Naked Science Forum
On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: vhfpmr on 16/03/2021 16:40:16
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There's a company here wanting to take £3500 of your hard earned cash for a revolutionary new central heating boiler that uses a magnetron to heat the water. They're claiming 96% efficiency, a wonderful improvement on the mere 100% efficiency to be had from a much more expensive and complicated resistor immersed in the water.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/first-microwave-powered-home-boiler-could-help-cut-emissions
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Truly remarkable.
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Truly remarkable.
Agreed. Silent as well.
Will be interesting to see if they can make the predicted timescales, but going for higher margin military market is a good entry strategy.
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It will be interesting to see if they reply to the email I sent them yesterday asking how their magnetron compares with a resistor.
It makes you wonder who's financing the development, and what they've been told.....
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No need to read the article. "Could help cut emissions" is the magic phrase that opens wallets without actually promising anything in return.
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Just a thought.
If I put a resistor in a tank of water, I could make the case that, at least some of, the heat transfer would be via microwaves being emitted from the resistor and (without having to travel very far) being absorbed by the water.
In which case, I could sell an ordinary immersion heater as "works via microwaves".
Presumably I could then stick an extra zero or two on the price tag and still undercut the supplier in the OP.
(even if I bought my immersion heaters from RS.)
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/heating-elements/0273034/?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-PLA_UK_EN_Automation_%26_Control_Gear_Whoop-_-Water%20Heater%20Elements_Whoop-_-273034&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0caCBhCIARIsAGAfuMxPY265L9n3KJHLhI7EbvUXRwBbWEMy0mfvarWiGM-b4qXHJ8bQ02MaAg6TEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&matchtype=&pla-296206105570
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I could sell an ordinary immersion heater as "works via microwaves".
Presumably I could then stick an extra zero or two on the price tag and still undercut the supplier in the OP.
Yes, you could be onto a winner there, but I'd suggest a few enhancements to increase appeal and earning power:
1 Replace "microwaves" by "quantum effects". After all can that be scientifically incorrect? Doesn't everything in the Universe ultimately result from these effects, so you can't be proved wrong and sued in any court;
2. Incorporate the word "natural" Again, everything in the Natural Universe, is by nature, "Natural", so you can't be sued for that either.
3. Also incorporate words like "modern", "latest" and "safely" - none of which can be pinned down in court.
So, that leads to your new immersion heater being advertised as:
" A modern boiler which uses the latest quantum technology to warm your home safely and naturally"
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...and uses no harmful chemicals....powered by renewable electricity....
Except that a microwave boiler is an exterior heat source, not an immersion heater. So "no dangerous electricity inside your water tank..." and unlike the resistive heater it delivers "...a precisely defined energy spectrum that is uniquely absorbed by water molecules" and was "developed from the top-secret magnetron that won the Battle of Britain"
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Don't forget "As used in NASA's space program." which also applies to damned near anything.
And it probably "Works with android or iPhone".
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...and uses no harmful chemicals....powered by renewable electricity....
Except that a microwave boiler is an exterior heat source, not an immersion heater. So "no dangerous electricity inside your water tank..." and unlike the resistive heater it delivers "...a precisely defined energy spectrum that is uniquely absorbed by water molecules" and was "developed from the top-secret magnetron that won the Battle of Britain"
Yes , but the term "magnetron" would probably be incomprehensible to today's buying public. And, given the way things are going ,any reference to the "Battle of Britain" might be deemed inadvisable, as it could invoke images of Churchill, who is fast becoming unmentionable, except as a target of execration, among our vibrant new students, whom we all admire so much.
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Don't forget "As used in NASA's space program." which also applies to damned near anything.
And it probably "Works with android or iPhone".
Yes, I see what you mean. Could you call it, for brevity's sake a "Smart Boiler"?
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Don't forget "As used in NASA's space program." which also applies to damned near anything.
And it probably "Works with android or iPhone".
Yes, I see what you mean. Could you call it, for brevity's sake a "Smart Boiler"?
...or an iBoiler. :-D
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More snake oil here, an induction boiler:
https://infinitysav.com/induction-boiler/
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No need to read the article. "Could help cut emissions" is the magic phrase that opens wallets without actually promising anything in return.
Last I checked, a resistor doesn't exactly emit anything either. If they're talking about carbon emissions, that all depends on the source of the electricity, not on the destination usage.
So how are we going to play the 'renewable' card that makes it sound like only this device has that option?