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fuel cells

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In Reply to: Re: electric vehicles and centralized pollution posted by Mart on June 28, 2000 at 12:40:07:

have some experience with fuel cells and ultra-high performance batteries. Assisted with basic research and development back in 80's and 90's. The technology has been on the shelf for some time--some bugs to work out yet, but nothing techlologicaly difficult. Once again, it's an economy of scale thing. Building one hydrogen fuel cell to power a space station or submarine is no biggie, if you have government cash. Getting North America to dump the power grid is something else, and getting General Motors and MobileExxon to give up the gasoline/internal combustion engine--ha! Never happen. Have you seen them going out of their way to build a car that's impractical? That's not an accident. Take the graphite frame design of an Indy car, put in a hybrid engine, you've got a safer car than Detroit can build that gets 80 mpg. Piece of pie. Easy as cake.
Look what happened to Tucker. Got a good idea for a car? Good luck!
Oh--bigest technological hurtle for electric vehicles: they aren't loud when you stomp the "gas". We're gonna have to sample some Lake pipes on old 'Vettes and rig a sound system...

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Re: fuel cells Mart 13:59:02 06/28/00 (7)
Funny you should say that. Actually, I heard that street tests showed that these cars were dangerously quiet. Many inattentive pedestrians thought they were parked.
It reminds me of early racing days where they learned to put additives in the ethanol after EMTs were running into flames that were invisible because it ironicly burned too clean (much like the perfume put into natural gases to warn of leaks).
Have you seen the Sterling engine? Cool concept. Although, I would heave hydrogen as the working fluid for obvious reasons. (I almost was going to work on it back in the mid 80s with MTI when industry was expanding madly around here. I miss those times.)
- burning alcohol petew 14:31:27 06/28/00 (6)
  yep, pure fuels are wicked dangerous. I've seen plenty of alcohol fires in the lab. I remember one of the techs, a smoker (this was when it was still legal) was doing a hot IPA wash in a filtering centrifuge. Not a great idea, because the motor was underneath and had brushes. When I walked in his lab the entire bench was on fire and he was leaning with his back to it, casually smoking.
  "karl, did you realize your entire test is on fire?"
  he turns to look, sees nothing...
  "pete, I never know when to trust you."
  "karl, do you realize that motor has brushes, and brushes make sparks, and the ignition point of hot isopropanol vapors is pretty darn---hey karl, did you know your lab coat is on fire?"
  From my anlgle, across the room, I could see the shimmering hot air above the clean-burning fuel, which by now was streaming out of the centrifuge all over the bench, spreading to the floor, with just the faintest wisp of blue or yellow as it picked-up dust and contaminants.
  Karl never really had the right stuff for lab work. We promoted him to management. The company failed shortly after that. The trick in making a fuel cell work is in the membrane, and the transfer of the protons and electrons. Hydrogen is great at doing this, and lithium...works really, really good at pretending to be hydrogen.
  
  Ever try to put out a lithium fire Mart? Can't do it. Can't be done. I can show you the hole where the lab used to be, but not much else.
  I could tell some stories about research labs...but you wouldn't believe them. The stereotype of nutty professors, way understated. way, way understated.
  - I won't huh? Mart 16:31:43 06/28/00 (5)
    Did I tell you I work in one?
    My fav is about an experienced chemist. This genius spilled some coffee on his polyester slacks. So, what did this doctor do? He cleaned it with acetone.
    The worst story was about a tech who was worried about a swage mandrel struck while autofrettaging a cannon tube from the 200ksi contact pressure. So, he removed the hydraulics & looked down the tube to see what was the problem. When this spring unloaded.
    How about the safety officer who was amidst denying a tech steel reinforcement on a small window of bullet proof safety glass when a nut blew inside the fatigue test cell while the rig was cycling 100ksi haulic fluid) & headed directly for the no longer existing aforemenrtioned? All survived.
    I've got plenty....
    - a favor late 17:19:10 06/28/00 (4)
      Hi Mart,
      i love stuff like that. But my technical knowledge is quite limited. So i can't read between the typos like i can with some other stuff. I would really like to know what the heck that was about.
      - Re: a favor Mart 17:42:22 06/28/00 (2)
        
        In Reply to: a favor posted by late on June 28, 2000 at 17:19:10:
        
        My favorite is about an experienced chemist. This genius spilled some coffee on his polyester slacks. So, what did this doctor do? He cleaned it with acetone (active ingredient in fingernail polish remover).
        The worst story was about a technician who was worried about a dummy oversized bullet struck while being forced through a smaller cannon tube from the 14,000 atmospheres contact pressure. So, he removed the hydraulics & looked down the tube to see what was the problem when this spring unloaded.
        How about the safety officer who was amidst denying a technician some steel reinforcement on a small window of bullet proof safety glass when a nut blew inside the fatigue test cell while the rig was cycling 7,000 atmospheres of pressurized hydraulic fluid) & headed directly for the no longer existing aforementioned? All survived.
        
        any clearer? Mart 05:33:34 06/29/00 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Re: a favor posted by Mart on June 28, 2000 at 17:42:22:
        
        tell me what remains confusing.
        
        yes, thanks -nt- late 10:19:33 06/29/00 (0)
        
        In Reply to: any clearer? posted by Mart on June 29, 2000 at 05:33:34:
        
        xx
      - Same here... Victor Khomenko 17:32:10 06/28/00 (0)
        
        In Reply to: a favor posted by late on June 28, 2000 at 17:19:10:
        
        Missed about 60%.
        Got the general idea, though: There are idiots everywhere.

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