Axel Mounted Generator | |||||||||||||||||
Currently in hybrid vehicles there is a device that converts heat produced by breaking into electric energy (regenerative breaking), why not take that a step further and devise a way to use the "wasted" energy already produced by the turning of the axels. ~Regenerative Driving~ Forgive my lack of scientific terminology and bear with me as i try to explain. I AM "aware" of the laws of thermodynamics (energy can't be created from nothing, bla, bla, bla), but I wouldn't be posting this if I knew 100% of everything I’m trying to explain now would I. Take a fan for instance, AC power is applied via an outlet which turns a series of magnets and therefore the fan turns and so on and so forth. What if that principle were reversed, take two metal plate like discs and apply to one side a series of high-poweredmagnets and to the other an alternating series of copper wire arranged like a normal generator would be. These two discs would be housed together (vertically) and both would move freely, mounted on bearings. Take this unit and mount it to the axel of a car so that one disc is attached to a stationary part of the underside of the car and the other is free to move as the axel does. For every revolution of the axel this unit would produce small amounts of energy and possibly recharge the battery of a hybrid vehicle. Multiple units on each car could account for a significant amount of energy that would otherwise be lost wouldn't it? I understand by adding weight, the resistance of the magnets and the copper to each other, etc. would expend fuel to produce electricity, but i figure the axel is already turning at a significant rate and there is no significant amount of added drag as the units is mounted under the chassis of the car. Imagine hybrid tractor trailers (4-6 axels) and the like. How feasible would something like this be? Or am I just pipe dreaming? Be kind...it's first time
Jinca, Jun 17 2008
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Jinca, what you're describing seems to be as your heading indicates, an axle mounted generator. Yes it will generate electricity, but in a hybrid or electric car, having the braking energy converted in the axle is not more efficient than just turning the motor backward and using it as a generator. So I don't know why you want to do it in a separate generator. Maybe you didn't know that a motor and a generator are basically the same things and can both convert work to electricity and electricity to work.
Also, you say you know the laws of thermo, so you hopefully realize that if you tried to generate electricity while your motor is powered to move the car, the electricity you create will come straight from the extra power you'll need to expend to turn the generator.
Kind of like Horatio Alger lifting himself with his own bootstraps. If Horiatio can lift 200 lbs and only weighs 180, why can't he fly by lifting himself?
Damn...
hrench, I appriciate the comment. However, the generator wouldn't produce during breaking but would do so during regular driving. Seeing as how there is no friction between the plates (they would not contact) and that they are spinning only when the axel is spinning via when the car would already turn the axels then wouldn't this recover "lost" energy rather than make new energy?
There is friction, in the electrical circuits, which when supplied by a generator, loads the shaft turning it. The load on the shaft means more power has to go into it, and in the case of the drive axle on an automobile, more fuel being consumed.
You might as well connect the generator in question directly to the engine, you will get the same net result, with no losses in the drive train. Besides, generators like higher RPMs.
I think regular cars already use this to recharge their batteries...