BREAKTHROUGH: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/12/politics ... s-climate/
This is the second article I ran across where there was a net energy gain via a mechanical process creating nuclear fusion. It's great that a second method has been proven feasible, but really. I don't see any of this being tamed to the level of powering my sedan anytime in the foreseeable future. Heating things up to 150 million degrees centigrade to get to that fusion point just might cause some resistance from those global warming prognosticators. LOL
Nuclear Fusion
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Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
I wonder if Vanadium Dioxide, which has a lot of promising ways of conducting electricity without heat may someday be used to power our computers, and later our cars.
Nuclear Fission vs Nuclear Fusion.
The high heat needed to create the atomic level reaction could be done on a microscopic scale, using a split second pulse of energy to create the reaction. Despite the initial split second high temp burst, the electrical output would be clean and efficient, no waste. And the heat wouldn't be enough to burn your hand if you were holding the tiny reaction chamber. But the main key here is No Waste, No Emissions. The heat from the cars drive motors would be much more than the heat from the device making the electric to power those motors.
Currently, an electric car is no cleaner than a gas car, when all things are considered, electric cars might even be worse for the environment.
Nuclear Fission vs Nuclear Fusion.
The high heat needed to create the atomic level reaction could be done on a microscopic scale, using a split second pulse of energy to create the reaction. Despite the initial split second high temp burst, the electrical output would be clean and efficient, no waste. And the heat wouldn't be enough to burn your hand if you were holding the tiny reaction chamber. But the main key here is No Waste, No Emissions. The heat from the cars drive motors would be much more than the heat from the device making the electric to power those motors.
Currently, an electric car is no cleaner than a gas car, when all things are considered, electric cars might even be worse for the environment.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
The salient point is that no nuclear device generates electricity that is usable. The fission and fusion reactors we know about produce heat that is used to activate devices which output electric current. Generating that heat by fission is relatively easy. Doing it by fusion requires equipment that only governments can afford to buy. The pursuit of a viable fusion reactor is motivated by it's clean operation: no radioactive waste. The article above and the other one I read details methods that cannot be applied to automobiles. They can't even be practical for galactic space ships of urban proportions. That's not to say fusion will never be tamed, but at this point in time it looks very expensive and confined to the laboratories of science.
Getting away from cars that rely on fossil fuel to move them is a good idea if for no other reason than the fossil fuel will run out some day. Thus something renewable, portable, and cheap is necessary if we are aiming for Electric Vehicle transportation. There will be better batteries and potentially things like solar cells for consumer use. We are getting closer to a fossil fuel free automobile, but it's not going to happen in our life times. Our kids or their kids certainly will enjoy such things if they can afford to buy them.
Getting away from cars that rely on fossil fuel to move them is a good idea if for no other reason than the fossil fuel will run out some day. Thus something renewable, portable, and cheap is necessary if we are aiming for Electric Vehicle transportation. There will be better batteries and potentially things like solar cells for consumer use. We are getting closer to a fossil fuel free automobile, but it's not going to happen in our life times. Our kids or their kids certainly will enjoy such things if they can afford to buy them.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
We don't think about steam power much these days anymore.
But I saw an show on the steam channel, or it might have been on the science channel, of a group of college engineers who designed an enclosed high pressure steam engine, one that you did not have to replace the water in for months of running. It used very high pressure too, secondarily right before either the turbine or piston assembly, well above the 200 psi of steam locomotives, but worked on the same principle, except this enclosed engine was up around 2000 psi.
It was a while ago, so I don't remember all the details about it, but it seemed like the main boiler tank was a lower pressure, around 300 psi, and the secondary boiler tank was the one up around 2000 psi, and the tank that drove the mechanical parts, which in turn drove a dynamo. I know it also had to do with super magnets and a few other things high tech.
The thing about it was, it was small enough in size to be used on a motorcycle, except for the water cooling part of the system which was twice the size of a car radiator. Even with that part, it was about the size of a window air conditioner.
In fact, they explained the principle of their water management system to that of an air conditioner. The high pressure is spent turning the turbine or driving the piston back and forth back down to close to the boiler pressure, but still just above that. Then the steam cools and condenses back into water again as it flows back to and through the radiator, and because the radiator and boiler are at about the same pressure, the water drains back into the boiler. Steam from boiler is injected into the super heated cylinder in spurts matched to cycles of the pistons movement back and forth, where the steam pressure increases to the 2000 psi used to drive the piston, or a turbine can also be used equally as well. The mechanical motion ran a small dynamo sized for the output needed for the operation.
The only drawback to the system is it still used a fuel to create the heat. If they tried to use an electrical or arc heating system, it would be self defeating as perpetual motion is impossible, hi hi. It still takes a source of heat to convert the power to electrical power to run the drive motor on the powered device.
On another but similar topic. Are you familiar with a Toy known as the Putt Putt Boat. Unfortunately, it only works on a small bathtub size boat scale, and cannot be scaled up to a larger size.
It consists of nothing more than a hollow brass tube that is bent at the end to form a single circle coil, or two circle coil if you prefer. You put a couple drops of water in it, one time, and it will continue to run all day if you use an all day candle in it, like a votive light. It works simply by the expansion and contraction of the water in the tube. At one time I could explain how this works, it is interesting how the system works, so maybe look it up some time.
But I saw an show on the steam channel, or it might have been on the science channel, of a group of college engineers who designed an enclosed high pressure steam engine, one that you did not have to replace the water in for months of running. It used very high pressure too, secondarily right before either the turbine or piston assembly, well above the 200 psi of steam locomotives, but worked on the same principle, except this enclosed engine was up around 2000 psi.
It was a while ago, so I don't remember all the details about it, but it seemed like the main boiler tank was a lower pressure, around 300 psi, and the secondary boiler tank was the one up around 2000 psi, and the tank that drove the mechanical parts, which in turn drove a dynamo. I know it also had to do with super magnets and a few other things high tech.
The thing about it was, it was small enough in size to be used on a motorcycle, except for the water cooling part of the system which was twice the size of a car radiator. Even with that part, it was about the size of a window air conditioner.
In fact, they explained the principle of their water management system to that of an air conditioner. The high pressure is spent turning the turbine or driving the piston back and forth back down to close to the boiler pressure, but still just above that. Then the steam cools and condenses back into water again as it flows back to and through the radiator, and because the radiator and boiler are at about the same pressure, the water drains back into the boiler. Steam from boiler is injected into the super heated cylinder in spurts matched to cycles of the pistons movement back and forth, where the steam pressure increases to the 2000 psi used to drive the piston, or a turbine can also be used equally as well. The mechanical motion ran a small dynamo sized for the output needed for the operation.
The only drawback to the system is it still used a fuel to create the heat. If they tried to use an electrical or arc heating system, it would be self defeating as perpetual motion is impossible, hi hi. It still takes a source of heat to convert the power to electrical power to run the drive motor on the powered device.
On another but similar topic. Are you familiar with a Toy known as the Putt Putt Boat. Unfortunately, it only works on a small bathtub size boat scale, and cannot be scaled up to a larger size.
It consists of nothing more than a hollow brass tube that is bent at the end to form a single circle coil, or two circle coil if you prefer. You put a couple drops of water in it, one time, and it will continue to run all day if you use an all day candle in it, like a votive light. It works simply by the expansion and contraction of the water in the tube. At one time I could explain how this works, it is interesting how the system works, so maybe look it up some time.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
Putt Putt Boat Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9KV6c7MH7s
I am totally blown away by this toy. LOL The video has a demonstration and a very good explanation of how and why this boat works. Never in a million years would I figure out the physics but it all makes sense as explained. The only down side to the video is that the last third or so is a sales pitch. You can stop watching after the explanation is completed. This is one of those inventions that make me wonder how that first person to make it came upon the idea. He or she surely was thinking out of the box.
I guess old man Stanley invented a Steamer vehicle back in his days. He must have lived in Florida or some other place where water never freezes. I mentioned in some other thread that I read about a flow battery which is energized by pouring water through it. It has to be salty water in order to get the electrodes conducting, but that's all it takes. That particular battery is not too efficient compared to lithium, but they can be made cheaply and are easy to recycle. The article I read described a car powered by such a battery just for proof of concept. But, that particular system has all the elements necessary to go all electric at a reasonable cost with no pollution.
I am totally blown away by this toy. LOL The video has a demonstration and a very good explanation of how and why this boat works. Never in a million years would I figure out the physics but it all makes sense as explained. The only down side to the video is that the last third or so is a sales pitch. You can stop watching after the explanation is completed. This is one of those inventions that make me wonder how that first person to make it came upon the idea. He or she surely was thinking out of the box.
I guess old man Stanley invented a Steamer vehicle back in his days. He must have lived in Florida or some other place where water never freezes. I mentioned in some other thread that I read about a flow battery which is energized by pouring water through it. It has to be salty water in order to get the electrodes conducting, but that's all it takes. That particular battery is not too efficient compared to lithium, but they can be made cheaply and are easy to recycle. The article I read described a car powered by such a battery just for proof of concept. But, that particular system has all the elements necessary to go all electric at a reasonable cost with no pollution.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
I had a few of these putt-putt boats as a kid and was amazed at how they could possibly work and not use up their water.
Well, I did learn, that if you uses too hot of a heat source, you could end up using up the water and melting the solder on the little can. Which is why one with two loops of the solid tube works also. But again, too much heat and you blow the water out the back as steam and the boat stops moving.
In science class we built several different types of Layden Jars, but in the end, they all work about the same way, and have the same rate of decline per cell.
We used steam to heat our greenhouses, because at the time, it was the most efficient way to heat acres under glass.
Well, I did learn, that if you uses too hot of a heat source, you could end up using up the water and melting the solder on the little can. Which is why one with two loops of the solid tube works also. But again, too much heat and you blow the water out the back as steam and the boat stops moving.
In science class we built several different types of Layden Jars, but in the end, they all work about the same way, and have the same rate of decline per cell.
We used steam to heat our greenhouses, because at the time, it was the most efficient way to heat acres under glass.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
Your comments about Putt Putt needing to run cool are consistent with the explanation. All steam coming out the exhaust side gets you going nowhere. It has to be water pushed out by the steam behind it. It's the moving water that creates the momentum.
The Leyden Jars are like capacitors in that they store electrical charges applied externally. A flow battery actually generates electricity internally between two electrodes. While all that is true an external pump is required to get the fluids inside the battery flowing. I'm not sure who is actually using them, but you can buy one online as a battery backup for your home electrical system.
The Leyden Jars are like capacitors in that they store electrical charges applied externally. A flow battery actually generates electricity internally between two electrodes. While all that is true an external pump is required to get the fluids inside the battery flowing. I'm not sure who is actually using them, but you can buy one online as a battery backup for your home electrical system.
Re: Nuclear Fusion
I made a couple of putt-putt boats like I had as a kid, and quickly found out, if you use larger size brass tubing, they didn't work well, and larger tubing, not at all. I melted the solder joints on one I made by using one of those Nesbit fuel cells for steam engines you could buy.
I probably should not have used the word Layden Jar, because I meant a simple salt water battery.
Heck, I've even made batteries using a zinc coated nail and a copper wire in a potato.
Salt water batteries are easy to make, but the mAh rating is low, so you need to put several together in parallel to the mAh up high enough to do anything with it. The one's I've made had around two and a half volts, more than a normal battery.
Now if I used Aluminum instead of Zinc, the voltage was lower, over 1.5 volts, but under 2 volts, but not enough mAh to do anything with unless you made several. If you need higher voltage, wire then in series, but for more current you have to wire them in parallel. If I recall from the last time I played with them, it took 6 small cups of salt water wired in parallel to get an LED to run all night long. What I don't remember is if you disconnected the LED and waited until the next night if they built up their charge again. I don't think they did, but required a new piece of aluminum or zinc to get them going again, plus cleaning off the copper wire or piece of copper flashing which works best.
I probably should not have used the word Layden Jar, because I meant a simple salt water battery.
Heck, I've even made batteries using a zinc coated nail and a copper wire in a potato.
Salt water batteries are easy to make, but the mAh rating is low, so you need to put several together in parallel to the mAh up high enough to do anything with it. The one's I've made had around two and a half volts, more than a normal battery.
Now if I used Aluminum instead of Zinc, the voltage was lower, over 1.5 volts, but under 2 volts, but not enough mAh to do anything with unless you made several. If you need higher voltage, wire then in series, but for more current you have to wire them in parallel. If I recall from the last time I played with them, it took 6 small cups of salt water wired in parallel to get an LED to run all night long. What I don't remember is if you disconnected the LED and waited until the next night if they built up their charge again. I don't think they did, but required a new piece of aluminum or zinc to get them going again, plus cleaning off the copper wire or piece of copper flashing which works best.