Engineering News Blog

Engineering News

Latest news of interest to engineers. Sourced from GlobalSpec's Engineering News

Previous in Blog: Ten Reasons You Don't Really Need a Cell Phone   Next in Blog: Segway-like Motorcycle Called The Tango
Close
Close
Close
3 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

Is tornado power the next big thing?

Posted July 31, 2007 4:50 PM

From SCI FI Tech:

There are a lot of pretty crazy concepts out there for ways to generate power more efficiently and without relying on foreign resources, but few of them match the pure insanity of tornado power. Yes, tornado power. The idea is to create a stable, controllable, atmosphere-high tornado. Inside the tornado would be somewhat of a heat elevator, with convection shooting heat up into the atmosphere. In theory, that would create harnessable energy. The problem would be getting people to accept having a gigantic tornado built in their town. Apparently it could be shut down pretty quickly by simply cutting the hot water supply, but somehow I don't think that'll be enough to sway people.

Read the whole article

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16512
Good Answers: 670
#1

Re: Is tornado power the next big thing?

07/31/2007 5:04 PM

I don't think that'll be enough to sway people.

Is that like ..a ... joke?

Sway 'em? .. it could suck 'em up an' spit 'em out!

__________________
health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Kiwi Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - New Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 8777
Good Answers: 376
#2

Re: Is tornado power the next big thing?

07/31/2007 7:06 PM

Not as crazy as it first appears (basically a Solar updraft tower, but without the physical tower), but there are some big questions that need to be answered first.

1) How efficient will it really be (hot water required, mention of using waste coal or nuclear plant cooling water to create updraft)?

2) Just how much will it effect the weather (20km high funnel is mentioned), both locally and world-wide?

3) Just how stable will it be?

and finally, why am I reminded of the movie "The day after tomorrow".

__________________
jack of all trades
Reply
Power-User

Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 182
Good Answers: 1
#3

Re: Is tornado power the next big thing?

08/03/2007 4:05 AM

That's not a fan under the table with panty-hose zip-tied to an electric motor is it?

The cattle ranchers will never go for it after the movie. Besides we can just grow corn on every square inch of the planet, instead.

Reply
Reply to Blog Entry 3 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

jack of all trades (1); Moto (1); user-deleted-1105 (1)

Previous in Blog: Ten Reasons You Don't Really Need a Cell Phone   Next in Blog: Segway-like Motorcycle Called The Tango

Advertisement