For a few hundred years, many people attempted to devise a way to come out ahead with capillary action. Yes, a dry cloth can lift water and essentially do work - but the energy it then takes to get the water out of the capillary tight spaces is considered by physics to be more than you can ever get from the absorption stage.
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On Nov. 4, 2009, New Energy Congress member, Eric Krieg wrote:
- For a few hundred years, many mistaken people (I get a few a year) believe there is some way to come out ahead with capillary action. Yes, a dry cloth can lift water and essentially do work - but the energy it then takes to get the water out of the capillary tight spaces is always more than you can ever get from the absorption stage. That is why there are no demonstration desk top machines (even a self runner) running off capillary action.
- I propose to just ignore the many people with theory on capillary action until someone can show one running (live not video). Otherwise, we get too bogged down with ignorant people and hurt our credibility in the process.
If you happen to know of such a device that actually works, please let us know so we can feature it here.
If power can be derived at the point of mixture of fresh and salt water bodies (see our directory page), by running the fresh water up an osmotic gradient, then running it down through a turbine, why not also be able to run water up a capillary tube, then harness the energy as it descends into the salt water destination? Of course in the fresh-salt scenario, the initial separate of fresh from salty water is accomplished by solar energy instigating the evaporation, so it is ultimately a solar energy system. The problem with the capillary action scenario, is that the "input energy" source is not identified. Water has to be removed from the ends of the capillary tubes for the process to proceed (via evaporation in the case of a plant), and that is ultimately the "source" of energy; and physics would justifiably predict that this would expend more energy than what the capillary action contributes; so a net gain would not be possible from capillary action alone.
Matthew J. Nash, SGT MIL USA <matthew.james.nash {at} EUR.ARMY.MIL>, has filed for a US patent on a not-yet prototyped design, described below by him, and illustrated in the figure above.
- Description of Capillary Energy Source
- It is a pneumatic feed hydro electric power plant. It has four main components to exclude the turbine generator. They are as follows.
- *Lower water tank - The lower water tank is sealed except for two pipes that are inserted into it from the top. These two pipes are the open water pipe and capillary water pipe. The lower water tank also has a singular entrance valve to add air pressure.
- *Capillary water pipe - The capillary water pipe is a pipe filled with capillary tubing to create a well known capillary effect on water from the lower water tank.
- *Upper water trough - The upper water trough acts as a through way for water coming out of the capillary water pipe to enter the open water pipe. The upper water trough is not sealed; it is equipped with an air filtration system so that air pressure in the upper water trough is equal to that of air outside of the unit.
- *Open water pipe - The open water pipe is a large open pipe where the turbines would be seated. It is connected between the upper trough and lower water tank.
- Operation of Capillary Energy Source
- Water is placed in the lower water tank until it is completely full. Water will be drawn up the capillary water pipe because of the capillary effect, but will not leave the top of the capillary water pipe because of surface tension. Air pressure will be added to the lower water tank, not to go below the entrances of both capillary water pipe and open water pipe, if it does air pressure will equal out. With the addition of the added air pressure, water will flow out of the top of the capillary tubing. The upper water trough will allow water to flow to the open water pipe, without increasing air pressure due to the air filtration system. Water will fall down the open water pipe and pass through the turbines, producing electricity. This process continues as long as water stays above the entrance of the capillary water pipe and open water pipe.
To see our directory page on this topic, visit:
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Capillary_Action_Engines
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Comments
His design as presented will not work. Tell him to save his $$. The biggest problem is that the air pressure will even out and the energy put into the system will over time be less than what is pulled out of it.
I do have a capillary engine design that will work. I intend to create a prototype in 2 weeks. After proving the design will work (the design has passed inspection by a engineers of varying specialties) I intend to pursue a patent. I will then investigate the efficiency, manufacture and maintenance costs.
I was thinking the exact same thing. The amount of pressure you put in will be less than the pressure you could create with the work done by the water. The open air filtration will just release the pressure you put into it. Plus the pressure can go up the second pipe, not the capillary.
Are Capillary Action Engines Possible?
Obviously, you can’t get work done just from capillary action. But...
There’s a point of view that I find useful to clarify the viability of a capillary action device, which could transform energy from a heat source (such as the sun) into a more useful form of energy. This device would work as a solar energy system, with the fluid (not necessarily water) been removed from the ends of the capillary tubes via evaporation, as in the case of a plant.
Even more hypothetically, and downgrading the role of the gravitational field, I can imagine a conduit made of a stack of different capillary materials, equivalent to the combination of successive differently doped semi-conductor materials in solar cells. What do you think? :-)
The fluid motion is caused by the action of the heat received from a source such as the sun, for example, and the action of the gravitational force. The fluid goes up in the gravitational field through the capillary material that occupies the rising part of the circuit. At the highest part, the fluid receives the heat from the sun, and is extracted in this way from the capillary material. This extracted fluid is collected and conducted to the falling segment of the circuit, for example by something like a kind of transparent vault with a system of collecting conduits. Finally, the fluid pushed by the gravitational force arrives at the lowest part of the circuit, where it is captured again by the capillary material.
Obvious analogy, isn’t it?
This capillary action device, or capillary pumped heat engine, similar to a photovoltaic system, would be a closed loop fluid circuit. The circuit would be composed of consecutive segments with different characteristics: simple conductive channels, and conduits occupied with capillary materials (or “semi-conductive channels”.) The fluid is pushed into a continuous circular motion inside the circuit, while a turbine extracts the energy from this fluid flow and converts it into useful work.
So, from this perspective, there are two phenomena to be taken as similar or analogous: (1) the generation of free electrons when ionizing radiation strikes an electric semi-conductor material, and, (2) in the hypothetical capillary action device, the extraction of fluid from the ends of the capillary tubes, by the action of the heat from the sun.
The foundation of this perspective is the analogy between such a capillary action device and familiar photovoltaic systems (rooted in the well-known electronic–hydraulic analogy.) The capillary material may be considered as a kind of fluid semi-conductor, playing the role of "electron fluid" semi-conductor materials in typical photovoltaic devices. (Keep in mind also the analogy between the behaviour of a capillary tube and the behaviour of an electric semi-conductor or semi-insulator material, the equivalence between the equations describing the fluid discharge of the capillary tube and the electric discharge of a capacitor.)
Are Capillary Action Engines Possible?
Obviously, you can’t get work done just from capillary action. But ....
There’s a point of view that I find useful to clarify the viability of a capillary action device, which could transform energy from a heat source (such as the sun) into a more useful form of energy. This device would work as a solar energy system, with the fluid (not necessarily water) been removed from the ends of the capillary tubes via evaporation, as in the case of a plant.
patent was denied.
working on youtube for demo to show it works.
I just had the same idea and foudn thsi via google. I have a slightly different solution but yours (air pressure) is better. I think it will not work though - the capilary action/movement requires the tube to be empty (right?). So once that tube fills, there won't be "suckage" from the capilary action, only the air pressure would be pushing the liquid upwards at that point.
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