View source for Preprocessing step 1 (gem-gum factory)

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* Up: [[Assembly levels]]
* '''Previous processing step:''' None – For acquisition of raw materials see: [[Air as a resource]], [[Mining]], [[Carrier pellets]]
* '''Next processing step:''' [[Preprocessing step 2 (gem-gum factory)]]

== Overview ==

* Resource material gets filtered/cleaned. Contaminants are removed. <br>
* Liquid phase (and maybe gas phase) processing is involved here. <br>
* Significant heat can be generated from moving to [[machine phase]]. This energy is potentially recuperable.

{{wikitodo|Add illustrative graphic for sorting mills, concept & detail}} <br>
{{wikitodo|Add processing step minimap table template eventually}}

Resource molecules are transferred from liquid phase into [[machine phase]] and back in several purification stages. <br>
At the end of the process the [[resource molecules]] stay permanently in [[machine phase]]. <br>

== Possible geometries ==

[[Purification mills]] like proposed in [[Nanosystems]] shown in [[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts]] and modelled in atomic detail in the [[acetylene sorting pump]].<br>

For crossing a [[thermal isolation layer]] of larger thickness some different design seems to be needed. <br>
E.g. somehow packaging still fully [[passivated]] [[resource molecules]] in dense grids of pockets and then somehow transporting whole packages through the layer.  

== Source of release of heat ==

Due to moving from liquid phase to [[machine phase]] the <br>
number of degrees of freedom of motion of [[resource molecules]] get reduced. <br>
In other words the resource molecules get bound and restraint in their translator and rotatory freedom of motion. 

In physical terms that means that the entropy in position space gets reduced. <br>
And since entropy can not ever go down (only in the statistical average that is) it must reemerge in impulse space. <br>
That is in thermal motion aka heat. <br>
So '''[[machinephaeeification]] can generate significant amounts of heat'''. <br>
Intuitively one can maybe think of this as [[squeezing out degrees of freedom]]. <br>

The energy that is needed for the by [[machinephaeeification]] released heat <br>
must be supplied as free energy in directed mechanical motion.

=== Energy recuperability ===

Generated heat emerges/occurs localized.  <br>
So right after release it is still free energy. It is not yet dissipated bound energy.  <br>
And thus it can potentially be partially recuperated by means of well designed close-by [[diamondoid heat pump system]]s. <br>

== Questions ==

* How small can / should the intermediate remixing reservoirs be made?
* How much energy dissipation will come from repeated multistage remixing? <br>How much minimizable? How much recuperable?
* Which temperature to run this at ideally? Roomtemperature? Close above freezing point?
* Which solvent medium to use medium? Water (self suggesting and likely convenient), some organic solvent? Supply as gasses?

== Side-note on entropy and phase-space ==

Note that the physical quantities of entropy (J/K) and action (Js) (~ phase-space-volume) have different physical units. <br>
Yet they are closely related ...

For closed systems:
* At the quantum-limit of incompressible phase-space-volume: <br>Reducing position space necessarily increases the impulse space and vice versa (like a seesaw). Heisenberg principle.
* Reducing entropy in the position space necessarily increases entropy in impulse space and vice versa. <br> Though this happens at any temperature far from the quantum limit.

In [[statistical physics]] entropy can be derived from summing (integrating) over all the combinatorially possible microstates in phase space volume. <br>
One uses the partition function (in German "zustandssumme" translated literally: statessum - as in: sum of states).

== Considerations regarding optimizations for higher energy efficiency ==

=== Losses from dynamic friction ===

[[superlubricity|Superlubricating]] mechanism friction on machine phase contacting sides is negligable.<br>
Moving surface to liquid/gas contact should and can be minimized. <br>
Friction losses from that still to investigate.

=== Entropic (likely lionshare) ===

Can less position-space-constrain be applied during transit through the sorting mechanisms (mills/rotors)?
* What would be the effect of only partially constraining the forward drive motion? (likely not much – still many pockets linked together)
* Could there be slots rather than pockets? (seems unlikely - molecule scale smooth channels are not possible – but is smoothness needed?)

Can more position-space-constrain be applied in the intermediary re-mixing cambers by making them very minimal in size? Does this make sense? What are the tradeoffs?

Is attempting thermal recuperation sensible possible and worth the effort?
* probably yes for the very last permanent transfer to [[machine phase]]
* what about the very closely spaced in and out dippings in and out of [[machine-phase]] in the sorting & remixing sequence?

== Related ==

* [[Purification mills]]
* [[Processing steps]]
* [[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts]]
* [[Acetylene molecule sorting pump]]
* [[Resource molecules]]
* [[Gemstone metamaterial on chip factory]]
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* '''[[Sequence of zones]]'''

== External links ==

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_function_(statistical_mechanics)
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_(physics)