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Welcome to the May 2009 Issue of the Electronix Express Newsletter
STORIES |
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Fuel cells will continue to generate power so long as they contain fuel and an oxidant. Because the conversion of the fuel takes place using an electrochemical process rather than combustion (as is the case with, for example, coal-powered energy plans) fuel cell technology is relatively clean, quiet and efficient. The theory behind fuel cells has been around for over 150 years. Christian Friedrich Schönbein, a German scientist, is credited with making important initial discoveries in the field in 1838. The first fuel cell model was developed a year later in 1839 by Welsh scientist Sir William Robert Grove and used substances analogous to those found in the phosphoric acid fuel cells of today.
Over 80 years later, scientists at General Electric (GE) began developing workable models of the technology. First, W. Thomas Grubb created a modified version of the original fuel cell. Grubb's design used a sulphonated polystyrene ion-exchange membrane as the electrolyte in 1955. Three years later, Leonard Niedrach, a GE chemist, added platinum to the membrane to act as a catalyst for the requisite hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. The resulting device was known as the "Grubb-Niedrach fuel cell" and was the basis for technology GE developed for entities like NASA . It was subsequently used to supply electricity to spacecrafts used during the Project Gemini manned spaceflight program in 1965 and 1966.
Much has been made recently of fuel cell engines as a replacement for the combustion engines found in gas-powered cars, though the underlying technology isn't entirely late-breaking. The concepts behind fuel cells have been familiar to scientists for over 100 years, and the technology has been used by NASA to power space-faring vehicles for decades. The Administration used fuel cells to power missions in its Apollo program, active from 1961 to 1975. They are also currently used in the space shuttle program.
However, potential applications for fuel cells stretch well beyond powering vehicles -- even tiny electronic devices can conceivably be powered by the technology. In any application that needs electricity or power, the fuel cell can be used. In a car it would replace an engine. In a building it would replace the generator, or however they make their power. In a cell phone, it would replace the battery. In fact, fuel cells are hard at work powering thousands of buildings around the country including hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, office buildings, schools and utility power plants. What of the future? According to energy analysts, though fuel cells have a small role now, they will have an even larger impact in the future.
Despite these issues, one of the benefits of fuel cells is its reliability. In addition to using different types of fuel, the technology uses different forms of these fuels. Ford and Honda, for example, have fuel cells that use gas hydrogen, while BMW's solution uses liquid hydrogen. General Motors, meanwhile, is testing hydrogen in a variety of states. It is only a matter of time that fuel cell technology will gain wide acceptance.
There's also a set of tidal-power technologies. They have been used for a number of years in river estuaries and capturing the water in high tide and releasing it through hydro turbines. Now, there are some different metals being explored to use some of the latest research in looking at using slow-moving water. According to researchers, there is some research that is looking at using the different levels of waters, peaks and lows, and using that to push the water through the turbines. Another category of ocean energy involves trying to take advantage of the turbine energy in deep water. Tidal energy, derived from turbines driven by the motion of the tides or river or ocean currents, shows incredible potential. A company called Verdant Power has been running a research project on the East River since 2006.
Hydrogen power also belongs more in the realm of potential than practical energy sources. Hydrogen power has received attention primarily due to its possible use as an automotive fuel. On the biofuels front algae fuel or algae-based biofuel holds great promise, due to its energy potential. According to the researchers, algae contains up to 30 times more fuel than equivalent amounts of other biofuel sources and can be grown almost anywhere. Some of those fringe technologies have made more progress toward practical use than others. As noted by many researchers, there is more to discover on the edges.
HP achieved its milestone, it said, as measured by industry standard benchmarks with a 6930p configuration that included an optional ultra-capacity battery. To lessen the drain on the batteries, HP also used energy-efficient components, including an Intel solid-state drive (SSD) and mercury-free LED (light emitting diode) displays. Intel's SSD provides as much as a 7 percent increase in battery life as compared with traditional hard disk drives, and the LED monitor boosts battery life by up to 4 hours compared to standard LCD displays, the company said. As stated by HP product marketing manager, "HP can help users get through even strenuous computing needs on a single charge. We're thrilled that our HP engineering, energy-efficient components namely, the SSD and Intel chip and Earth-friendly components, mercury-free LED displays, have resulted in this feat.
The HP EliteBook 6930p featuring these specific components will be available in October, according to HP. It starts at 4.7 pounds and features a 14.1-inch widescreen display.
As computer processing chips have advanced, traditional chip assembly techniques have limited the ability of manufacturers to continue to shrink them while still growing their speed and power. Most current microchips use tiny glass insulators to absorb and help dissipate heat from the surrounding wires. Other researchers have attempted to create a vacuum effect around chip wires to eliminate the need for insulators to be installed. Doing so would free up additional space on the chip for transistors. However, IBM's tests show the new technique can be integrated into existing chip fabrication facilities without major changes to the way things are done and that its approach could yield millions of chips with consistent, high performance results. The air-gap process eliminates a process by which transistors are installed on insulating material, which is then etched out with lasers. Instead, IBM's now-patented approach involves a liquid mixture of compounds that are poured over a wafer on which wires have already been installed. The chip is then baked, with the result being trillions of uniform, nano-scale holes across the surface of a chip wafer. By removing material from the wafer, the air holes then create a vacuum called an "air-gap" that acts as an insulator while causing relatively little friction.
IBM is hoping to start using the technique as soon as 2009 on its own chips, the company said. However, it may be some time after that before the technique becomes widespread through licensing of the IBM technology or development of similar approaches. Still, the advance is one of several IBM researchers have rolled out in recent weeks as the longtime patent leader seeks to reinvigorate its image as a developer of cutting-edge technology.
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