Interesting Energy Stuff

[jadnashua]

For the second time in history, we've produced more energy through a fusion reaction than the energy required to make it happen, and the yield was higher than the last time. The magic to this would be to make the whole process continuous or at least frequent enough to produce power long term. We may get there, hopefully, sooner rather than later! There are some other facilities that are working on different ways to make this happen...we don't know what design will work in the end, but we're getting closer.

FWIW, one gram of hydrogen fuel for nuclear fusion has about the same energy as 2400 gallons of oil and considering hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, we should not run out of fuel if we get this to work as a useful power generator. Here's hoping...the output is helium and released heat (which is what we use to produce power,) which is a non-pollutant as opposed to burning fossil fuels.

[jadnashua]

A study released this week from MIT discusses a neat supercapacitor made with simple concrete and carbon black. Basically, when the concrete cures, the water molecules get incorporated into the cement, leaving some holes and the hydrophobic carbon migrates into those holes, creating a nanosized matrix of 'wires', creating a supercapacitor. This could be incorporated into the foundation of a house, or other structures, including roadways, that with solar panels, could charge EVs by powering inductive coils. 45cuyds of concrete can store about 10kwhrs of electricity, about what the average house uses during a day. That could be the foundation of the house. I wonder how structural steel would mess with it? Anyway, it looks like it has a lot of potential as we use cement in lots of things, and carbon black is easy to produce and cheap as well. Finding a viable way to even out the sometimes-erratic supply of solar, wind, or tidal energy through storage buffers will make any transition to that technology much more useful.

Anyway, this is going to take some further research to figure out the best proportions, and the optimum amount of carbon black to meet the strength requirements for the specific implementation but appears that it would be much cheaper than typical batteries with their rare earth components, and simple to produce.
https://news.mit.edu/2023/mit-engine...materials-0731

[cx]

While they tout the concept as "very scalable," I'm wondering just how a fella would make the appropriate electrical connections to their theoretical 45-cubic-meters of concrete shaped in the form of a residential slab on grade. Or even to a 45-meter cube, for that matter.

It would certainly seem like re-bar would no longer be the reinforcement material of choice, and post-tention isn't realistic for many applications. Gonna require some more work there, too.

Overall, seems like I'm unlikely to be pouring any capacitors in my lifetime, but who knows what those eggheads will come up with next? When considering this sort of thing I always hearken back to my first Craftsman Commercial drill with a half-inch chuck that probably weighed 15 pounds and needed to be plugged in to a power source, and I look at the half-inch drills in my shop that don't weigh five pounds and have no cord attached and think I'm unlikely to be too surprised at anything they come up with in the field of batteries and electrical storage.

[jadnashua]

I wonder if you could coat the steel reinforcing material with an insulator to keep the capacitor functional...or maybe the use of fiberglass fibers versus steel would suffice for the task. Not something I'm prepared to experiment with!

[jadnashua]

NASA has been working to make a battery energy dense enough and safe for use in an airplane but isn't there yet. That doesn't mean they have come upwith nothing. what they have come up with so far is still potentially useful elsewhere. It is a solid state selenium sulphate battery that can store about twice the power of a lithium ion one and withstands high discharge rates and the accompanying high heat. It's not ready for production yet but it does look interesting as it is also lighter.

[jadnashua]

Researchers have discovered a use for waste coffee grounds. When treated by pyrolysis and added to concrete the end result is up to a 30% stronger mix, and that organic waste stays out of the landfill as a bonus. No idea when or if this will become a commercial product, but stronger seems better.

[Maniac979]

The researchers better find something to add to the concrete mix since the supply of fly ash will be greatly reduced with the reduction in coal fired power plants.

[jadnashua]

Even quality sand is getting harder to source. The Romans liked to use volcanic ash and some of their projects have lasted thousands of years. Recent analysis also figured out why they last longer...quick lime in the mix allows it to be self-repairing. For a very long time, we didn't understand why this worked. Haven't heard of that becoming a commercial product, though.

[jadnashua]

There's an ancient volcanic caldera near the Nevada/Utah border that contains the world's largest reserves of lithium amounting to about 40M tons of the stuff. What's nice about this is that it is not deep underground and is contained in clay that was deposited when the caldera was a lake. The concentration is high, meaning that extracting it is easier and more efficient. There's some environmental pushback, but if the actual amount is even remotely accurate, it may mean less dependence on foreign sources, and being held hostage by them as demand continues to increase.

[jadnashua]

Humm, the site is not showing me the 'edit' option. In my previous post, I mislocated the site...it's in Nevada, but near the Oregon border, not Utah.

[cx]

Perhaps you weren't sufficiently patient, Jim. With whatever problem this is we're currently having with the site, I've noted that some things don't show up even when the page finally does refresh. Most notably photos, for me, but I think it may happen to other functionality as well.

I do hope this goes away soon.

[jadnashua]

In the eastern part of France they’ve discovered what may be one of the largest white hydrogen (elemental) deposits. If it pans out, it is estimated to be about 46M tons of the stuff. Further testing and a new, deeper bore hole to see if the concentration increases as expected will be started soon. White hydrogen versus the other types is much more desirable and would make it much less expensive both financially and environmentally.

More than one company is working on hydrogen powered vehicles, both using it for a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine. That area is/was a big coal mining area, which, if the pattern holds, could indicate numerous areas in the USA that may also have useful deposits.

[jadnashua]

Saw another article on the coffee grounds in concrete that adds some further insight. First, just the raw coffee grounds weakened the end result,but running it through a pirolizer first where it is heated without oxygen does. They feel the grounds absorb some water, and as the concrete cures, releases it which limits shrinkage. The ground also have an irregular surface that gives the curing concrete a better hold. The thought came about over a cup of coffee while trying to reduce the methane release as coffee grounds decompose in landfills We create about 60M tons of the stuff yearly.

[cx]

EV charging stations using diesel power?

[jadnashua]

For ages in the USA, hemp was not a viable crop as it is related to marijuana and has a low THC content. But, the fibers are useful, and more than one company has found a use for the stuff inside of the stalk. The fibers are in the outer part of the stalk, so are stripped off to make things like rope and fabric.

Companies have found a use for the fluff inside the stalks and are making building blocks out of it. One company is forming it around a plastic shell that makes the blocks stack together sort of like Legos. The stuff ends up with a HUGE R-factor (R70). The medium that holds it together is lime, which also helps prevent insect interest in the stuff.

https://youtu.be/eqLXXjvQXgI

There are other companies making similar, but these allow you to build higher with the strength of concrete.