the lily pads.
Or a https://www.boatid.com/echomax/aquamate-inflatable-solar-still-desalinator-mpn-emamssm.html?view=536489&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2af-BRDzARIsAIVQUOe5BWaU681s1iisTMTy-SxvCYnMeZrjH3m6RkI-4z7UbnovMBZqlToaAlmgEALw_wcB (estimated 5000 years to distill a pond at 2 liters per day).
Tap the power in the tiny ripples created by the wind.
Build a fusion reactor and use the hydrogen in the water to power it.
Stop the Earth's rotation for a while and tap the rotational kinetic energy in the pond water.
Start the Earth's rotation again and tap the Earth's kinetic energy as the pond spins it down a bit.
Sell boat rides and buy electricity.

Edit: We've ruled out a plain old wind turbine. But if we built a boat, put a windmill on the boat and used it to power a propeller to move around the lake, we could have excess electrical power that we could use to boil water. And we could still sell the rides.
 
Last edited:
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  • #57
jbriggs444 said:
There are some approaches that could yield results.
I think "covering it with solar cells" and "selling boat rides" are the only ones that might yield appreciable power.
 
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  • #58
jbriggs444 said:
There are some approaches that could yield results. Though a $1000 budget may preclude some of these.

Use the pond as a heat source for a heat engine if you can find a colder heat sink somewhere.
Use the pond as a heat sink for a heat engine if you can find a warmer heat source somewhere.
Use the pond as both source and sink and tap the differential set up by evaporation or solar heating.
Lay solar cells on top of the lily pads.
Or a https://www.boatid.com/echomax/aquamate-inflatable-solar-still-desalinator-mpn-emamssm.html?view=536489&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2af-BRDzARIsAIVQUOe5BWaU681s1iisTMTy-SxvCYnMeZrjH3m6RkI-4z7UbnovMBZqlToaAlmgEALw_wcB (estimated 5000 years to distill a pond at 2 liters per day).
Tap the power in the tiny ripples created by the wind.
Build a fusion reactor and use the hydrogen in the water to power it.
Stop the Earth's rotation for a while and tap the rotational kinetic energy in the pond water.
Start the Earth's rotation again and tap the Earth's kinetic energy as the pond spins it down a bit.
Sell boat rides and buy electricity.

Edit: We've ruled out a plain old wind turbine. But if we built a boat, put a windmill on the boat and used it to power a propeller to move around the lake, we could have excess electrical power that we could use to boil water. And we could still sell the rides.
wow I turn off my notifications and you guys came up with great stuff thanks
 
  • #59
for the ripples how much energy would that give (I know its not a lot)
 

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