From: utzoo!decvax!duke!bek
Newsgroups: net.physics
Title: long superconductors
Article-I.D.: duke.2883
Posted: Sat Jan  8 16:29:21 1983
Received: Sun Jan  9 02:29:07 1983

about that long superconductor...

The original article claimed that such a wire would need to be cooled only
at one end by a refrigerator with sufficient power to remove all the heat
absorbed along the length of the wire.  I think the concept is basically
viable.

my comments on opposing articles (so far)

   Someone thought that a heater at one end (ie. the environment) could
   heat up the whole wire (via the same logic used to validate the single
   refrigerator theory.)  But note that the cold end has a superconductor
   working for it while the hot end does not.  Thus the argument which says
   you can heat the wire from one end just like you cool if from the other
   is flawed.

   Someone said that if we could effect free heat transfer we would already
   being so to solve our energy problems.  Don't I remember a similar
   statement made years ago with respect to man, wings, and flying?

   Someone noted that real wires get epilepsy when subjected to extreme
   temperature gradients.  (probably the most sensible comment made so far,
   including mine.)  OK, so there are start-up problems with the wire.

Barrett Koster          duke!bek