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If I built an ocean base 231 meters below the surface, does that mean I'd get free fresh water by sticking a membrane on the outside of my base? (Ignoring the i
by eslaught 3y ago
If I built an ocean base 231 meters below the surface, does that mean I'd get free fresh water by sticking a membrane on the outside of my base? (Ignoring the impracticality of building an underwater base, of course.)
Sounds like a cool sci-fi premise.
- brilee 3y agoAlmost. You would have to maintain your underwater base at 1atm and you would indeed get free freshwater. The catch is that the internal volume of your underwater base would decrease and you would eventually have to eject wastewater by pushing against the deep sea pressure. Nothing's free in physics!
- nonethewiser 3y agoBut what would take more energy? Pushing that wastewater out or desalinating?
- hwillis 3y agoPressure (N/m^2) times volumetric flow (m^3/s) equals power (N-m/s). At 231 meters the pressure is ~340 psi or ~6.3 MPa. 1 liter would take ~6.3 kJ to pump.
- jl6 3y agoAlso depends on the energy/materials needed to make and maintain that membrane, I guess.
- thaumasiotes 3y agoAdding an open window to your suboceanic base sounds like an awful idea, frankly. It's not difficult to see the obvious problem.
- idontwantthis 3y agoDelightfully close to “a screen-door on a submarine”.