Short description
This is a unique funicular with wastewater counterbalanced energy
Description
Most water powered cable cars require energy to operate the pump that transports the water up the hill again, so of course, perpetual motion does not exist. There are however some exceptions to this.The 120 metre track in Fribourg, Switzerland, operates without a pump. It makes use of the natural flow of water along the track, more specifically the waste water infrastructure which connects the upper and the lower part of town.
Data
Phase:
Active
Starting date:
1899
Scale:
Device
Qualitative Analysis
Description of the Process
How it works is this: The waste water flows into a reservoir of 100,000 litres. From there it flows in the water tank of the rail car. Around 1,500 litres of water is required to pull up the other car from 60 meters below, and it takes 3 minutes to fill up the tank. After approximately 1.5 minutes, you will have arrived at the ground station. The reservoir is then emptied and the water continues its way downwards through the sewer system. The train route was designed as a (very creative) way to lower the flow of the fountains in the lower part of town.
