Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
It's the 2nd law of thermodynamics, which basically says that something like the conversion of the potential energy of compressed air into mechanical energy can never be 100% efficient - there will always be a certain proportion of the energy which is lost in the form of heat.
No, it depends what it is that you're burning. If you burn a hydrocarbon (like natural gas or propane) you'll get CO2, but burn, say, hydrogen, and what you get is water vapour:
2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O
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Ah yes, Thermodynamics, my most loved/hated course in college. And its successor, Advanced Thermodynamics. The Dean of the Engineering College taught those courses and they were rigorous.