Sustainable Energy Without Hot Air

[Meta menardi]

I have to say that I have always wondered, given the problems with flat roofes, Copper Knickers invented the sun and the circulation of planets through the heart, or am I missing something (perhaps a sense of decorum)

[STYRBJORN]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I have to say that I have always wondered, given the problems with flat roofes, Copper Knickers invented the sun and the circulation of planets through the heart, or am I missing something (perhaps a sense of decorum)

Tut-Tut. You must learn to take life seriously. Hmm. Copper Knickers. Brass Bras? Nickel Navel studs? Top hat tail coat and a whip?
Excuse me, I need a cold shower.
STYRBJORN

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

Tut-Tut. You must learn to take life seriously. Hmm. Copper Knickers. Brass Bras? Nickel Navel studs? Top hat tail coat and a whip?
Excuse me, I need a cold shower.
STYRBJORN

Come back to the subject, I was mis-understood, your Honour.

[STYRBJORN]

A friend of mine designed a hot air driven generator for his Master's in Environmental Engineering. It would only work in desert conditions but it would be far more efficient than photo-voltaic panels.

Imagine a 250m high chimney. Surrounding the base is a glass topped structure 1km in diameter, shaped rather like an inverted saucer with its lip raised clear of the ground. The air in the "saucer" is heated by sunlight, moves up rowards the centre, and flows up the chimney. As it does so, it turns fans which drive generators . . .

According to Chris's figures the velocity of the airflow up the chimney would stabilise at C150kph. A wind turbine designer would sell his wife and daughters into slavery in exchange for a guaranteed wind speed of 150kph 15 hours a day every day. The last I heard, Chris was looking at having fans around the lip of the saucer as well! Talk about greedy.

STYRBJORN

[animartco]

Hi Styrbjorn,
To be pedantic,(Aren't I always!) flat means parallel to the plane of the earth, but yes a slight monopitch could stull be tiled or whatever and ony necessitate cutting down, less than half as much rainforest- not much more than with a totally flat roof. But any pitch means there isn't a lot you can do ON the roof. It's still wasted space.
Of course the reason we are building steep pitched roofs is because we can buy four bed' houses and turn them into six, although why any sane family would want a six bed house is beyond me.

[STYRBJORN]

The walls of my flat are flat. I am typing this flat out so I can go and make myself a flat drink.
Whoops, that fell flat.

Seriously tho I flatly agree that in normal usage a "flat roof" means a horizontal plane roof. However, purpose built from scratch, a monopitch roof (thanks for that Eeyore, new term to me) could have structures to carry all sorts of kit without losing the benefit of water run-off.

Just a thought.

STYRBJORN

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by animartco

Hi Styrbjorn,
To be pedantic,(Aren't I always!) flat means parallel to the plane of the earth, but yes a...........

Not that I would approve of pedantry .... but there is no such thing as the 'plane' of the earth - it's spherical. Should we say 'tangent'?

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by animartco

Hi Styrbjorn,
To be pedantic,(Aren't I always!) flat means parallel to the plane of the earth, but yes a slight monopitch could stull be tiled or whatever and ony necessitate cutting down, less than half as much rainforest- not much more than with a totally flat roof. But any pitch means there isn't a lot you can do ON the roof. It's still wasted space.
Of course the reason we are building steep pitched roofs is because we can buy four bed' houses and turn them into six, although why any sane family would want a six bed house is beyond me.

My bedroom, my wifes bedroom, my workroom, my wifes workroom, and 2 spare rooms up in the loft, all in a victorian terrace house I'm barking, I am!

[ForestPaul]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Not that I would approve of pedantry .... but there is no such thing as the 'plane' of the earth - it's spherical. Should we say 'tangent'?

To be even more pedantic, the earth isn't a sphere, it's a triaxial (Jacobi) ellipsoid. But that would really be going off on a tangent

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by ForestPaul

To be even more pedantic, the earth isn't a sphere, it's a triaxial (Jacobi) ellipsoid. But that would really be going off on a tangent

Oblate spheroid?