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A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy
Posted on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 @ 20:51:42 UTC by vlad
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Anonymous writes: Three main fields need to be exploited if we are to realise clean energy.
A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy
Over the past year many luminaries have made clarion calls for a concerted effort to solve the energy crisis. It is a crisis, with 300 million middle class Chinese determined to attain the unsustainable lifestyle we have sold them. Their thirst for oil is growing at 30% a year, and can do nothing but heat the earth and spark political conflict.
We have been heating the earth since the agricultural revolution with the positive result of providing 10,000 years of warm stability. But since the Industrial revolution we have been pushing the biosphere over the brink. Life forces have done this before -- during the snowball earth period ( Cryogenian Period ) in the Neoproterozoic toward the end of the Precambrian - but that life force was not sentient!
Thomas Freedman of the New York Times has called for a Manhattan Project for clean energy The New York Times> Search> Abstract. Richard Smalley, one of the fathers of nanotechnology, has made a similar plea http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/2004/040902.Smalley.energy.html.
We are at the cusp in several technologies to fulfilling this clean energy dream. All that we need is the political leadership to shift our fiscal priorities.
I feel our resources should be focused in three promising technologies:
1. Nanotechnology: The exploitation of quantum effects is finally being seen in these new materials. Photovoltaics (PV) are at last going beyond silicon, with many companies promising near-term breakthroughs in efficiencies and lower cost. Even silicon is gaining new efficienies from nano-tech: Researchers develop technique to use dirty silicon, could pave way for cheaper solar energy http://www.physorg.com/news5831.html
New work on diodes also has great implications for PV, LEDs and micro-electronics Nanotubes make perfect diodes (August 2005) - News - PhysicsWeb http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/9/8/11
And direct solar to hydrogen, I was told they have hit 10% efficiency and solved mass production problems: Hydrogen Solar home http://www.hydrogensolar.com/index.html
And just coming out of the lab, this looks very strong, it brings full spectrum efficiencies to PVs: UB News Services-solar nano-dots
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=75000009
1a. Thermionics: The direct conversion of heat to electricity has been at best only 5% efficient. Now with quantum tunneling chips we are talking 80% of carnot efficiency. A good example is the proposed thermionic car design of Borealis. ( http://www.borealis.gi/press/NEW-GOLDEN-AGE-IBM.Speech.6=04.pdf ) . The estimated well-to-wheel efficiency is over 50%. This compares to 13% for internal combustion and 27% for hydrogen fuel cells. This means a car that has a range of 1500 miles on one fill up. Rodney T. Cox, president of Borealis, has told me that he plans to have this car developed within two years. Boeing has already used his Chorus motor drives http://www.chorusmotors.gi/.
on the nose gear of it's 767. (Boeing Demonstrates New Technology for Moving Airplanes on the Ground http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q3/nr_050801a.html )
The Borealis thermocouple power chips http://www.powerchips.gi/index.shtml (and cool chips) applied to all the waste heat in our economy would make our unsustainable lifestyle more than sustainable.
You may find an extensive discussion on thermo electric patents at: Nanalyze Forums - Direct conversion of heat to electricity http://www.nanalyze.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1006
2. Biotechnology: Since his revolutionary work on the human genome project, Craig Venter has been finding thousands of previously unknown life forms in the sea and air. His goal is to use these creatures to develop the ultimate energy bug to produce hydrogen and or use of their photoreceptor genes for solar energy. http://www.venterscience.org/ Imagine a bioreactor in your home taking all your waste, adding some solar energy, and your electric and transportation needs are fulfilled.
3. Fusion: Here I am not talking about the big science ITER project taking thirty years, but the several small alternative plasma fusion efforts and maybe bubble fusion - Is bubble fusion back? (July 2005) - News - PhysicsWeb
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/9/7/8 )
On the big science side I do have hopes for the LDX : http://psfcwww2.psfc.mit.edu/ldx/.
.
There are three companies pursuing hydrogen-boron plasma toroid fusion, Paul Koloc, Prometheus II, Eric Lerner, Focus Fusion and Clint Seward of Electron Power Systems http://www.electronpowersystems.com/ . A resent DOD review of EPS technology reads as fallows:
"MIT considers these plasmas a revolutionary breakthrough, with Delphi's
chief scientist and senior manager for advanced technology both agreeing
that EST/SPT physics are repeatable and theoretically explainable. MIT and
EPS have jointly authored numerous professional papers describing their
work. (Delphi is a B company, the spun off Delco Division of General
Motors)."
and
"Cost: no cost data available. The complexity of reliable mini-toroid
formation and acceleration with compact, relatively low-cost equipment
remains to be determined. Yet the fact that the EPS/MIT STTR work this
technology has attracted interest from Delphi is very significant, as the
automotive electronics industry is considered to be extremely demanding of
functionality per dollar and pound (e.g., mil-spec performance at
Wal-Mart-class 'commodity' prices)."
EPS, Electron Power Systems seems the strongest and most advanced, and I love the scalability, They propose applications as varied as home power generation@ .ooo5 cents/KWhr, cars, distributed power, airplanes, space propulsion , power storage and kinetic weapons.
It also provides a theoretic base for ball lighting : Ball Lightning Explained as a Stable Plasma Toroid http://www.electronpowersystems.com/Images/Ball%20Lightning%20Explained.pdf
The theoretics are all there in peer reviewed papers. It does sound to good to be true however with names like MIT, Delphi, STTR grants, NIST grants , etc., popping up all over, I have to keep investigating.
Recent support has also come from one of the top lightning researcher in the world, Joe Dwyer at FIT, when he got his Y-ray and X-ray research published in the May issue of Scientific American,
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=1&articleID=00032CE5-13B7-1264-8F9683414B7FFE9F
Dwyer's paper:
http://www.lightning.ece.ufl.edu/PDF/Gammarays.pdf
and according to Clint Seward it supports his lightning models and fusion work at Electron Power Systems
Clint sent Joe and I his new paper on a lightning charge transport model of cloud to ground lightning (he did not want me to post it to the web yet). Joe was supportive and suggested some other papers to consider and Clint is now in re-write.
It may also explain Elves, blue jets, sprites and red sprites, plasmas that appear above thunder storms. After a little searching, this seemed to have the best hard numbers on the observations of sprites.
Dr. Mark A. Stanley's Dissertation
http://nis-www.lanl.gov/~stanleym/dissertation/main.html
And may also explain the spiral twist of some fulgurites, hollow fused sand tubes found in sandy ground at lightning strikes.
The learning curve is so steep now, and with the resources of the online community, I'm sure we can rally greater support to solve this paramount problem of our time. I hold no truck with those who argue that big business or government are suppressing these technologies. It is only our complacency and comfort that blind us from pushing our leaders toward clean energy.
Erich J. Knight
shengar@aol.com
(540) 289-9750
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Re: A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy (Score: 1)
by irjsi on Thursday, September 22, 2005 @ 11:47:02 UTC
(User Info | Send a Message) | 5 Stars X 5 Stars for this article ! Tally would not accept a second 5 Star Accolade; no Ballot Stuffing here.
Mr. Erich Knight,
" Manhatten Project " effort has been on many minds for a significant time; Even before India and China commenced their birthing of significant "Middle Class" populations, with attendant accumulation of 'disposable income' .
re. "Wealth Feeds People; Pvoerty Doesn't!"
Mother Theresa, despite her vow of and her devotion to her 'wonderful works', would have accomplished very little had 'the wealth of others' been refused her!
'De-throning' of the 'status-quo'? Not possible in the near future.
What is possible is "local effort" at a 'local level' !
Persons and companies with projects which are ready to "Get the Show on the Road" 'tap resources within their communities and/or 'circle of Social contacts': Trade Schools, Junior Colleges, bright High School students.
Influential 'persons of means' within their communities.
Objective(s): to "Get the Show on the Road"
Even a 1% reduction in use of Petroleum would be a start. BUT IT WOULD BE A START !
re. 'Manhatten Project' effort.
What I have not observed, especially considering the 10-30 year 'lead time' before fuel cells are to able to meet cost/benefit advantages, are comments regarding the 'Legions of Teachers, Techincians, and Mechanics who must be trained in the application-installation of Alternative Energy devices!
One 'supplemental H2 device' at one school on one 'internal combustion engine' will yield skill/awareness of tuning/timing, idiosynchratic to 'dual fuel' engines.
BMW offers an H2 powered IC engine; that expertise is on the road!
Regarding ITER, and new 'Fission source Generator plants: If Nuclear is so safe and clean, why aren't Supper Clubs and Day Care Centers located in Containment buildings?
Alternative energies? We are only 30 to 100 years behind schedule!
Alternative energies? 'Legions of Teachers, Techincians, and Mechanics must be trained, NOW!
one vehicle at a time, in 100 or 1000 cities around the Globe! You! the reader/enthusiast, are the catalyst for our future!
Alternative energies! "Get the Show on the Road";
Roy Stewart
Phoenix AZ
irjsiq@gmail.com
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Re: A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy (Score: 1)
by nadero on Thursday, September 22, 2005 @ 12:44:48 UTC
(User Info | Send a Message) | "NASA Langley Research Center
2005-04-30T09:31:29Z; 2005-04-30T09:31:29Z; 2000-12; 2000-12; 20010313
This report describes the analysis of the Electron Spiral Toroid (EST) concept being promoted by Electron Power Systems Inc. (EPS). The EST is described as a toroidal plasma structure composed of ion and electron shells. It is claimed that the EST requires little or no external confinement, despite the extraordinarily large energy densities resulting from the self-generating magnetic fields. The present analysis is based upon documentation made available by EPS, a previous description of the model by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and direct discussions with EPS and MIT. It is found that claims of absolute stability and large energy storage capacities of the EST concept have not been substantiated. Notably, it can be demonstrated that the ion fluid is fundamentally unstable. Although various scenarios for ion confinement were subsequently suggested by EPS and MIT, none were found to be plausible. Although the experimental data does not prove the existence of EST configurations, there is undeniable experimental evidence that some type of plasma structures whose characteristics remain to be determined are observed. However, more realistic theoretical models must first be developed to explain their existence and properties before applications of interest to NASA can be assessed and developed. "
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/index.cgi?method=search&limit=25&offset=0&mode=simple&order=DESC&keywords=Electron+Spiral+Toroid%0D%0A
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Re: A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy (Score: 1)
by penny456 on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 @ 06:30:26 UTC
(User Info | Send a Message) | | Please make more way to create Clean energy.
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