Do you put the heater on in the car?

Freddie_Snowbits

Strider590 wrote: »

There's no need for all this crap, the question has been answered, the trolls can go crawl under a bridge.

Oh dear me, what car company do you work for, so I do not buy one

System

DKLS wrote: »

When its cold the heater goes on, same as at home, but with the added bonus of heated bum warmers in my car, a damn fine invention.

have you got the heated seat pads that plug into the cig lighter?

Freddie_Snowbits

Alas, to strider, when you transfer energy from one form to another, your lose some energy due to the inefficiencies of the transfer process. Most of this is lost due to heat, so in a sense, you are correct that the heater does not put extra work on the engine, but alas, getting the heat from the matrix heat exchanger into the car does, in the form of a fan, though some even more inefficient methods are employed by some becasue they fear to put the fan on.

As for trolling, one suggest the diference you associate with an alternator and generator are the upmost codswallop I have witnessed from a non expert on this site for some time. Although these devices have got more efficient over time, they are both ineffiecient machines at the end of the day requiring about twice the energy needded to run them for what they poroduce. the only way your theory works is due to the total inefficiency of the Ineternal Combustion Engine.

Still, I am off now to test some items I hath made this happy morn.

Strider590

lozzaman wrote: »

The phrase generator/alternator today are used somewhat interchangeably. Typically people mean alternator.

As for great power with very little mechanical input, due to the efficiency of the alternator the mechanical input is > electrical output. Not the other way round.

Your trying to place words in my mouth again..... Perhaps in desperation. I already stated that they're inefficient, but a generator is far less efficient and there is a difference.

Gloomendoom

Strider590 wrote: »

Alternator and generator are two subtly different things. A generator is far FAR less efficient, where an alternator can output great power with very little mechanical input.

An alternator is a generator.

A dynamo is a generator.

The difference isn't that subtle.

An dynamo is not necessarily less efficient than an alternator but it generates usable power over a narrower speed range.

thescouselander

Strider590 wrote: »

Your trying to place words in my mouth again..... Perhaps in desperation. I already stated that they're inefficient, but a generator is far less efficient and there is a difference.

I think not - the term generator an alternator are interchangable to some extent. As far as I'm aware the term alternator is specifically associated with the car industry for historical reasons. In the aerospace world its not uncommon to refere to the device producing electrical power in the engine as the generator.

Antispam

It was less than 80p a litre a few years ago now its around £1.19 per litre

Keith wrote: »

Fuel costs are hardly soaring, isn't petrol cheaper than it was a few years ago atm?

Strider590

The voltage output from an alternator doesn't change, it's regulated, if it's rated at 14v DC out, it'll do that all day long at ANY RPM from idle to maximum.
Generators output in AC and require a constant RPM, like a backup generator for your mains supply.

So I guess you could say in laymans terms that a generator is an alternator with all the electronics missing.

Gloomendoom

Strider590 wrote: »

The voltage output from an alternator doesn't change, it's regulated, if it's rated at 14v DC out, it'll do that all day long at ANY RPM from idle to maximum.
Generators output in AC and require a constant RPM, like a backup generator for your mains supply.

So I guess you could say in laymans terms that a generator is an alternator with all the electronics missing.

Most backup generators actually use alternators to convert the mechanical power to electricity.

Alternators generate AC

Dynamos generate DC

When you say 'generator', which one are you referring to?

adouglasmhor

The voltage may not change but the current can.