I thought of a way to generate continuous air flow using the temperature difference of air. This is not a new idea. My research yielded solar updraft towers. My idea relies on tunnels instead of towers.
A vertical operation optimized tunnel boring machine would drill a tunnel upright within a mountain. There would be two openings of the tunnel. The one at the bottom of the mountain, where the warm air is sucked, would be used to generate electricity from the continuous air flow. The other end of the tunnel would be at the top of the mountain at a much higher altitude. The warmer side of the tunnel would be facing the sun and the colder side of the tunnel would be facing the shadow side of the mountain for maximum temperature difference.
Vertical drilling would require special boring machines that would be lighter and should hold itself up by grasping itself to the walls of the tunnel. The excavation waste would be removed from the bottom with the help of gravity. The vertical and the longest part of the tunnel would experience minimal weight of the tunnel and require minimal strengthening. However, the tunnel would require isolation on its walls to maintain the temperature difference between its openings.
Given that most small cities are located at the base of a mountain facing the sun, this design would be ideal for them. One important thing is to have multiple intake locations to minimize the wind inside the city.
No comments :
Post a Comment