BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Ping Ohara

Vic Smith

On Tue, 7 Oct 2008 13:44:20 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I'll admit, I nearly flunked Statistical Mechanics. I prefer
Electromagnetism where I can picture the fields. However, this being
a heat engine, the efficiency is limited by the ratio of temps.
Basically, the greater your difference in temps the higher
efficiency. You might look up Sterling Engines as they are good at
using "Waste Heat" and are prob highest efficiency of most heat
engines. A Sterling uses heat to heat the gas in the cylinder (often
Helium), does work and then dumps the heat into the cold reservoir.
Sterlings tend to have poor power to weight ratios but this would be
ok for a ship.
Got any ideas involving x-rays?

I'll get one of my sons on it. The engineer one, not the truck
suspension one.
He won a $500 Westinghouse award in HS for a design idea.
It was what looked like a pair of eyeglasses, for blind people.
Emitted ultrasonic pulses from left and right sides and returned
signals to earpieces. So blind people would have bat-like "vision."
Never seen them produced. The dog lobby probably stopped it.

--Vic