Tom Connolly wrote:Maybe this is as clear as mud....
Dale Hodgins wrote:Marcos, do you have a very rough figure on what % loss is typical when a given amount of power is converted to compressed air. Suppose a one hp motor is used to run a compressor. Would we be able to operate a 1/2 hp table saw ? I get some pretty good wind on occasion, which is why this idea arose. But, I'm sure there ore other places where this makes more sense. My 3/4 hp compressor produced a lot of heat, especially on humid days when lots of water was condensed. In certain locations, the ability to take water from the air might be quite valuable.
Here's an industrial site where they talk about heat reclamation from compressors. We'd want to go closed loop with rust inhibitors. Some systems use city water and then run it down the drain. Better systems use it to heat the factory and/or to heat water. None of the industrial sites consider condensed water as anything useful.
http://www.airbestpractices.com/sustainability-projects/boilers/heat-reclaim-economics-air-and-water-cooled-air-compressors
Vic Johanson
"I must Create a System, or be enslaved by another Man's"--William Blake
Brian Cady wrote:I remember that a guy looked into air as energy storage and found that the air motors couldn't be more than about 10% efficient (at converting air pressure to motion) or the air motors would ice up in operation. It was reportedly very hard to get enough water out of the compressed air to stop icing up in efficient motors. Inefficient motors form heat with the wasted energy, preventing icing. At least that's what I remember him telling me.
Jeb Hanson wrote:Is there a way to pump a well with compressed air using a combination of wind and solar?
Brian Pettit wrote:Oh wow! I had no idea this topic was already generated!! I have some catching up to do to learn what has been discussed so far but I just HAD to make a post to get the ball rolling again. I have LOTS of ideas for overcoming the issue of pressure slowing the windmill rotation and the most interesting one involved using a VERTICAL BLADE wind turbine built from like a playground carousel but install air tanks ON THE PERIMETER so that they gain weight as they pressurize. Rig some wind blades and a compressor head close to the axle underneath and pipe the output of the compressor up through the axle with a swivelling coupler and pipe the air to the tanks on the carousel. Another idea I am working on is a PENDULUM swing with the air tank as the pendulum weight and a simple sail on top. I have a prototype video started here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOhBQDYTVuQ
THANK YOU for raising this idea, I look forward to catching up and contributing some more, I have even begun to covert a gas powered generator to compressed air with the aid of a flywheel.
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