[Don Stuckey]

Don Stuckey asked the Naked Scientists:

Have any observed phenomena ever countered any of the laws of thermodynamics, or are the said laws absolute?

What do you think?

[Alan McDougall]

Don,
If you are referring to reversal of entropy on the universal macro scale no this is impossible. We do reverse entropy in micro systems all the time,, but this never stops the entropy of the whole universe.

There is some evidence that a black hole reverses entropy but in the end just like all other systems gives off its energy into the heat sink that is the universe

Regards

Alan

[Soul Surfer]

No

[Alan McDougall]

NO
What?

[BenV]

It's okay Alan, I think he was replying to Don.

[Madidus_Scientia]

If someone had then they wouldn't be laws, they'd be guidelines

[skeptic]

Don Stuckey asked the Naked Scientists:

Have any observed phenomena ever countered any of the laws of thermodynamics, or are the said laws absolute?

What do you think?

I think, if anyone had, we would be driving cars that run on water.

[syhprum]

A car that run on water would be entirely possible if no very practical if the water was supplied at 100°C and its stored energy used to run a freon turbine or other type of heat engine.
This system was actually used on the early London underground system where steam powered locomotives had their fires shut down and ran in the tunnels on the residual energy stored in the boiler.

[skeptic]

A car that run on water would be entirely possible if no very practical if the water was supplied at 100°C and its stored energy used to run a freon turbine or other type of heat engine.
This system was actually used on the early London underground system where steam powered locomotives had their fires shut down and ran in the tunnels on the residual energy stored in the boiler.

This is simply "coasting" off the excess or wasted energy. It requires input energy to heat the water. 

[syhprum]

Water will not work as a fuel in the Earths atmosphere consisting of Nitrogen and Oxygen but no doubt there are other gases with which an exothermic reaction could occur.
I am not well versed in chemistry but I am sure some other correspondents are.

[Alan McDougall]

What about splitting H2O into hydrogen and oxygen and using these split gasses as a fuel. Or am I just stating the obvious?

[skeptic]

What about splitting H2O into hydrogen and oxygen and using these split gasses as a fuel. Or am I just stating the obvious?

That's actually the process I was thinking of when I first posted on this thread. It is a valid process, but requires more energy input than it produces. There are some who claim they can use an HHO(Brown's Gas or Hydrogen) Generator with electrical power from the battery to do this, but it requires MORE THAN 100% efficiency to restore the battery load AND power the car. The numbers just don't add up.

If Stanley Meyer's water engine ever runs on only water, they will have broken the laws of thermodynamics. It's a perpetual motion machine.