/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12115528
What other options are there?

>>12115533
Niggers

>>12115528
Aren't they switching to supercritical co2?

>>12115528
there are some fluids that are heavier than water, but they aren't stable beyond 400°C
they're used for low enthalpy geothermal, the turbine+generator assembly fits in a container

Water has a 1:17000 volume expansion from water to steam.

>>12115570
tried it, they are worthless, not even worth what it takes to feed and house them. In fact they are a huge net negative

It's called ecology.

>>12115533
Metal.

>>12115699
Weight is not so relevant.

Speak for yourself, I use donkeys, pulleys, and springs for energy storage.

>>12115832
Water is also
>cheap
>totally non-toxic
>works at very reasonable temperatures

>>12115528
You make it sound a lot less impressive than it is

>>12115528
>2020
>still relying on water for basic biological fucntions

>>12120227
Is dune worth reading and does it take much effort? Need something to pass the time for 1-2 hours before bed after studying all day. Preferably something light on mental effort.

>>12120233
it's worth reading, but takes some effort because the plot is dense and you are constantly flipping between the book and the glossary on a first read through

i torrented the simon vance+scott brick audiobook the other day. it's really well done. it clocks in a little over 20 hours

>>12120233
Absolutely.
The original is a classic. Enjoyable as a straight up fantasy adventure story.
The second book is the reason the franchise exists at all and was going to be the original book but the back story got away from him and he realized the story had to start earlier. Its legitimate literature and reads like sophocles.
Each of the books are increasingly difficult pleb filters though, so keep reading them until it gets too weird and boring for you then drop it.
Also keep in mind Frank died before he finished the story so if you're a bad enough dude to make it through chapterhouse don't expect everything to be resolved.
Avoid the books written by his son and KJA like the plague.
The original herbert books though are 11/10 and you will have a new appreciation for how everything is just economics and ecology.

>>12120248
The first one isn't that dense, but the weird vocabulary is definitely clunky to get into for the first time.
Nothing compared to the plots within plots within plots of Children of dune, the story thats only told through subtext in god emperor, or 20 pages of scamming a cook to make oyster stew or looking at a van gogh painting in chapterhouse.

>>12115528
I can't wait for fusion so mankind can produce an artificial star and use it to boil water.
Feels steampunk to me.

>>12122478
Fusion concepts that rely on steam turbines irritate me. It's so inefficient and primitive.

Direct energy capture of alpha particles is the sex.

>>12120362
Don't forget all the implied understandings and designs and foreseen threats and hidden motives and strategic gambles that characters keep exploring out loud in great detail without ever making it clear what these things are in Heretics. That fucking cave exploration sequence.

>>12122540
>It's so inefficient and primitive
We get in the range of 40% efficiency. In order to push that up we would need to increase the operating temperature of the heat engine. Carnot efficiency = Temp in/Temp out. We cannot affect the temperature of the output... unless we would make the heat sink the ocean (but that would not affect the temperature much compared to most industrial systems), and we cannot increase the temperature of the input due to material limitations. There is not really a better option than steam engines at the moment, but 40 odd % is nothing to scoff at.

>>12122707
direct energy conversion can push past 60% efficiency.

>>12122540
>Direct energy capture of alpha particles is the sex

Most of the energy of the fusion products is in the form of neutrons you dummy. The neutron is ~4 lower mass than the alpha particle and carries the same momentum (momentum must be conserved). If they have the same momentum, the neutron must have much more energy. Ke=1/2Mv^2. ~neutron energy~(1*4^2)/(4*1^2) ~alpha particle energy~ = 4. The neutron carries 4 times the energy of the alpha particle.

>direct energy conversion can push past 60% efficiency

Do we have the capabilities to do that at the moment? I don't believe so or else they would use it in fission, gas, coal, and all other similar types of power plants to improve their energy output by 50% while not needing to use more fuel. Plz become an engi/physicist and work on this problem. The world would be a better place because of it.

>>12115528
Nice turbine, it would be a shame if anything happened to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axjmK_vjYCM

>>12115693
See: Jaslovske Bohunice A-1
If it leaks, you will suffocate while running away

>>12122800
AAAHHHHHHHHHHH

>>12122800
lmao

>>12115528
if it ain't broke...

>>12122800
Looks good from my house, fire that thang up man!

>>12115528
and?

>>12115693
no, stop reading magazines and thinking it's real life

>>12115533
Damn which fucking Janny deleted the "niggers" post

>>12122707
This. popsci retards scoffing at steam turbines are the same ones who scoff at rocket engines because they don't understand the insane amount of engineering that went into them and how efficient they have become.

>>12124710
Rocket engines are very good right now. Using chemical propellants that are not exotic or downright terrifying (molten lithium, or shit that even burns concrete, or various mercury compounds) we can not achieve a significantly higher efficiency. There is only so much energy in the chemical bonds and we are reasonably close to the theoretical maximum specific impulse that can be obtained using conventional methods.

>>12120215
this. its really incredible that humans were able to develop this technology

>>12115693
You have to make turbines that can withstand even higher temperatures, which is the limiting design factor for turbines already.