On 11-11-11 02:19 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
In case anybody hasn't gotten it, let me repeat it: The rate of mass
flow *out* of the device is fixed by the *pump* *rate*, not by the
power level.
Only if the vessel is full to overflowing.
The correct statement actually is "Only if the mass flow rate is large
compared with the reservoir size divided by the test run length". That
was true in at least some of the earlier tests; it may not have been
true in the Oct 28 test.
An exposed heating element is the necessary and sufficient condition for
getting "superheated" steam without raising the pressure.
If those fins on top of the reactor box were covered with water at all
times then your argument works. If they weren't, it doesn't.
If the power was sufficient to vaporize all the input water, plus
epsilon, then the water level in the unit would have dropped until one
of the following occurred: (a) the power was reduced, (b) the pump rate
was increased, or (c) the fins were exposed and the effluent temperature
started rising. (Or, come to think of it, (d), the test was terminated
before the fins were exposed.)
I believe you, Jed, have proposed that it was (a) which was being done
by Rossi intervening manually to keep the water level in the "critical
range" and keep the steam temperature under control. I still wonder how
Rossi knew what the water level was (no sight glass?), and how he
achieved such fine control over his output power, but absent any real
information the answers to both of those questions must remain in the
realm of unfounded speculation.
If the water level is below the top, then it acts like a pot on the
stove. When you turn up the gas flame under a pot, more steam emerges
but the temperature of the steam remains the same. If you do not
believe me I suggest you try measuring this with a thermometer.
- Jed
