Does this violate the Law of conservation of energy?

[DLindahl]

If I were to pump water from my well (at my house) into the pressure tank that we have, it would require a certain amount of work. If I then turned on my faucet and had a small turbine generating an electric current, would that electric current (which I realize would be small, this is more for myself to understand the concept) just be required then when the pressure tank is re-pressurized...does that make sense?

Basically, if I generate a current from the tap, does that current then get negated by an extra amount needed to re-pressurize the tank?

Thanks in advance!

 

[salzrah]

1. Re-Read what you write before you post, that makes no sense.
2. What is violating the law?

The fact that everything in your question relates to mechanical activities I can say without understanding your description-- nothing violates the Law of Conservation of Energy (to answer your "subject" question).

 

[Drakkith]

I think you are asking if the current generated by the tap water is completely used up when pumping water back into the tank. If so, then yes, that current would be completely used up, and due to inefficiencies you would actually require more energy than you created to pump water back into the tank.

 

[Naty1]

A practical example relating to your question is pumping water into a reservoir during periods of low electrical usage and then releasing the water later during a period of high electrical usage.

It takes more energy to pump the water up than is later produced when it is released, but because energy is recovered during peak usage it is a practical compromise. So it it NOT getting 'something for nothing', but the timing of the pumping and subsequent recovery can make it useful.

 

[PJC01]

I can say that this scenario does not violate the Law of Conservation of Energy. This law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. In this case, the energy used to pump the water from the well into the pressure tank is transformed into potential energy stored in the pressurized water. When the faucet is turned on and the turbine generates electricity, the potential energy of the pressurized water is being transformed into electrical energy. This energy can then be used to power devices in your home.

However, it is important to note that there will be losses in this energy transformation process. Some of the energy will be lost as heat due to friction and inefficiencies in the system. Therefore, the amount of electricity generated from the turbine may not be equal to the amount of energy used to pump the water into the tank. In this case, the extra energy needed to re-pressurize the tank would come from the energy stored in the pressurized water, and not from the electricity generated by the turbine. This does not violate the Law of Conservation of Energy, as the total amount of energy in the system remains the same.