“Under hood generator”
We are shopping for a good used Class B van camper. A number of them are being offered with what they call an “under the hood generator”, which I take to mean a second, larger alternator to provide A...
Forum Discussion
Sounds kind of like when I want hot water. So, the utility company buys and burns some sort of fuel, making fire and heat. That heats water in a boiler. But I can’t get the hot water from that boiler.
So, this water is heated to the point of making steam. The expanding steam is used to cause the blades of a turbine to spin. The turbine is connected to a generator which produces electricity. The electricity is trucked to my home over miles and miles of copper wire. At my home, the too-high voltage is stepped down by a transformer to what my appliances can use. Now, the electricity is passed through darned near a dead short circuit in my tankless water heater. Cold water is passed over the glowing heating element and becomes what I wanted in the first place: hot water.
How many times in this example does energy change its form, and how much efficiency is lost in the process? ??
Highjacking my own thread (temporarily, I hope!),
Bob
So, this water is heated to the point of making steam. The expanding steam is used to cause the blades of a turbine to spin. The turbine is connected to a generator which produces electricity. The electricity is trucked to my home over miles and miles of copper wire. At my home, the too-high voltage is stepped down by a transformer to what my appliances can use. Now, the electricity is passed through darned near a dead short circuit in my tankless water heater. Cold water is passed over the glowing heating element and becomes what I wanted in the first place: hot water.
How many times in this example does energy change its form, and how much efficiency is lost in the process? ??
Highjacking my own thread (temporarily, I hope!),
Bob
