tungsten on 1/6/2006 at 01:11
BBC has an article about Toshibas pre-commercial prototype of a
fuel cell for laptops:
(
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5016984.stm)
It's still about 1l and 1kg or "and weighs about as much as the same measure of water." as BBC puts it.
It provides 10h power (with instant switch on, no booting of the cell).
Quote:
The fuel cell is loaded with sensors. When suddenly picked up and shaken, anti-tamper sensors lock down the fuel cell to avoid leaks.
Sounds like the sensors Toshiba uses for their HDs.
Quote:
There are small but constant whirring noises and the persistent sounds of tiny clicks made by the pump and valves. Some people may find such noises irritating.
If you can switch off the motion sensors (or at least turn them down) this would be already great for sailing boats.
My question is: how well/bad will it run on "dirty" fuel. E.g. ethanol or worse.. For me, the usefullness of these things stands and falls with this argument. If you can dump your 95% methanol and it still works - fine. I'd even put up with the 1kg 1litre bulk.
Brawler150 on 1/6/2006 at 09:13
Designing more products to function by burning fuel? This seems like a step backwards. Sure, maybe it has benefits, but none that couldn't be had by refining battery technology. Every time I see scientific advancements in energy that don't involve sustainable technology, it makes me cringe.
ignatios on 1/6/2006 at 09:54
I take it you don't consider methanol a renewable source of energy?
Scots Taffer on 1/6/2006 at 11:22
I tell you something, I run on single malt. :cool:
littlek on 1/6/2006 at 12:39
Since methanol is the fuel then I am assuming the energy produced is from a combustion reaction....still it adds to the CO2 emmisions but less than what is released generating electricity and other associated pollutants.
I don't see this as an alternative to using electricity in cities for businesses and households but being that I also do field research, this would be a great power source for laptops in the boonies. Instead of packing a generator and diesel, take a tank of biogas. Better yet, generate your own. Biogas is becoming more viable at least in the rural area where I live so this is of great interest to me.
dvrabel on 1/6/2006 at 13:05
Methanol is currently produced on an industrial scale from the methane in natural gas.
tungsten on 1/6/2006 at 13:27
And methanol is the fuel which is easiest accessible through fermentation of whatever organic waste you find, e.g. wood cuts, kitchen waste. You might even distill Scotty ;) but as long as gas is cheaper, and easier accessible, it's a niche product.
Brawler, if you include the production of the electrical energy that you use to charge your battery (at a horribly bad conversion rate), then the bill looks actually quite nice for fuel cells. They produce the electrical energy directly from the fuel, without the loss of using steam-turbines or whatever they use now. Additionally, there's simply no other way of "burning" the fuel that can be compared with a fuel cell - at least on paper.
And chemical energy (in form of methanol) is just very compact and "universal", not like the battery in your laptop now. But I'm sure they'll try the same trick as in inkjet printers. You can only use their overpriced brand of methanol :p
Briareos H on 1/6/2006 at 14:17
Quote Posted by tungsten
And methanol is the fuel which is easiest accessible through fermentation of whatever organic waste you find, e.g. wood cuts, kitchen waste. You might even distill Scotty ;) but as long as gas is cheaper, and easier accessible, it's a niche product.
You may be thinking about
ethanol, the common alcohol (the one in beverages and medicines).
Methanol from biomass is possible, but not by fermentation and it's clearly not the most effective way of production.
tungsten on 2/6/2006 at 01:04
You're right, probably not fermentation. I seem to remember that that biomass/wood chips stuff gives mostly methanol? Bit rusty on the "general lectures"-part ;)
Anyway, that brings my original question back: will it run on dirty/other stuff? E.g. ethanol.
Of course they say it only runs on their methanol, but you can fuel cars with lab-waste (at least the old ones).
littlek on 2/6/2006 at 13:00
Their methanol? Are they going to patent the gas now? My guess is the laptop gas pack will not be refillable at your local methane tank. Nothing is easy these days.
There are several dairy farms and an entire town near me who use agri wastes to generate biogas for power. They produce so much of it that the area power company buys their surplus. A single 100 head dairy farm produced enough surplus gas to heat 70 homes. The expense of setting up this biogas generating apparatus has already paid for itself considering todays prices for propane and heating oil.
A biodiesel and ethanol plant is being built about 40 miles from me. I am wondering where they are going to get enough corn and soybeans to generate all this fuel. We certainly will not be able to grow enough of these crops to meet the demand so I guess we'll import it from China. :wot:
