9 mo. ago • 89%

I've invented a 100% efficient combustion engine

I use it to heat my house.

27 comments

Ive been testing combustion engines made of wood but keep getting more energy out than I put in...

21
Lisa, in this meme we obey the laws of thermodynamics!

12
Sorry, I’m a bit dumb for this one.

Could someone please explain?

10
- There's no such thing as a 100% efficient "engine". But in this case, since the waste heat is put to use (heating the house), OP thinks there's a loophole.
  
  But, house would also need to be soundproof. Any noise leaking to the outside is lost energy.
  
  49
  
  Ah, but that’s by design: it also acts as a soothing white noise machine.
  
  Then you might point out the exhaust and all it’s associated wastes, but that’s by design: it produces a heady and aromatic product for recreational huffing.
  
  Then you might point out the vibrations, but that’s by design: the engine also provides invigorating massages to relax taut muscles.
  
  24
  
  Let's allow a rounding error for 99.51% shall we?
  
  5
- Most engines are less than 30% efficient at producing movement. The majority of the energy is lost as heat.
  
  Thermodynamics tells us that pretty much all energy ends up as heat. In a closed system, any device that uses energy is 100% efficient at making heat. A 1000W computer will make exactly as much heat as a 1000W heater.
  
  A 100% efficient engine can only exist if the desired output is heat, thus making it a pretty useless engine. Also, in a closed system, the exhaust cannot leave.
  
  30
  
  A 1000W computer will make exactly as much heat as a 1000W heater.
  
  All space heaters should be coin miners (or some other borderline useless energy wasting tech, like AI training). Change my mind.
  
  10
- Furnace.
  
  9
  
  But even a furnace/fireplace is subject to incomplete combustion, where some portion of the wood is transformed into byproducts that rob some of the energy of the fire. There's actually a big difference in the amount of energy you can get out of a fire, depending on the type of stove that's used.
  That's some of what NGOs have tried to do for developing countries - find cheap and easily produceabke stove designs that can reduce the amount of wood needed and improve air quality in the home.
  
  3
I'm more impressed by that fact that if either runs perfectly silent or that your house has perfect sound insulation

8
- I have a spherical frictionless house in a vacuum.
  
  28
  
  In this economy?
  
  23
Wait till you hear about reverse cyxling air conditioning it exceeds 100% efficiency.

8
this is true only if you dont vent the exhaust outside making the air inside quite fun to breathe

7
- He burns h2
  
  1
  
  so a heater and a humidifier all in one, now just have to make sure that it doesnt eat all the oxygen or make it rain inside
  
  1
  
  He doesn't burn very well.
  
  1
Fyi I think they're around 95%.

2
It's only 100% efficient if you're also letting all the exhaust into the house too...

2

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