Fuel Cell Cars: A History In Motion

January 3, 2014 / esfein / Leave a comment

Fuel Cell Cars, the 21st century mount! bmwblog.com

From November 20 thru December 1st, the Tokyo Motor Show went off without any backfire and showcased a display of all types of vehicles. Everything from the cube-like DECA DECA super space vehicle to the quirky convertible X-Lander was displayed with vigor and intrigue. One notable display at the 2013 show was the Toyota FCV Concept Car. This car is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

The Elusive Hydrogen Fuel Cell

The idea behind the hydrogen fuel cell is simple. When hydrogen and oxygen combine they create H2O, heat, light, and a loose electron. This loose electron is captured and used as a power source.

http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/1-what-are-fuel-cells.html

How Did Groves Battery Work?

Sir William Robert Grove is considered to be the father of the fuel cell. In 1839 he created a “gas voltaic battery.”

He based his experiment on the fact that sending an electric current through water splits the water into its component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. So, Grove tried reversing the reaction – combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. This is the basis of a simple fuel cell.

The idea of reverse engineering got other scientists thinking. How did he figure that out? Though it is a simple concept, the use of hydrogen fuel cells has long been naught but an alchemist’s dream. Scientists have spent the last 150 years negotiating the delicate balance of cost efficiency. With the yield being far less than the cost of production, the experiments performed by Charles R. Alder Wright and C. Thompson led them to this conclusion:

our results were sufficiently good to convince us that if the expense of construction were no object, so that large coated plates could be employed, enabling currents of moderate magnitude to be obtained with but small current density, there would be no particular difficulty in constructing [cells] of this kind, competent to yield currents comparable with those derived from ordinary small laboratory batteries; although we concluded that the economical production of powerful currents for commercial purposes by the direct oxidation of combustible gasses did not seem to be a problem likely to be readily solved, chiefly on account of the large appliances that would be requisite

Or… “we don’t have enough money and resources.”

NASA’s Use of Fuel Cells In Space

NASA has been using fuel cell technology since the Gemini missions, which was a stepping stone to the Apollo missions. The Gemini missions gave NASA the opportunity to test, develop, and refine their space faring abilities.

Since then NASA has continued to pursue three different types of fuel cell technology: Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), regenerative fuel cells (RFCs), and solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).

PEMFCs: In theory these cells should last the longest out of the three. The only emissive byproduct of this cell is water. This water is said to be so pure that NASA plans to use it as drinking water for astronauts. While the future of these cells is bright they are definitely in need of further refinement.

RFCs: What a wonder that such a thing exists. These fuel cells create electricity, water, and heat. After the process the water is then introduced to a solar-powered electrolyzer. This takes the water and turns it back into its basic components: hydrogen and oxygen.

SOFCs: These cells are the most efficient of the three. They take energy from directly oxidizing fuels. The type of fuel is flexible and the cell is a long term champion. The only downside is that these cells need to operate at temperatures between 600-1000°C (1112-1832°F). Which… is something to sweat about.

From the Stars to the Garage

NASA has been quite generous in helping to provide the technological state we live in, from awarding the grant to the inventor of the mouse (the one you’re likely using right now) to aiding in the aerodynamic creation of the Nerf Glider. With the fuel cell it isn’t any different. Heck, they’re currently working with the Cleveland RTA using a hydrogen fuel cell powered bus to transport commuters to and fro.

The technology has even left the research labs of NASA and made its way into other industries. As I mentioned earlier, cars too are now being conceptualized with Zero emissions. Well, there’s water of course.

2013 has shown us Toyota’s first attempt at the hydrogen fuel cell car. This new year already has its promises! In California, Hyundai plans to introduce a “free fuel” program that will start with 1000 cars and only a few dealerships. American car companies are also planning to release their own fuel cell powered vehicles but you may have to wait a little bit longer. By 2017 Ford intends to introduce its own Hydrogen Car.

It seems that 150 years of experimentation is starting to bear fruit- Not the kind that laypeople have to watch distantly orbiting our planet. Rather, we will begin to see a transformation of our society away from haste and waste and move toward longevity and thoughtfulness.

Related Article: Waking Up: New State of Consciousness Proposed

Sources:
http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/1-what-are-fuel-cells.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell_vehicle

http://americanhistory.si.edu/fuelcells/origins/origins.htm

http://paultan.org/2013/11/21/tokyo-2013-daihatsu-deca-deca/

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/suzuki/2013-suzuki-x-lander-ar160981.html

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/GroveBio.htm

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/gemini/index.html

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/technology/fuel_cells.html

http://www.siei.org/electrolyzers.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/spinoffs.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/510416/ford-daimler-and-nissan-commit-to-fuel-cells/

Did You Know That Certain Plants Do Division?

June 26, 2013 / esfein / 1 Comment

Plants Do Division http://news.jic.ac.uk/

I thought that only humans can do arithmetic, but plants do division as well. I guess a brain with a neocortex is not required. New research shows that arabidopsis plants perform an arithmetic feat to know how to distribute stored energy during the night when there is no light, preventing starvation.

Plants get their energy from light through a process called photosynthesis. This involves breaking down carbon dioxide compounds into sugars. And we all know what awesome byproduct that gives us; oxygen! So during the day they store sugars, and during the night plants do division in order to distribute the sugars at a steady rate. This insight comes from new research done by the scientists at the John Innes Centre and found through the open access journal eLife.

It is vital that plants do division in order to be able to grow properly. Learning more about this process has some implications, such as possible plant hacking in order to achieve higher crop yields. This is already being done with GMOs.

Plants do division during night time. There are certain “mechanisms” in the leaves that measure how much of the starch is stored and how much time will pass until the sun rises. Plants also have a sort of an internal “biological clock” which allows them to guess when dawn will come. There are three clock genes that work together like a seesaw. When dawn comes, these genes instruct the plant to make two proteins, CCA1 and LHY. These proteins tell the plant that it is daytime. During the day these are destroyed, which allows for the third protein, TOC1, to be made. This tells the plant that it is night time. That last protein also tells the plant that it’s time to make the first two, so the whole process cycles again.

According to Professor Alison Smith,

the calculations are so precise so that plants prevent starvation but also make most efficient use of their food.

Using up the starch too fast will induce starvation, while using it up too slow will waste the unused starch. Scientists predict that there are two molecules that encode the information about how much starch is stored at a given time and time until dawn breaks. Let’s call these molecules S and T for the time being. The rate at which starch is consumed is set by the ratio of S molecules to T molecules. Because a ratio is actually a fancy way to say division, scientists are confident in the claim that plants are division experts.

Sources:

http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/2/e00669

http://news.jic.ac.uk/2013/06/plants-do-sums-to-get-through-the-night/

http://arabidopsis.info/InfoPages?template=arabidopsis;web_section=arabidopsis

http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/research/webb/plantTime/clock.html

Breathe Deep to Relieve Stress

May 17, 2013 / esfein / 5 Comments

Image by: Tanya Burr Taken From: http://greatist.com/happiness/breathing-exercises-relax

While you’re currently engaged in deciphering the likely liquid-crystal display in front of you, your body (as always) is actively breathing. Your body does this in order to keep you, itself, alive. You breathe in and you breathe out. What exactly is happening? How do we get energy from the breath?

Every day the average human breathes* anywhere from 12-20 times per minute. There are 525600 minutes (see theater math) in a year and the average human lives somewhere around 62.7 years. So on average that could be anywhere from 395,461,440 to 659,102,400 theater breaths in an entire lifetime. In primitive terms: You breathe an awful lot.

With all of that in-and-ex halation it is easy to take for granted how the system works. When you breathe, oxygen is transferred from outside to inside the body.

“What exactly defines inside and outside?” Is a question that will lead to many a philosophical debate regarding the boundaries of a human. That debate is for another day.

From: http://zachburnettsproject.weebly.com/diagram.html

The oxygen is taken through the blood stream to muscles in the body where it is then traded for waste. The waste is deposited in various bodily systems and taken care of from that point on.

Warning: Upcoming Logical Stretch (ULS):
So supposing that you have half of a billion breaths in your life, each time you breathe you have a chance to study and/or refine your breathing. In doing so you just might find out a bit more about yourself.

To return to the Realm of Slightly Less Loose Logic (RSLLL), you really must be careful when examining the way that your involuntary body functions. If you push too hard for knowledge it may end up hurting you. So take your time and really get a feel for yourself.

Paying attention to your breathing is a proven method in relieving stress. Science and religion alike pay special attention to understanding the way in which we breathe. Breath Prayer is a Christian prayer focus. When you start to drift away from your original intention you actively shift focus back onto the breath (Hmmm… seems like meditation is a fundamental practice).

Science too, believes in the powers of breathing. Breathing to reduce stress is a concept not all that different than Breath Prayer. Stress, in this case, can be viewed as a distraction from your original plan or “prayer.”

When a person is under stress, their breathing pattern changes. Typically, an anxious person takes small, shallow breaths, using their shoulders rather than their diaphragm to move air in and out of their lungs. This style of breathing disrupts the balance of gases in the body.

So in order to train your body out of stress all anybody needs to do is deepen and elongate their breathing. There are many ways to do this seemingly difficult task of breath training. Pranayama, aka yogic breathing, is a good place to start.

…just do what you gotta do…

to be happy.

If you’re interested in learning a whole lot more about yogic techniques A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya is a very thorough book on the topic. It gives in depth explanations of this technique and many others.

Sources:

http://www.normalbreathing.com/index-rate.php

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hlw/whathappens.html

http://www.prohealthsys.com/resources/physical/vital_signs_table.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Breathing_to_reduce_stress

http://www.soulshepherding.org/2012/07/breath-prayers/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_monitor

http://onsager.bd.psu.edu/halmi/chem3airs05.pdf Experiment that you can try…

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/pranayama/

Quotes taken from Wondergressive admin: Phil

Other Wondergressive Articles:

Seven Minute Workout Can Get You to Lose Weight

Smelling Calmness (And Other Things)

Power Posing Can Change Your World

Unsweet Dreams

Dalai Lama, “Religion is no longer adequate”

Don’t Wine About “Cork Shortage”!

February 6, 2013 / esfein / Leave a comment

WINE. Fine when you dine, make it all mine, I love the taste of fine wine! As you may be able to tell I love my wine and I open at least 4 bottles of wine every day. Not to say that I drink all of it, I mean I am pretty sure I could and it would probably follow with a painful morning, but I am a server at a restaurant and opening wine has become a kind of a fetish for me. The taste, the aroma, the tannins! Oh boy I am getting carried away… So! As of late I have been constantly hearing from people around me that there is a cork shortage going on. This did not bother me at first but as I came to realize that my wine key will become useless with no more cork pulling to do during a wine presentation, I became overrun with grief and hostility. Well not really, but it would take away from the casual conversation that could be had and the ability to show off my expertise during my wine opening “ceremony”.

Alright lets not get sidetracked. I immediately started to research a bit and it turns out that for a while Trichloroanisole or (TCA) was an issue that the cork industry ignored, creating unhappy consumers of wine. TCA causes wine aromas to be tainted with tastes of card board and mold rendering the wine undrinkable, although honestly some wine is normally undrinkable anyways. For a time there was no real testing done on cork and people started coming to the realization that cork may not be all that safe to use.

So what happens when something starts going bad? We put some spices and salt on it and eat it anyway! Really though, we usually improvise and put research into that field to better it and make it more efficient. Thus, alternatives to cork were developed such as screw caps and plastic closures. The problem with these alternatives is they are not as bio degradable as cork is, resulting in a hit on the environment. But hey, they are cheaper and that’s usually the focus anyways when it comes to any industry; if it is cheaper and more efficient who cares about the environment.

It turns out that even if these alternatives are cheaper they are not that necessary anymore since the cork industry started cracking down on TCA:

Wine taint from bottles closed with natural cork is down to 1% there is no quality benefit to using an alternative closure.

So what is the deal? Are we experiencing a cork shortage or not?! According the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance or CFCA (honestly Cork Forest Conservation Alliance is more fun to say so forget that abbreviation):

No in fact, based upon current estimates there is enough cork to close all wine bottles produced in the world, for the next 100 years. The cork forests are now being more sustainably managed than ever before in their history and new planting is always ongoing.

In fact cork forests are actually good for the environment:

These forests absorb millions of tons of CO₂ each year and are a vast provider of oxygen to our planet. The forests also provide the greatest defense against the desertification of this region. The cork forests are one of the most sustainable and environmentally harvested forests in the world.

Not to mention that cork is very biodegradable and recyclable (ahhh the power of repetition)! Cork has a lot of cool uses such as flooring and different crafts, and while it may have been a problem at one point, the cork industry has taken care of business. No more of this cork shortage nonsense people! Simply put, it all boils down to money. The more you know… well at least I can peacefully resume my condescending ceremony without any real worry. For now.

So the next time you are in a nice restaurant or considering cooking up a delicious meal that would pair really well with a nice bold red wine or a crisp white wine, make sure to go for the real thing and get it with a cork! It may cost a little more but what’s wrong with spoiling yourself once in a while?! Think of it as donating to better the environment. Everybody wins.

Sources:

Food Service Warehouse- Wine Basics for the Bartender Part 2: Major Types of Red and White Wine

The Kitchn- Wine Words: Tannin

Luxist- How to Use a Wine Key Like a Pro

Wikipedia- 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole

Wikipedia- Alternate Wine Closures

Cork Forest Conservation Alliance

Wise Bread- 25 Things to do With Used Corks (Including Making Money With Them)

The Greatest Medical Discovery of Our Time: Starve Cancer by Eating

August 24, 2012 / esfein / 2 Comments

Everybody in the world has a body that produces abnormal cancer cells. For most people, the cancer cells, usually the size of the tip of a ball point pen, does not have any available oxygen from surrounding blood vessels, and thus perishes. In this same way, if we are able to destroy the tiny capillary veins through a natural process of antiangiogenisis the cancer cells will be rendered harmless and quickly disappear without any available oxygen.

In this TED talk, William Li describes a new approach to treating cancer by halting angiogenesis, or the growth of blood vessels. By consuming antiangiogenic foods the survival time of patients with late stage cancer can be extended by more than six times the normal span.

Many different antiangiogenic drugs and topical creams have been created but they come with the price of dealing with many side effects. Not only is antiangiogenic food side effect free, it is also cheaper and, most importantly, more effective.

Li has already shown dramatically effective and efficient results in his work but takes the idea of treating cancer a step further by emphasizing prevention. Very simply, all forms of cancer, and more over disease, can be prevented through diet.

This article goes into detail regarding how the antiangiogenic properties of certain foods were discovered. It also mentions many diseases that can be treated through antiangiogensis including:

Cancer
Blindness
Psoriasis
Endometriosis
Obesity
Rosacea
Alzheimers

A list of some highly antiangiogenic foods are as follow:

Green Tea
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Oranges
Grapefruits
Lemons
Apples
Pineapples
Cherries
Red grapes
Red wine
Bok Choy
Soybean
Ginseng
Maitake
Licorice
Turmeric
Nutmeg
Artichoke
Lavender
Pumpkin
Sea Cucumber
Tuna
Parsley
Garlic
Tomato
Olive Oil
Grape Seed
Dark Chocolate

“Of these foods, the ones that appear to have the most potent anti-angiogenesis activity include (in order of potency):”

Soy extract
Artichoke
Parsley
Berries
Soy
Garlic
Red grapes
Brassica
Citrus
Lavender
Green tea
Glucosamine
Turmeric
Tea

Li also discusses how the foods almost miraculously and inexplicably work synergistically. Researchers tested the antiangiogenic properties “of three different types of tea to inhibit blood vessel growth. In this study, they determined that they all had anti-angiogenesis activity, however, of the three, Earl Grey appeared to be the most potent. The researchers then decided to combine the two weaker teas and test the anti-angiogenesis activity of the mixture. They discovered that the combination of the two weaker teas resulted in more inhibition of blood vessel growth than the stronger Earl Grey tea. According to Dr. Li, this shows the presence of what is called “Nutritional Synergy” meaning, smaller quantities of many different nutrients and phytochemicals is likely superior to high quantities of fewer nutrients.”

Food is medicine, and prevention is the key to longer, healthier lives.

No Breathing Required

August 23, 2012 / esfein / 1 Comment

Tired of having to go through the labor of breathing to meet your body’s gluttonous need for oxygen?

Then you sir, or madam, are irreparably lazy!

On the other hand, scientists have invented particles that will allow you to live without breathing. Oxygenating the blood through a direct injection “will allow medical teams to keep patients alive and well for 15 to 30 minutes despite major respiratory failure. This is enough time for doctors and emergency personnel to act without risking a heart attack or permanent brain injuries in the patient.”

The article also states that “the solution has already been successfully tested on animals under critical lung failure. When the doctors injected this liquid into the patient’s veins, it restored oxygen in their blood to near-normal levels, granting them those precious additional minutes of life.”

This is not a theory or alpha stage experimentation, this is the real deal!

After reading this article my mind can’t help heading into the world of sci fi and using this breakthrough for recreational or exploratory purposes. It reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan, where former citizens of Earth are trained on Mars to practice oxygenating their body through the use of a time released oxygen pill. The trick is remembering to not breathe!

No Breathing Required: Live Without Breathing

August 23, 2012 / esfein / 2 Comments

minusthebars.blogspot.com

Tired of having to go through the labor of breathing to meet your body’s gluttonous need for oxygen?

Then you sir, or madam, are irreparably lazy!

On the other hand, scientists have invented particles that will allow you to live without breathing. Oxygenating the blood through a direct injection

will allow medical teams to keep patients alive and well for 15 to 30 minutes despite major respiratory failure. This is enough time for doctors and emergency personnel to act without risking a heart attack or permanent brain injuries in the patient.”

The article also states that

the solution has already been successfully tested on animals under critical lung failure. When the doctors injected this liquid into the patient’s veins, it restored oxygen in their blood to near-normal levels, granting them those precious additional minutes of life.”

This is not a theory or alpha stage experimentation, this is the real deal!

Sources:

Science Daily: Injecting Life-Saving Oxygen Into a Vein

Titan’s Atmosphere Can Make DNA

August 22, 2012 / esfein / 1 Comment

According to a recent study the atmosphere on Saturn’s moon Titan “could be creating the molecules that make up DNA without the help of water – an ingredient widely thought to be necessary for the molecules formation.”

The DNA within all life on Earth is only one potential set of nucleic acids that could have been chosen to create life on our planet.

Paul Davies, a leading astrobiologist states that “to the best of our knowledge, the original chemicals chosen by known life on Earth do not constitute a unique set; other choices could have been made, and maybe were made if life started elsewhere many times.”

This also leads to the concept that Earth’s atmosphere may have played a vital role in piecing together the foundations of life.

The Cassini research team performed experiments replicating the conditions of Titan’s atmosphere and found that “it appears to be less important that water is present to form these molecules than it is for some form of oxygen to be present in the mix of ingredients.”

This is yet another study that forces us to redefine what we think of as necessities, requirements, and definitions of life. The best part is that it’s right here in our star system!