What is the fundamental difference between conventional thermal power plants and the atmospheric vortex engine?
Conventional thermal power plants use the temperature at the bottom of the atmosphere, typically 30C, as heat sink. The AVE uses the temperature at the top of the troposphere, typically -60C, as the heat sink. The lowest available heat sink temperature for conventional thermal power plants is the temperature of surrounding air or water. The efficiency of thermal power plant is proportional to the difference in temperature between the hot source and the cold source (another name for the cold sink); it is therefore advantageous to operate with as hot a heat source as possible. The heat to work conversion efficiency is limited by the second law of thermodynamics. The maximum heat to work conversion efficiency of modern gas fired power around 55%. The efficiency of coal fired power plant is typically between 35% and 45%. The efficiency of nuclear power plant is typically around 35% to keep the fuel well below its melting point. The efficiency of small engines such as automobile gasoline en
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