The following is an extract from the lecture given by Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin to the Maritime Division of the Southampton Institute, Warsash, UK as part of the symposium on the Impact of New technology on the Marine Industries, September 1993.
THE WATER FUEL CELL AND THE FIRST AND SECOND LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS
The Water Fuel Cell technology encounters a credibility gap because it appears to run counter to the long established laws governing our interpretation of Nature. Some people therefore reject the Water Fuel Cell because it appears to be un-natural and just one more spurious claim for perpetual motion. In fact, the water Fuel Cell is entirely natural. It merely demonstrates a new and revolutionary way of harnessing what nature has always had on offer. It does not infringe the two main laws of thermodynamics, i.e.:
THE FIRST LAW: "The total energy of a theromdynamic system remains constant although it may be transformed from one form to another." In the case of Water Fuel Cell technology, the system is global. The energy required to drive the engine comes from the zero-point energy contained in the water, a virtually inexhaustible source. The exhaust from the engine is water vapour which returns to the atmosphere.
THE SECOND LAW: As originally formulated by R. Clausius in 1865, this law states that "The entropy of the World strives towards a maximum". As recently formulated by Prigogine and Stengers, this law "contains two fundamental elements: (1) a negative one that expresses the impossibility of certain processes (e.g. heat flowing from a cold to a hot source) and (2) a positive, constructive one. It is the impossibility of certain processes that permits us to introduce a function, entropy, which increases uniformly and behaves as an attractor for isolated systems". It is at maximum when the system is in equilibrium. Non-equilibrium is the source of order and brings order out of chaos. Since Water Fuel Cell technology postulates non-equilibrium, it can be said to be supported by the positive element of this Law.
from Panacea University: Paper 9: Admiral Griffin's lecture on Stan Meyer's marine propulsion systems
Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin was a regular executive officer in the Royal Navy for 42 years, the last 5 of which were spent as Controller of the Navy with responsibility for the development and construction of all new surface ships, submarines, aircraft and weapons. Retired from RN in 1975 to become first Chairman of British Shipbuilders from 1975 - 1980; President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects 1981 - 1984, and founder member of the British Maritime League and the British Maritime Charitable Foundation in 1982.
THE WATER FUEL CELL AND THE FIRST AND SECOND LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS
The Water Fuel Cell technology encounters a credibility gap because it appears to run counter to the long established laws governing our interpretation of Nature. Some people therefore reject the Water Fuel Cell because it appears to be un-natural and just one more spurious claim for perpetual motion. In fact, the water Fuel Cell is entirely natural. It merely demonstrates a new and revolutionary way of harnessing what nature has always had on offer. It does not infringe the two main laws of thermodynamics, i.e.:
THE FIRST LAW: "The total energy of a theromdynamic system remains constant although it may be transformed from one form to another." In the case of Water Fuel Cell technology, the system is global. The energy required to drive the engine comes from the zero-point energy contained in the water, a virtually inexhaustible source. The exhaust from the engine is water vapour which returns to the atmosphere.
THE SECOND LAW: As originally formulated by R. Clausius in 1865, this law states that "The entropy of the World strives towards a maximum". As recently formulated by Prigogine and Stengers, this law "contains two fundamental elements: (1) a negative one that expresses the impossibility of certain processes (e.g. heat flowing from a cold to a hot source) and (2) a positive, constructive one. It is the impossibility of certain processes that permits us to introduce a function, entropy, which increases uniformly and behaves as an attractor for isolated systems". It is at maximum when the system is in equilibrium. Non-equilibrium is the source of order and brings order out of chaos. Since Water Fuel Cell technology postulates non-equilibrium, it can be said to be supported by the positive element of this Law.
from Panacea University: Paper 9: Admiral Griffin's lecture on Stan Meyer's marine propulsion systems
Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin was a regular executive officer in the Royal Navy for 42 years, the last 5 of which were spent as Controller of the Navy with responsibility for the development and construction of all new surface ships, submarines, aircraft and weapons. Retired from RN in 1975 to become first Chairman of British Shipbuilders from 1975 - 1980; President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects 1981 - 1984, and founder member of the British Maritime League and the British Maritime Charitable Foundation in 1982.