How do locks raise boats?

[MtB]

I think quite often it is electricity. The water going down through the locks often gets pumped back up to the top pound, does it not?

 

If not, what are the pumping stations for?

 

 

MtB

[carlt]

 

 

If not, what are the pumping stations for?

 

Pumping Stations are the proof that continuous cruisers are selfish, inconsiderate boaters who cost CRT money and, therefore, should pay more for their licence.

[Guest]

I had a couple at Hertford ask with locks were needed anyway.

 

Try explaining hills.

 

 

yes I had similar once - along the lines of..

"why not just open the gates at both ends at the same time and just sail through....."

 

[Paul C]

 

 

yes I had similar once - along the lines of..

"why not just open the gates at both ends at the same time and just sail through....."

 

 

I ask myself that, every time I go through Dutton stop lock

[nicknorman]

I think quite often it is electricity. The water going down through the locks often gets pumped back up to the top pound, does it not?

 

If not, what are the pumping stations for?

 

 

MtB

... Yes, but where does the electricty come from?...

[Dr Bradley]

So if the sun went out we would all have to go into marinas.

[DaveC]

If you fill a lock without a boat in it, it actually uses more water with potential energy than one with a boat in it - ie uses more energy.

 

 

 

 

You are wrong on that one. It will use the same amount.

 

 

Dave

[nicknorman]

 

 

You are wrong on that one. It will use the same amount.

 

 

Dave

Good point, I'll have to think about it again. So if there isnt a boat in the lock, you need a lockfull. If there is a boat in the lock, it has less water in it at the start, and less water in it at the end. So yes, you are quite right, same amount of water needs to be added!

[system 4-50]

Deleted

Edited June 19, 2013 by system 4-50

[Woodstock]

nothing to do with boats but a colleague of mine convinced another colleague that Welsh hill sheep have shorter LEFT legs as they stand on a hill side (obviously only facing one way); This was the same colleague who thought that Sven Goran Eriksson was 2 people- Sven Gor and Erikss

[Martin Megson]

 

 

You are wrong on that one. It will use the same amount.

 

 

Dave

 

Really? I think the lock will fill to the same height with or without a boat in it. But if my boat is in the lock displacing 16 tons then there must be 16 tons less water in the lock. If you filled the lock and then craned the boat out the level would drop to fill the gap left by the boat.

[MtB]

... Yes, but where does the electricty come from?...

 

The National Grid, silly!

 

Stoopid question...

 

 

MtB

[SamKingfisher]

Up here, nearer to Iceland, we have geothermal leccy for the pumping.

 

Is geothermal the only exception to "can be traced back to the sun"?

[Hawkmoth]

Up here, nearer to Iceland, we have geothermal leccy for the pumping.

 

Is geothermal the only exception to "can be traced back to the sun"?

Willing to get shot to pieces here but, I think that the sun has some bearing on tidal forces, which in turn causes stress on the planet, which can heat up the earth. So the sun still has a role in geothermal. I think???

[carlt]

 

 

Is geothermal the only exception to "can be traced back to the sun"?

Yes it is.

Willing to get shot to pieces here but, I think that the sun has some bearing on tidal forces, which in turn causes stress on the planet, which can heat up the earth. So the sun still has a role in geothermal. I think???

No, geothermal energy is produced by harnessing the heat that is radiating from the Earth's core so is a product of the Earth forming separately from the Sun.

 

The shear forces of the tides (that are mainly caused by the Moon) create negligible amounts of heat.

 

Edited to add: Which leads one to ask if tidal barrage generators are lunar powered, rather than solar..

 

Edited to add something else: I've just Googled and discovered that only 20% of geothermal energy is derived from the formation of the Earth and the other 80% is from radioactive decay at the Earth's core so the World is continuing to create its own heat.

Edited June 19, 2013 by carlt

[Hawkmoth]

Yes it is.

No, geothermal energy is produced by harnessing the heat that is radiating from the Earth's core so is a product of the Earth forming separately from the Sun.

 

The shear forces of the tides (that are mainly caused by the Moon) create negligible amounts of heat.

 

Edited to add: Which leads one to ask if tidal barrage generators are lunar powered, rather than solar..

Thanks for that, I've learned something.

 

 

Lunar powered. Wow

[jenevers]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lock uses more water to get a boat up hill than down hill (or vice versa!)

Anyone like to explain?

[MtB]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lock uses more water to get a boat up hill than down hill (or vice versa!)

Anyone like to explain?

 

I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is wrong, so there is nothing to explain.

 

 

MtB

[nicknorman]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lock uses more water to get a boat up hill than down hill (or vice versa!)

Anyone like to explain?

Depends what you mean by "uses more water" since it doesn't take any water out of the upper pound to go downhill. It always takes a lock full (difference between lock empty level and lock full level x area) to go uphill.

[blackrose]

 

 

yes I had similar once - along the lines of..

"why not just open the gates at both ends at the same time and just sail through....."

 

 

That's exactly what some big boats do at one or two tidal locks.

[Paul C]

Someone properly analysed it, and it was very interesting but I can't remember the website it was on or the results. From basic understanding of it, filling a lock then emptying it (or emptying then filling) is always going to send one lockful into the lower pound, and one lockful from the upper pound into the lock - so depending on whether its set for you or not, it will either use the same water, or the upper pound will lose the water, or the lock will lose the water.

 

If you go up, or down, a flight of locks, you end up refilling the intermediate pounds as you empty them and the net effect is the same as one lock.

 

There's a bunch more stuff to consider if you end up sending more water over the bypass weir. The website went into a detailed analysis of this.

[blackrose]

Yes it is.

No, geothermal energy is produced by harnessing the heat that is radiating from the Earth's core so is a product of the Earth forming separately from the Sun.

 

 

But since the ignition of the sun was an essential factor in the formation of the earth one could argue that even earth's geothermal energy isn't completely separate from the sun. It's a tenuous argument though.

[alan_fincher]

Pumping Stations are the proof that continuous cruisers are selfish, inconsiderate boaters who cost CRT money and, therefore, should pay more for their licence.

 

Surely they are proof that non compliant continuous cruisers are very unselfish, because if they don't move, they don't use any water in locks, and the pumps would not be required.

 

Proof surely that non complaint CC-ers should pay less, and ones that move a lot should pay more?

[carlt]

 

 

But since the ignition of the sun was an essential factor in the formation of the earth one could argue that even earth's geothermal energy isn't completely separate from the sun. It's a tenuous argument though.

In that case, to take it to it's extreme, all locks are powered by the energy of the Big Bang...or god's mighty hand of course.

 

Surely they are proof that non compliant continuous cruisers are very unselfish, because if they don't move, they don't use any water in locks, and the pumps would not be required.

 

Proof surely that non complaint CC-ers should pay less, and ones that move a lot should pay more?

I hadn't thought of that argument.

 

I was thinking more of those selfish ccers who insist on cruising through Winter, disrupting the cyclical flow of water back to the summit.

[NB Lola]

So why the hell do I still have to open and close paddles when it should be divine intervention, am I being punished?