Actually, the Vortex Tube concept, is very similar to a mechanism used in
milling and refining. I have seen a number of simple screw classifiers,
that rely on the fact that different materials have different weights, to
separate high grade ore granules from other materials.

Like the Vortex Tube, the real work is done by selecting where the
materials will be drawn from, All the screw does, is lift the material
at the rate that its specific weight allows. Light sand, goes right up the
screw, and gets pushed over the top, and heavy metal rich grit, gets
concentrated at the bottom.

The Vortex Tube requires energy in the form of an impetus to push the air
through the tube, in a vortex. all that is happening is that the air is
being classified so that the hot molecules go one way, and the cool
molecules go the other.

The OIL industry uses a similar technique called separation to get a
number of different products out of simple crude oil. the sludge that is
too thick to be useful, is then "Cracked" and reseparated.

There is no question that in all these cases, energy is put in, in the
form of heat, or kinetic energy, but the basic segregation is a passive
and thus nearly energy neutral mechanism. No one thinks that a STILL is
a perpetual motion device, they can see the heat it runs off of. Yet, it
is the passive coil that separates alcohol from steam.

or water from sludge.

                                GREY

GRAEME SMITH                         email: grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
YMCA Edmonton

Address has changed with little warning!
(I moved across the hall! :) )

Email will remain constant... at least for now.