How to Build the Perfect Engine
- 1). Learn the theory of heat engines. A heat engine converts heat energy into mechanical movement by moving heat from a hot source toward a cold sink. The bigger the difference in heat between the source and the sink, the more efficient the heat engine will be. Friction will also hold back efficiency.
- 2). Get a space ship with a large cargo bay. A perfect heat engine will have to run in space, since the vacuum of space is at nearly absolute zero.
- 3). Consider using solar electric power. Solar cells are nowhere near ideal, but they don't have to be -- the sun's power is free and predicted to be so for a long time. You can then use the electricity to power an engine if you want to.
- 4). Get a power source. You could power a space-borne heat engine by combustion as in a gas engine, but that will require you to bring large supplies of gas and air to your engine, which is wasteful and difficult. A very small engine could be powered by radioactive decay, and a larger one could have a nuclear power plant of some sort. You could also use heat from the sun.
- 5). Build a steam turbine of some source. Design a system to heat steam and then run it through a tube past the turbine. The gas should then run through a long series of tubes, using space as a heat sink. Then it can be heated again and run past the turbine.
- 6). Build a space elevator to your engine. Getting to and from your engine to service it and bring up fuel is going to take a lot of energy, drastically decreasing efficiency. A space elevator will increase the efficiency of your engine.
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