DGTE Arena v0.7a — Bench Planner

Current arena verdict

What v0.7a says right now

The bench planner should be read as a ranked falsification map, not as a proof that any device is market-ready.

Build first

HTH / trompe / pressure

Strongest low-cost kill-test branch. First answer the clear-pipe entrainment and separator-pressure questions.

High upside

MGHB / wave / breakwater

Highest infrastructure upside, but it needs a wave tank to prove wave reduction plus useful work.

Alive but hard

Pure DGTE core

Do not build the full loop first. Attack rotary/starwheel crossover, hydraulic lock, and thermal slice separately.

Helper only

Siphon / thermosiphon / bell

Useful for priming, circulation, anti-air intake, or wet-lock assist. Never source credit.

Strict comparator

Solar DGTE

Likely loses to PV/PV‑T unless it upgrades special waste heat or a site-specific thermal store.

Caution

Hybrid value

Modular tandem is safer than over-integrated claims until parent-only baselines are beaten after penalties.

Build order

Experiment 0 + first 5 physical tests

Experiment 0 is the cheap water-sealed bell side-bench. The first five are staged parent/kill-test builds before integrated hybrid claims.

0raw rank 17 · score 67.9

Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench

Experiment 0 / flooded-cup primer side-bench · Siphon helper · VERY_LOW (€50–€250) · ~1 days

Question: Does an inverted water-filled cup/bell over a hose inlet reduce priming loss, prevent air ingestion, and improve shallow-water pickup versus a bare hose?

Measure

start success rate
time to prime
flow rate Q liters/min
outlet head Δh
minimum water depth before prime loss
air ingestion rate / visible bubbles
pressure drop / loss coefficient
remaining water depth after drain
debris clogging tendency

Kill criteria

loses prime easily
flow rate too low
adds more hydraulic loss than it saves
clogs or fouls too easily
requires too much manual setup
does not reduce pump-start energy or transfer J/cycle
only works in shallow demo conditions but fails under repeated cycling

Accounting: HELPER_ONLY: WATER_SEALED_BELL_INTAKE is a passive hydraulic helper; source_credit_kw=0; credit only saved loss/J after added loss and complexity. source_credit_kw=0: this primitive is never an energy source. | Credit only reduced priming loss, reduced pump-start energy, reduced air-ingestion loss, or reduced transfer J/cycle. | A candidate only benefits when net_helper_value = saved_loss_or_saved_J - added_loss - added_complexity_penalty is positive. | Do not let this primitive improve product gate by itself; repeated-cycle reliability must pass first.

1raw rank 1 · score 85.1

Transparent HTH / trompe channel

minimum clear-pipe velocity ramp · HTH / trompe · VERY_LOW (€50–€250) · ~2 days

Question: What velocity/head first creates stable entrainment and positive separator pressure?

Measure

flow velocity
entrainment threshold
bubble survival distance
separator pressure
air flow rate
water head / depth
net pneumatic power
hydraulic/parasitic losses

Kill criteria

no stable entrainment below practical velocities
separator pressure too low for useful air output
parasitic losses exceed useful pneumatic output
bubble transport collapses before separator

Accounting: EXTERNAL_RESOURCE: river/current/depth head measured; no gravity/buoyancy free-source credit. External energy is river/current/depth head, not gravity as free source. | Report pneumatic output after water-flow and separator losses. | Do not credit downstream water flow twice if an air turbine is measured.

2raw rank 6 · score 74.5

MGHB wave tank cell

piston-only baseline · MGHB / wave · LOW (€250–€900) · ~5 days

Question: What fraction of incoming wave energy can a guided piston convert without pneumatic hybrid complexity?

Measure

incoming wave height
outgoing wave height
piston stroke
piston force
generator/load output
damping setting
water leakage/slam
wave period
absorbed wave fraction

Kill criteria

wave reduction poor
useful work fraction too low
mechanical loads too high
hybrid complexity worse than piston-only or pneumatic-only
storm/surge mode cannot fail safe

Accounting: EXTERNAL_RESOURCE: incoming wave energy measured and normalized against wave reduction/output. External source is wave energy crossing the cell, not buoyancy alone. | Credit either piston output or OWC pneumatic output separately before hybrid sum. | Compare against passive breakwater wave reduction and piston-only baseline.

3raw rank 5 · score 77.3

Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig

single pocket dye/carry-over test · Pure DGTE · VERY_LOW (€50–€250) · ~3 days

Question: Can a wetted starwheel transfer capsules with low carry-over?

Measure

transfer J/cycle
carry-over fluid mass
leakage
torque/current per transfer
pressure balance stability
cycle rate
jam rate
seal friction

Kill criteria

transfer work exceeds expected stroke gain
carry-over too high
sealing friction too high
cycle rate too low
pressure-balanced pockets cannot stay repeatable

Accounting: THERMAL_CLOSURE: P_net=min(P_thermal_gross,P_PTO_path)-transfer-auxiliary. Crossover does not create energy; it must reduce losses enough for thermal stroke to matter. | Measured J/transfer must be compared against expected per-cycle stroke work. | Carry-over heat/fluid penalty must be included.

4raw rank 11 · score 69.9

Hydraulic balanced lock rig

empty lock equalization baseline · Pure DGTE · VERY_LOW (€50–€250) · ~3 days

Question: What is the minimum pressure-equalization cost before capsules are added?

Measure

pressure equalization energy
lock leakage
valve losses
throughput
J/transfer
fouling sensitivity
timing jitter

Kill criteria

lock overhead kills net power
fouling or complexity too high
valve losses dominate
throughput too low for useful cycle rate

Accounting: THERMAL_CLOSURE: P_net=min(P_thermal_gross,P_PTO_path)-transfer-auxiliary. Pressure equalization is not free; count valve and timing losses. | Lock only survives if it reduces transfer loss below stroke-gain budget. | No product claim until fouling and repeatability are tested.

5raw rank 27 · score 63.3

Integrated DGTE thermal slice

controlled heater closure · Pure DGTE · MEDIUM (€900–€2800) · ~6 days

Question: Can a DGTE slice close thermal-to-mechanical accounting with a known heat input?

Measure

hot/cold temperatures
thermal input
real ΔT
cycle work
transfer losses
auxiliary pumping
net electrical output
heat exchanger area
recuperator effectiveness

Kill criteria

thermal-to-mechanical closure fails
required heat exchanger area too large
low-grade waste heat insufficient
auxiliary pumping exceeds generated work
cycle rate too low

Accounting: THERMAL_CLOSURE: P_net=min(P_thermal_gross,P_PTO_path)-transfer-auxiliary. Use P_net = min(P_thermal_gross, P_mechanical_or_PTO_path_gross) - transfer losses - auxiliaries. | Waste heat must pay exergy/temperature limit. | Heat source and sink must be measured as a pair.

Bench priority

Top 20 ranked plans

Rank	Experiment	Family	Score	Priority	Cost	Learn/€
1	Transparent HTH / trompe channel minimum clear-pipe velocity ramp	HTH / trompe	85.1	A_BUILD_FIRST	VERY_LOW €50–€250	1.000
2	Transparent HTH / trompe channel separator pressure + loaded airflow	HTH / trompe	81.4	A_BUILD_FIRST	LOW €250–€900	0.891
3	Transparent HTH / trompe channel deep-pool/polyline emulator	HTH / trompe	80.6	A_BUILD_FIRST	LOW €250–€900	0.886
4	Transparent HTH / trompe channel debris/fouling ruggedness pass	HTH / trompe	80.2	A_BUILD_FIRST	LOW €250–€900	0.872
5	Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig single pocket dye/carry-over test	Pure DGTE	77.3	A_BUILD_FIRST	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.956
6	MGHB wave tank cell piston-only baseline	MGHB / wave	74.5	B_STRONG_BENCH	LOW €250–€900	0.792
7	Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig cycle-rate limit test	Pure DGTE	72.2	B_STRONG_BENCH	LOW €250–€900	0.795
8	Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig torque/current sweep	Pure DGTE	72.1	B_STRONG_BENCH	LOW €250–€900	0.795
9	MGHB wave tank cell OWC/pneumatic-only baseline	MGHB / wave	70.4	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.687
10	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench DGTE wet-crossover bell helper	Pure DGTE	70.0	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.963
11	Hydraulic balanced lock rig empty lock equalization baseline	Pure DGTE	69.9	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.878
12	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench HTH flooded intake stabilizer	HTH / trompe	69.8	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.967
13	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench MGHB water-filled coupling / anti-air seal	MGHB / wave	69.4	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.963
14	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench DGTE-HTH passive wet-lock assist line	DGTE × HTH	69.3	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.958
15	MGHB wave tank cell slam/leak survival cycle	MGHB / wave	69.3	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.681
16	DGTE-HTH modular assist slice modular tandem decision pass	DGTE × HTH	68.5	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.665
17	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench Experiment 0 / flooded-cup primer side-bench	Siphon helper	67.9	B_STRONG_BENCH	VERY_LOW €50–€250	0.979
18	DGTE-HTH modular assist slice pressure buffer only	DGTE × HTH	67.8	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.665
19	Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig double-rotary cassette comparison	Pure DGTE	67.4	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.676
20	DGTE-HTH modular assist slice degassing + pressure smoother	DGTE × HTH	67.2	B_STRONG_BENCH	MEDIUM €900–€2800	0.654

Device families

Family-level status

Family	Plans	Best current experiment	Best score	Mean risk	Cost classes	Verdict
HTH / trompe Build first	5	Transparent HTH / trompe channel minimum clear-pipe velocity ramp	85.1	0.294	VERY_LOW:2, LOW:3	Strongest low-cost kill-test branch: transparent channel, entrainment threshold, separator pressure, loaded airflow, and losses.
MGHB / wave High upside	6	MGHB wave tank cell piston-only baseline	74.5	0.388	LOW:1, MEDIUM:2, VERY_LOW:2, HIGH:1	Best coastal/infrastructure upside, but needs wave-tank proof of wave reduction plus useful work.
Pure DGTE Alive but hard	13	Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig single pocket dye/carry-over test	77.3	0.462	VERY_LOW:3, LOW:5, MEDIUM:4, HIGH:1	Do not jump to a full machine. Attack crossover work, carry-over, leakage, cycle rate, and thermal closure separately.
DGTE × HTH Modular only	5	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench DGTE-HTH passive wet-lock assist line	69.3	0.448	VERY_LOW:1, MEDIUM:3, HIGH:1	Keep as modular tandem. Hybrid value must beat best parent modes after input and complexity penalty.
Siphon helper Helper only	5	Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench Experiment 0 / flooded-cup primer side-bench	67.9	0.252	VERY_LOW:5	Cheap circulation/priming branch. It can reduce losses but cannot be counted as an energy source.
Solar/PV compare Comparator	4	Solar/PV-water comparison loop PV counterfactual same-area test	54.9	0.360	LOW:1, MEDIUM:3	Solar DGTE survives only if it beats same-area PV/PV‑T or uniquely upgrades low-grade waste heat.
Frontier Seed bank	4	Frontier membrane/bubble-pod rig single semi-sealed pod	37.1	0.795	VERY_LOW:1, LOW:3	Keep for isolated curiosity tests and salvage; do not let it outrank cleaner kill-tests without data.

v0.7a helper primitive

Water-sealed bell / flooded-cup primer

Passive helper

What it is

The flooded-cup trick becomes WATER_SEALED_BELL_INTAKE: an inverted water-filled cup/bell over a tube inlet that helps prime the tube, keeps air out, allows shallow-water pickup, and stabilizes intake flow.

Best v0.7a rank: #10 — Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench, DGTE wet-crossover bell helper. Experiment 0 ranks #17.

Hard accounting rule

What it is not

It is not a generator and not an energy source. source_credit_kw = 0. It only receives credit if it reduces priming loss, pump-start loss, air ingestion, transfer J/cycle, crossover instability, or shallow-intake failure after added losses and complexity.

Best use: cheap side-bench, then attach only to HTH intake, siphon/thermosiphon, DGTE wet crossover, MGHB coupling, or DGTE‑HTH wet-lock tests if measured helper value is positive.

Bench kit

Materials and sensors for first builds

Water-sealed bell / siphon-primer bench

Transparent HTH / trompe channel

MGHB wave tank cell

Pure DGTE rotary/starwheel crossover rig

Hydraulic balanced lock rig

Integrated DGTE thermal slice

Decision discipline

Current decision tree

START | |-- Cheapest high-learning test? → Transparent HTH / trompe channel. | If entrainment + pressure + loaded air output pass: advance HTH outdoor/deep-pool test. | If fail: salvage Venturi/degassing data and demote HTH power claim. | |-- Highest-upside coastal branch? → MGHB wave tank cell. | If wave reduction and useful work beat baselines: advance mini-breakwater array. | If power weak but wave reduction strong: salvage as smart breakwater. | |-- Pure DGTE viability? → Starwheel crossover and/or hydraulic balanced lock. | If transfer J/cycle, carry-over, or friction fail: pure DGTE waits. | If pass: integrate best crossover into thermal slice. | |-- Hybrid? → Modular assist slice only after parent measurements. | If assisted mode beats best parent after input + complexity penalty: hybrid branch survives. | If not: keep modular tandem, reject over-integrated claims. | |-- Water-sealed bell? → Experiment 0 side-bench. | If net_helper_value > 0 and repeated cycles survive: attach as helper. | Always source_credit_kw = 0. Never call it a generator. | |-- Solar? → Same-area PV/PV‑T comparison first. | If PV/PV‑T wins: solar DGTE becomes special-case top-up only.

Interlinked device pages

Where this page fits

Concept pages

DGTE.html — pure/core DGTE concept page.
HTH.html — horizontal trompe / pressure concept.
MGHB.html — wave / breakwater / piston concept.
DGTE-HTH.html — modular hybrid synthesis.

This page

MDLxDCC-Arena-DGTE.html is the empirical coordination layer: current bench priorities, kill criteria, materials/sensors, and next build decisions. The concept pages explain the devices; this page tells us what to measure next.