Horror vacui, Natura abhorret vacuum, Resintenza del vacuo; from Aristotle to Galileo, it has long been known that here on earth matter tends to flow from where it is to where it isn’t. Fast forward to Hobbes and Boyle, Newton and Leibniz and we find such concepts being applied in the context of a fluid dynamic. From a heat transfer perspective heat energy also tends … [Read more...]

  Sure, most modern homes have much more advanced water heating systems than a big tank with an electric heater element. Systems that work on ‘point of use’ heating concepts that heat the water as it is being delivered, not heating up a large storage container for later use. One day I hope to live in such a house! Until then I’m going to worry and fret about the amount … [Read more...]

  Human technical prowess relies heavily on the conversion of energy from one form to another, to meet our needs. Physiological needs underpin Maslow’s pyramid of all our other ones. The availability of hot water is in turn important for that. Likely we’ve been heating water since the early Neolithic, converting chemical energy stored in wood to heat (radiative and … [Read more...]

  A lot of engineering involves the management of energies, converting them from one form to another, channeling off useful work to power our cars, planes, phones, lights, etc. To date, we haven’t come up with a system to channel all energy into the desired task. Even the most advanced power generation systems still end up heating water to steam to drive turbines, a cycle … [Read more...]