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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: Dandy on July 02, 2007, 01:40:05 PM

Title: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Dandy on July 02, 2007, 01:40:05 PM
I came across this webpage

free energy (http://www.steorn.com)

and asked myself:

Can this be?
How is that supposed to work?
Or is it just a hoax?

Does anyone here have more detailed information on this?
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: bloodline on July 02, 2007, 02:14:29 PM
Not possible, Full Stop.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Oliver on July 03, 2007, 05:28:09 AM
Hi, I've been watching them as well.

They don't say much about how their technology is supposed to work.  From what they do say, they are contravening Maxwell's equations (see wiki here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_equations), or hyperphysics here (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/maxeq.html)).

A basic electric generator can convert mechanical kinetic energy into electric energy, basically by driving a conductive loop through a magnetic field.  The energy source for this is whatever drives the generator, such as a diesel turbine motor.  Total power consumed in burning fuel = power losses (making heat through friction, etc), + useable power output.

Steorn claim to be able to switch sections of the magnetic field in and out, in such a way as to generate more power output, than the power input.  This contravenes Maxwell's equations, as energy is involved in creating and collapsing the field.

If one were able to switch the field in and out, without consumption of power, then the claim would probably hold.  However, this doesn't appear to be possible, as one of the basic principles of physics is that there is a continuity of energy and matter, so the energy can't just come from nothing.

Steorn claim to have achieved 400% efficiency in some tests.

Steorn are currently involved in a validation process, which has a report due this month (I think).  The validation personnel is supposed to have included a number of physicists.  Might be fun to read, but I'm not expecting too much.  The company is very thin on disclosing real information.

Hope that helps.

Oli
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Karlos on July 03, 2007, 07:55:29 AM
I'd love it if they had managed to contravene the basic laws of thermodynamics, if only for the shake up it would cause. Once any theory is accepted for to long it becomes unquestionable and that probably results in a lot of missed opportunities for scientific exploration.

That said, I'm highly skeptical; said laws have been around a long, long time and are demonstrated every single day.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: CannonFodder on July 03, 2007, 11:51:44 AM
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Not possible, Full Stop.


Nothing is impossible.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: bloodline on July 03, 2007, 04:46:52 PM
Quote

CannonFodder wrote:
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Not possible, Full Stop.


Nothing is impossible.


You've been listening to Playing the Angel too!!! :-)
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Zac67 on July 03, 2007, 06:49:12 PM
Nonsense. Energy can not be created out of thin air - some people just don't get it.

This is just some weirdos screwing VCs, let them have their fun (both of them).

If I had invented such a thing, I'd build
- a big power plant and sell the electrical energy
- smaller power plants and sell them to house owners etc.

The fact that they're not doing this instead of just talking about the great technology shows that they have nothing.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: CannonFodder on July 03, 2007, 07:26:40 PM
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Quote

CannonFodder wrote:
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Not possible, Full Stop.


Nothing is impossible.


You've been listening to Playing the Angel too!!! :-)


Oh yes indeed. :-)
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 03, 2007, 10:35:04 PM
I'm intrigued enough to bookmark this. (http://freeenergytracker.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default)

There's supposed to be a public demo of the effect this month.

JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 04, 2007, 10:01:09 PM
Steorn's public demonstration of their overunity device was due to start at 6 (PM?) today. Has anyone seen anything yet? All they're showing atm is a placeholder video and unrelated voiceover. See here (http://www.astream.com/live/steorn/camera4.html). This transmission appears to be live (the light level has fallen over the past hour). Doh, looks like there may have been a powercut.

JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: bloodline on July 05, 2007, 12:42:24 AM
Quote

JaXanim wrote:
Doh, looks like there may have been a powercut.

JaX


A powercut from a company offering free power... Scam artists with a sense of humour!!!
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 05, 2007, 10:09:37 AM
@bloodline
You're in London. How about popping over to the Kinetica Museum (http://www.kinetica-museum.org/new_site/) in Spitalfields and telling us what you see?
Cheers, JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Dandy on July 05, 2007, 12:12:13 PM
Quote

Zac67 wrote:

...
This is just some weirdos screwing VCs, let them have their fun (both of them).
...



You could indeed be right - what's happening now somehow sounds familiar:

free energy machine demonstration postponed (http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/04/steorns-orbo-free-energy-machine-demonstrated-tomorrow/)
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 05, 2007, 12:17:25 PM
Doh! Now re-rescheduled to the 6th.

JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: bloodline on July 05, 2007, 12:22:45 PM
Quote

JaXanim wrote:
@bloodline
You're in London. How about popping over to the Kinetica Museum (http://www.kinetica-museum.org/new_site/) in Spitalfields and telling us what you see?
Cheers, JaX


There was no power cut, there is no free energy. It's jsut a glorious scam! Move on!!! :-D
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Agafaster on July 05, 2007, 12:31:17 PM
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Quote

JaXanim wrote:
@bloodline
You're in London. How about popping over to the Kinetica Museum (http://www.kinetica-museum.org/new_site/) in Spitalfields and telling us what you see?
Cheers, JaX


There was no power cut, there is no free energy. It's jsut a glorious scam! Move on!!! :-D


actually, yer wrong there. what about all this glorious sunshine we bin having ?  ;-)
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 05, 2007, 03:12:37 PM
Well, we've now got cameras (http://www.astream.com/live/steorn/camera1.html) and we've got lights. What's next?

JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: CannonFodder on July 05, 2007, 03:22:56 PM
A black screen here at least.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Zac67 on July 05, 2007, 08:51:40 PM
Now I know how it works (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion)! :lol:
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 06, 2007, 02:17:16 PM
Ah! We got some action.
It's been cancelled indefinitely. (http://www.steorn.com/news/releases/?id=1001)

EDIT: At a press conference just ended, CEO John McCarthy said  he couldn't understand why people were so angry.
"After all" he said, "We haven't broken any laws."

JaX
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Cymric on July 06, 2007, 03:37:22 PM
Now that is silly. If you get free energy, you can easily connect an A/C-unit to the Orbo to cool the thing despite claims of 'heat from the lamps'.

Scam artists snelling snake oil caught with their pants down. That's what they are.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Zac67 on July 06, 2007, 07:01:58 PM
Quote

"After all" he said, "We haven't broken any laws."


What about the laws of physics??  :-P
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Karlos on July 06, 2007, 07:45:32 PM
Quote

Zac67 wrote:
Quote

"After all" he said, "We haven't broken any laws."


What about the laws of physics??  :-P


They haven't broken any of those either, hence the reason the thing doesn't work ;-)
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: Karlos on July 06, 2007, 07:48:36 PM
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Quote

CannonFodder wrote:
Quote

bloodline wrote:
Not possible, Full Stop.


Nothing is impossible.


You've been listening to Playing the Angel too!!! :-)


When questioned over the technical glitch at the installation, the steorn engineer allegedly replied: "Just hang on, suffer well. Sometimes it's hard, so hard to tell..."
Title: Amiga license?
Post by: MarkWatson on July 07, 2007, 12:46:00 PM
Well, do they have one? It fits in quite nicely with the other hardware we've had recently. At least the company behaves in a similar manner.
Title: Re: How is this supposed to work?
Post by: JaXanim on July 07, 2007, 01:58:17 PM
Quote

Karlos wrote:
They haven't broken any of those either, hence the reason the thing doesn't work ;-)


I was beginning to think my joke was too subtle. Thank you for explaining it!

JaX