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Water fuel cells: Igniting more than
energy
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Hello again, readers. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned to you the
goal of 39 MPG by 2016 for automobiles — recently set by the EPA
and the Department of Transportation.
In response, reader R. Ackerman points out several facts of basic
physics that basically limit the safety and comfort of some lighter and
more fuel-efficient designs ... and at the cost of limited freedom for
U.S. consumers to select what cars the want to drive. We'll share more
of his thoughts in our next newsletter to you.
In another response, international reader Fernando sent me a newsletter
promoting the development of late Stan Meyer's "water fuel cell"
technology, touted as a solution to our automobile fuel and exhaust
troubles. Now, many scientists and researchers rebuff any notion that
this design has any real validity; an Ohio court judged it fraudulent
some years back. On the other hand, there is a large following of others
that view the water fuel cell as a tragically suppressed design, too
fabulous and threatening to established powers for larger
promotion.
As a person that's personally been characterized as entertaining
conspiracy theories perhaps more than they deserve, I actually do side
with the harder science on this one. But what do you think? Is is fair
for anyone to discount a design without personally investigating its
scientific description? How should we as a society deem designs
viable?
As always, we welcome your
comments.
— Elisabeth Eitel
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Lowering thrust-bearing temperature is particularly crucial in
rotating-compressor and turbine designs where designers do not know the
exact net thrust on the bearings.
(For the earlier, related article on this topic, click here.)
Designers can apply a number of cooling factors to the four common types
of thrust bearings — flat land, step, tapered land, and pivoted pad
...
Photo: Adding side shrouds to the inlet section of a step bearing can
boost film thickness by 30%. Thicker film lets the bearing support up to
70% more load.
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Some designs such as packaging-machinery frames rarely if ever
endure internal shock loading or impact. In other cases, often in
end-user products, designs are lower in cost. In both instances,
deforming damping elements made of synthetic material can provide
emergency or lightweight shock protection suitably scaled to the
application at hand.
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Magnetic rotary encoders are tough, compact, reliable, and
relatively inexpensive. This makes them a good choice for many harsh
environments. However, most magnetic encoders are single-turn devices:
they simply measure position over one revolution. For sophisticated
motion control applications, multi-turn absolute encoders are often
useful, since these devices measure and report the absolute position of
the shaft without the need for expensive external gearing. Read here to
see how one multi-turn magnetic rotary encoder can keep track of
absolute position, even when movement occurs during power outages.
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AGS Series linear-motor Cartesian gantries are optimized for
precise contouring.
• Motion to 3 m/sec and 5 g; travels to 1.3 × 1.3 m; customizable Z
and theta axes for flexible configurations
• BLM and BLMH series brushless linear servomotors provide smooth
motion; dual linear motors and encoders on lower axis offer high
performance and precision
• Noncontact linear encoders, configurable cable management system
allows integration of fiber, lasers, cameras, air lines, and more for
multiple applications. Manufacturer: Aerotech Inc.
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Space-saving R7D-B Series reduce the complexity of applying servo
drives and achieve faster startup and more reliable operation in a
smaller, lower cost package.
• Measure just 120 × 35 × 105 mm; reduces control panel space
requirements and leaves room for other controls on same rail
• Simple auto-tuning eliminates complicated adjustments;
torque-limiting function lets machine builders set two limits and switch
between them to handle applications such as part insertion and pressing.
Manufacturer: Omron Electronics LLC
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Machine Design Video Spotlight
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Linear motor vs.
belt-drive actuators |
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Woody Yen from THK America Inc. talks
about the advantages of linear-motor-driven actuators and belt-drive
actuators with Lee Teschler of MACHINE DESIGN |
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Engineers saw and heard great educational content at the Energy
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event, don’t despair! An archive of the full day’s agenda is now
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Design engineers are required to integrate energy efficiency into their
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Custom Online Drive Selection Tool
SEW-Eurodrive's modular product designs make it possible to choose from
millions of different drive configurations. PT Pilot® v3.0
simplifies the choices and identifies a solution customized for each
application in minutes. No special software or plug-ins required. To
explore the full range of intuitive features login at www.ptpilot.com.
Electro-Sensor's ST420 analog-output shaft speed sensor
detects magnetic pulses from a rotating shaft-mounted magnetic pulser
target (disc or wrap) and outputs a smooth, continuous 4-20mA analog
signal in direct proportion to the pulse frequency (rotating shaft
speed).
www.electro-sensors.com
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