In my world of limitless imagination I can see a sparkling future for Bessler’s wheel and I’m confident that once someone, me or any of we few stalwart optimists, succeed in revealing to the world a working version of his machine, it can come true.
We all know what is happening and we think we know why. The majority believe that climate change is happening and it’s due to a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon monoxide, CFCs and other pollutants. Alternatively it’s a natural cyclic event caused by fluctuations in the sun’s output. It doesn’t really matter who’s right, may be it’s a bit of each.
Whatever the cause, pollution is an obvious problem causing millions of deaths yearly and therefore it is an urgent issue which needs immediate attention. Reducing carbon emissions is a small step, which only leads to other problems. Alternative energy sources are limited to other pollution producing technologies. The means by which we obtain and access electricity is another source of concern because of the many rare and not so rare earth elements used in that process.
Rare-earth elements are special minerals used in a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Though they have exotic-sounding names, such as neodymium, scandium, and dysprosium, they are abundant right here on Earth. They are considered rare, however, because they appear in very small concentrations.
In addition, the process used to separate them from the rocks in which they occur is extremely difficult, because the elements have the same ionic charge and are similar in size. Typical separation and purification processes often require thousands of extraction and purification stages to be carried out. As such, there is a significant premium attached to these materials, and several market and geopolitical forces may cause them to escalate in value.
It may seem as if I’m warning off the use of electrics in their entirety, but I’m not. I’m just wondering if Bessler’s wheel might be used in some cases in the same way it was planned 300 and more years ago. Not necessarily for generating electricity, but pumping water for irrigation, dealing with flooding, air conditioning etc. This suggestion might seem unnecessary given the massive use of electricity but surely there are advantages of cost, maintenance and any reduction in the mining of rare elements is any advantage to be welcomed.
I’m sure there are other possibilities where Bessler’s wheel might be of use in a way which avoids electrics. Is there, for instance, any way that heat could be produced simply by having a continuously rotating device? I have some vague ideas but nothing that seems practical but it would be a real bonus if a method could be found. Heat pumps seem a possibility ?
Heat pumps work by pumping or moving heat from one place to another by using a compressor and a circulating structure of liquid or gas refrigerant, through which heat is extracted from outside sources and pumped indoors. I assume something on a large scale could be devised. Other ideas not requiring the power of electricity?
JC