“The key to the system developed by inventor Charles Stevens, CEO and chairman of Connecticut-based Laser Power Systems, is that when silvery metal thorium is heated by an external source, it becomes so dense its molecules give off considerable heat.”
Not a scientist or engineer here, but doesn’t that mean that they’re getting more energy out than they put in, without a nuclear fission or fusion chain reaction?
I thought that one of the basic laws of physics says you can’t do that.
“Small blocks of thorium generate heat surges that are configured as a thorium-based laser”
Arf a mo, there, mate. How does one “configure” heat into photons? I didn’t know if that could be done, so I went looking. Found this on the NASA site:
Converting heat waves to light waves is a bit more difficult for the same reason it is more difficult to go from the bottom of a building to the top than the other way around. This is because it is easier to go from a higher energy state (the top of a building, or visual light) to a lower energy state (the bottom of a building, or heat radiation) than from a lower to a higher state. To convert heat waves into a higher-energy wave (like visible light or even X-rays) you need to store them up until you have the energy of the wave you want to produce.”
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how, if you put in the energy required to convert heat waves into a higher-energy wave like laser light, how are you going to get more energy out than you put in?
“These create steam from water within mini-turbines, generating electricity to drive a car.”
I thought you had to generate the steam under pressure separately from the turbine, then focus the HP steam onto the turbine blades with a nozzle.
Is it possible that this really makes sense somehow, but the reporter got everything wrong? Or did I get everything wrong?
The ‘reporter’ is out of his element here (no pun intended).
Great discussion.
If something even remotely (you might want to check out NASA for research in CA on energy conversion under a current Space Act Agreement) close to allowing the decentralization of (off the regulated and highly taxed grid) were to be going on, the Gov is already controlling it until it is put into a taxation model that will fit funding Gov. Keep digging on the NASA front = you are very warm (no pun intended).