[extropy-chat] energy from osmosis

[spike]

> 
> 
> Ja.  My calcs show that if you have a 9600 meter pipe
> hanging vertically in the sea with a filter on the
> bottom end and the pipe filled with fresh water, the
> pressure across the filter will be about 240 meters
> of water and the fresh water will reach up to the
> surface of the sea...

It occurred to me that making that pipe hang vertically
is unnecessary.  The pipe can rest peacefully on the
sea bottom, all the way up to the beach.  The fresh
water would flow up at an angle, but assuming a
large diameter pipe and a lazy flow rate, that is
not a problem.  Even with a two meter diameter
pipe, the 240 meters pressure on the pipe is
not extraordinary.

The original 9600 meters is close to the
greatest depths of the sea.  The Mariana
Trench goes down over 11k if I recall
correctly.


> 
> ...  Of course the tides and
> currents mix the sea, so what you are actually doing
> is very indirectly harnessing solar energy.
> 
> {8-]

If not for the tides and currents, the osmotic 
filter would eventually stop working.  The salinity
of the ocean at 9600 meters would increase to the
point where 240 meters pressure differential would
be insufficient to desalinate the water.

spike