Is it possible to drive a motor using Vacuum as input?

If Yes then How ? Can i apply the same law in earth as well as in outer space ? Is it possible to drive a motor in space by using vacuum. We all know that space is Vacuum so is it?

Reply 1

Joinedup

Original post by lonemanoj

If Yes then How ? Can i apply the same law in earth as well as in outer space ? Is it possible to drive a motor in space by using vacuum. We all know that space is Vacuum so is it?

A some of the small motors in cars used to be actuated off the partial vacuum in the carburetor, e.g. windscreen wipers. it was quite a successful system when car electrics weren't very powerful.

course you need a pressure gradient. on earth air at ~ 1atm pressure is freely available and you can make a partial vacuum by forcing air through a Venturi.

Reply 2

anosmianAcrimony

You can extract energy from the pressure gradient between the vacuum of outer space and the pressurised interior of a spacecraft. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to do this for very long, because you'd quickly run out of air in your ship.

Reply 3

lonemanoj

Original post by anosmianAcrimony

What if pressurize the vacuum itself?

Reply 4

lonemanoj

Original post by Joinedup

How about driving motor of spaceship

Reply 5

Joinedup

Original post by lonemanoj

How about driving motor of spaceship

Like a solar sail?

Reply 6

anosmianAcrimony

Original post by lonemanoj

What if pressurize the vacuum itself?

That doesn't make sense. To pressurise something is to force the particles that make it up closer to each other, so they bounce off each other more. A vacuum is an area with very few particles in it. Trying to pressurise a vacuum would do next to nothing. It would require very little energy to pressurise, and there would be no way to extract energy from doing so.

Reply 7

lerjj

This sounds like you don't know what you're talking about.

A vacuum:an area of space where there are no atoms (sometimes just 'particles')

Pressure: the force exerted on a container by the particles inside.

Reply 8

Phichi

Original post by lerjj

Indeed a vacuum contains no atoms, but the statement 'sometimes just particles' is a bit misleading, if you consider vacuum energy due to virtual particles.

And pressure is also per unit area.

Reply 9

lerjj

Original post by Phichi

Indeed a vacuum contains no atoms, but the statement 'sometimes just particles' is a bit misleading, if you consider vacuum energy due to virtual particles.

And pressure is also per unit area.

The OP seems to think that you can feed some material called Vacuum (capital V) into an internal combustion engine...

I wasn't sure of the correct vacuum definition. Sometimes its quoted as an absence of particles, not atoms. Plasmas don't contain any atoms (assuming you don't count ions).

Not including area was just lazy of me.

Reply 10

Phichi

Original post by lerjj

I see. A vacuum is an absence of matter, plasma included :smile:

Without an inherent pressure gradient, as previously mentioned, the idea seems flawed.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 11

lerjj

Original post by Phichi

I see. A vacuum is an absence of matter, plasma included :smile:

Without an inherent pressure gradient, as previously mentioned, the idea is flawed.

There is something called vacuum energy... but I would expect that the 2nd law strongly limits any way of actually using it.

Reply 12

Phichi

Original post by lerjj

There is something called vacuum energy... but I would expect that the 2nd law strongly limits any way of actually using it.

You won't be driving a motor off vacuum energy. I also did mention it in my first post, I'm aware :smile:

The virtual particles annihilation occurs in a time interval that is sub planck time. So indeed, needless to say, they are virtual, they won't be affecting the entropy of the system.

Original post by Phichi

but the statement 'sometimes just particles' is a bit misleading, if you consider vacuum energy due to virtual particles.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 13

lonemanoj

Original post by Joinedup

Like a solar sail?

Yes like that.

Reply 14

lonemanoj

Original post by lerjj

I know what i am talking about. I meant to say that if by Nuclear fission i generated some form of energy and i used that energy to pressurize the vacuum.

Reply 15

lonemanoj

Original post by anosmianAcrimony

First of all, its something like this. " I produced some form of energy by Nuclear Fission in space and used that energy to pressurize the vacuum. I need to know what will be the resultant."

Reply 16

zedeneye1

Original post by lonemanoj

First of all, its something like this. " I produced some form of energy by Nuclear Fission in space and used that energy to pressurize the vacuum. I need to know what will be the resultant."

okay so you broke up an atom, that released energy (nuclear fission). And now you use that energy to "pressurize" vaccum ? That doesn't really make sense.

How do you "pressurize" vaccum ? vaccum already means zero pressure. you cannot "pressurize" vaccum. Vaccum is not a physical thing, it's a condition. It's not a pimple, it's a disease.

Reply 17

lerjj

Original post by lonemanoj

I know what i am talking about. I meant to say that if by Nuclear fission i generated some form of energy and i used that energy to pressurize the vacuum.

You can't pressurise a vacuum. That's why I pointed out what causes pressure- particles exerting a force on their container. Vacuum-->no particles (basically)-->no pressure.

Pressurising a vacuum is doing this backwards anyway, a vacuum would be a perfect source of low pressure