why couldn't this closed loop work?

[daju530]

I've read with great interest the various points put by other members.
It seems that the biggest problem with a solar Stirling engine is that
A)When the temp differences close up the plant stops working
B)I can produce energy I don't really need in summer but not in winter

These are then my thoughts on a closed loop.
The sun heats water through collecters- the 'Hot' side
An adequetly large enough body of water cools the 'Cold' side
(Swimming pool or natural river etc.
With the enery derived a Stirling engine drives an AC generator
The electricity would be put through a transformer and rectifier to
produce 2V at 200-300 Amperes (sounds scary but its only 600 W)
The current goes through 2 platinum plates immersed in a drain cleaner
solution thus producing hydrogen and oxygen(easy to build and
basically inspection free apart from topping up with water)
The Hydrogen and Oxygen can then be stored until needed( Lots of
clever people working hard on this problem right now - check out the
web)
In winter the resulting stored energy can then be harvested producing
as its exhaust water which is needed anyway to top up the tanks
OK its not the perfect closed loop because the energy comes from the
sun and a couple of drops of water are bound to get lost , but could
it have a chance????

[stan.hornbaker]

There is not too much of a problem with the generation of Hydrogen and Oxygen. Next come the realities of long term storage, 6 - 9 mos .

Have you calculated the quantities required for your needs? How do you propose to store the oxygen? Welding type 2,000 psi tanks? Compressor? Cryogenic Hydrogen storage? Hydrogen liquifier? EPA OSHA hazards compliance? What appears to be so simple can become quite complicated when carried out to the ultimate end.

[daju530]

Reference the hydrogen storage .. there is promising research on a metal hybrid storage system using (I think) aluminium and magnesium which needs neither pressure or cooling to store and to release the stored hydrogen just a little heat (how much I don't know)

[daju530]

the oxygen can be stored as rust (saltwater , steel , O2 = FeO2 but under better conditions as Fe2O3(I'm just guessing here , its been a long time since school)

[stan.hornbaker]

Thermodynamics says: You can't win. You can't even break even.
Thermodynamics says: Every energy conversion exacts a payment that increases Entropy!

Energy storage is a huge problem when you require more capacity than something on the order of the largest aoto/truck battery on the market = 375 Amp. Hrs.

Several public utilities utilize pumped storage lakes.
There is one flywheel system consisting of banks of vertical cylinder flywheel units. An integral motor-generator spins the unit up to speed and slows it down as it extracts power.

[maniacprovost]

I may be missing something, but why not use a DC generator to begin with?

[stan.hornbaker]

A DC generator would eliminate one conversion via a transformer with its resultant inefficiencies and losses. The real problem here is a low efficiency system coupled with long term energy storage problems.

[daju530]

Thanks for the dc generator, I wasn't taking advantage of cheap high efficiency solutions made commercially. If we could only solve the problem of storing the energy without having a lake on a mountain (although not a bad solution if you have one!)The original idea was however based on a system to be used in a " fishing hut or similar "
and as noted trying to store the electricity as electricity is not something I consider feasible due to discharging, weight and cost just to name a few of the potential problems.(Not that my idea is without it's handicaps!)