Date:         Fri, 12 Jul 2002 14:52:44 EDT
Reply-To:     Willolyn99@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bill Marshall <Willolyn99@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Running on Tap Water
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

continued...
<<  Well, isn't the whole point to find a process that is more efficient to
separate the hydrogen from the oxygen than to put them back together? >>

Isn't this sort of an entropy thing?  Electrolysis is physically breaking the
water molecule apart.  This isn't like filtering.  Something is broken in the
process.

<<Now, what if we can find a way to improve the efficiency of electrolysis? So
that it takes a lot less electricity to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen
than ever before?>>

No matter how efficient, it will still not be near 100%.  Again, the laws of
thermodynamics, not to mention REALITY.  Oh, and have you included gravity,
radiation, magnetic fields, ambient heat, conversions of kinetic and
potential energies, and all those other things that generally reduce
effieciency?

For example, if you drop a headlight and it breaks, it will take a lot of
energy to return it to it's previous state.  You cannot just drop it again
and have it magically come back together.

By the way, Columbus didn't break any of the laws of phyiscs.  He stumbled
upon a new continent.

<<Does that mean that hydrogen fuel cells would be nothing more than
energy transfered from plants running on fossil or reusable energy?>>

Yes.  But what is reuseable energy?

<<200 years ago, I'm sure they thought electricity was more like magic than
something that can be harnessed. >>

Actually, electrical batteries were used by the ancient Egyptians for
electroplating thousands of years ago.  Electroplating and electrolysis often
occur together.

If someone made an engine that only required water to be dumped in for fuel,
there has to be some other chemical reactions going on to allow this.  If
free energy was available from water, I wonder how water could stay on this
earth in it's current form.

And, if rust could be converted to energy we would all be happy!