We, the energy people, are responsible for global warming. We are also responsible for engines that have so greatly improved quality of life. We should not leave it to the coming generation to fix the problems we created.
People with power plants experience could contribute to solving the climate problem. The atmospheric vortex engine (AVE) is an improved natural draft cooling tower. A controlled tornado-like vortex is produced within an open top tower. The air is given rotation by having it enter the base of the tower via tangentially oriented entries. The vortex is started by heating the air with a heat source such as steam. No fuel is required after the vortex has been started. The sustaining heat source can be waste heat, warm sea water, or just warm humid surface air.
The diameter and intensity of the vortex are controlled by restrictors located upstream of the tangential air entries. The restrictors can be power producing turbines.
The base of the vortex is firmly anchored to the center of the AVE station. The energy is produced by expanding surface air into the low pressure developed as a result of the buoyancy of the rising air. There are no wind turbines in the vortex flow; there is no equipment near the fast swirling vortex. The energy of tornadoes does not come down from above; it is due the heat content of the air rising from below. Controlled vortices unlike natural tornadoes would not be dangerous.
Energy people could fix the climate problem. Do not be afraid to wander off the beaten energy path. The atmosphere is just another convection process; it works like a thermosyphon or a chimney. Development could start by demonstrating that self sustaining vortices can be produced. Once the ability to produce self sustaining vortices has been demonstrated, the possibility of using the vortex to produce abundant clean power will become obvious. There are many possible AVE configurations.
Developing the AVE will require large prototypes and would be appropriate for the power industry.
The AVE technology has been described in the following previous Energy Central posts.
Atnospheric Engine | Energy Central
Hurricane Energy | Energy Central
The Potential of the Atmospheric Vortex Engine -- Capturing Energy in the Atmosphere | Energy Central
Thermodynamic basis 2023 paper "Energy from Humid Air".
Air_Humide_v2.pdf (vortexengine.ca)