[HN Gopher] Waterless high-density hydro makes more energy from ...
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       Waterless high-density hydro makes more energy from less elevation
        
       Author : simonebrunozzi
       Score  : 5 points
       Date   : 2023-09-06 18:38 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (newatlas.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (newatlas.com)
        
       | gus_massa wrote:
       | That density looks too high to be true. There is a list of
       | liquids with a density >= 2 times the density of water in
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_liquid and most of them have
       | bromide and don't look very environmental friendly. Also, none of
       | them are made using a powder mixed with water, so this claim is
       | very strange.
       | 
       | Usual solutions with water get up to 1.5 . I can't find any that
       | is close to 2 (nor 2.5). Perhaps a sugar with a lot of chlorines?
       | Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose but IIUC the
       | solutions have also a density < 2 ... Very strange.
       | 
       | Also, it would be interesting to know the viscosity. Pumping high
       | viscosity goop is difficult.
       | 
       | From https://www.rheenergise.com/news
       | 
       | > _Consortium Plan To Build & Operate Scotland's First Low
       | Carbon, Energy Efficient, Soil-Free Vertical Farms In The Central
       | Belt_
       | 
       | I'm a vertical farm skeptic, so the list of projects is very
       | suspicious.
        
       | jqpabc123 wrote:
       | Better idea --- just use a big ole block of high density concrete
       | suspended on cables and avoid all the friction/energy losses
       | trying to pump this high density goop.
       | 
       | https://gravitricity.com/#fast-long-life-energy-storage
        
         | pfdietz wrote:
         | Very dubious that that's a better idea.
        
           | jqpabc123 wrote:
           | Very dubious that it's not.
           | 
           | Pumping an ultra dense, high viscosity fluid comes with
           | significant energy losses due to friction.
           | 
           | Pumps/turbines have additional loses and are typically less
           | efficient than direct mechanical gear drive.
           | 
           | You can make a shaft in more locations than you can find a
           | hill.
        
             | pfdietz wrote:
             | The mud will be much cheaper than concrete. The scheme you
             | propose will either require complex machinery for switching
             | hoists/generators between concrete blocks, or large numbers
             | of hoists/generators. PHES easily shares one or a small
             | number of pumps/turbines among the entire mass of liquid.
             | 
             | They state: "R19 has a viscosity of ~20cP, comparable to
             | milk." So, not that viscous.
        
               | jqpabc123 wrote:
               | Density and viscosity are typically related.
               | 
               | Color me skeptical that a fluid can have 2.5 times the
               | density of water without a substantial increase in
               | viscosity.
        
             | [deleted]
        
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       (page generated 2023-09-06 20:03 UTC)