Quote:
Originally Posted by teknomage2012
the debate will then become is it better to couple that electricity back to the crank shaft directly using an electric drive or use it to electrolyze water???
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Not much of a debate there. A kilowatt-hour of electrical energy applied via an electric motor can put .8 kWh (or more) into the driveshaft. A kWh of electricity applied to an electrolyzer will produce about .6 kWh worth of hydrogen. This, burned in a 30% efficient engine, will put .18 kWh into the driveshaft.
The
BMW turbosteamer concept works along the lines you describe, but without the losses in going from steam to electricity. In the BMW, the mechanical energy from the steam engine is applied directly to the crankshaft.