Biomass Gasification: Electricty Conversion from Feedstock

Biomass Gasification
Gasification is a thermo chemical process that has been exploited for more than a century for converting solid feedstocks to gaseous energy carriers. The first gasifier patent was issued in England at the end of the 18th century and producer gas from coal gasification was mainly used as lighting fuel throughout the 19th century. At the turn of the 20th century, the main use of producer gas, obtained essentially from coal, switched to electricity generation and automotive applications via internal combustion engines. The use of producer gas was gradually supplanted by the use of higher energy density liquid fuels and as a result confined to areas with expensive or unreliable supplies of petroleum fuels. (more…)

Hybrid Electric Cars: Cutting Emissions and Improving Fuel Efficiency

hybrid electric cars
It is a rare company prospectus that begins with a quotation from Goethe: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” But Lovins is not a normal entrepreneur, as anyone who has met this eccentric and disheveled but unmistakably visionary thinker knows. The founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a leading green think tank based in Old Snowmass, Colorado, thinks the car industry’s incremental approach to cutting emissions and improving fuel efficiency will never amount to much. He wants a complete redesign of the automobile, from the bottom up, and intends to show the big boys how it should be done. (more…)

Reduced Energy Use in Large Commercial Aircraft (Technological and Operational)

commercial aircraft

The outlook for reductions in future energy use is necessarily based on the potential for increased technological and operational efficiencies. In this section, the outlook for such improvements in large commercial aircraft over the next quarter century is examined.

Engine efficiencies may be improved by between 10 and 30% with further emphasis on moving more mass through engines that operate at higher temperatures and higher pressures. A continuation of the historical trend would lead to a 10% increase in L/D by 2025, and further improvements in the reduction of parasitic drag may extend these savings to perhaps 25%. However, the technologies associated with these improvements have weight and noise constraints that may make their use difficult. (more…)

Fossil Fuel Energy Conservation versus Replacement

fuel energy conservation
As a reaction to these historical perspectives, the building industry has witnessed a certain rise in design responses to regional climatic conditions, as part of a powerful efficiency and energy conservation push since the 1970s. More recently, the zero green house gas emsission and office building has become a design concept as part of strategies to introduce urban renewable energy as an increasing contributor to managing urban energy supplies. (more…)

Fuel Cell Vehicles – How it Works?

Fuel Cell Vehicles
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that directly converts a fuel to electricity by means of reactions on the surfaces of electrodes and transport of ions through an electrolyte. A fuel cell can be thought of as a chemical battery whose reactants are fed from external sources rather than packaged as part of the battery. A key feature of a fuel cell is transformation of the chemical potential energy of a fuel directly into electricity, a high-value form of energy that can be put to many uses from electricity conversion. The fuel cell’s direct energy unit conversion process occurs without an intermediate step of heat generation, as involved in combustion engines. (more…)

Biomass Gasification Process Effect of Feedstock Properties and Operating Parameters

Biomass Gasification Feedstock
Thermo chemical processing of biomass yields gaseous, liquid, and solid products and offers a means of producing useful gaseous and/or liquid fuels. Biomass gasification is a total degradation process consisting of a sequence of thermal and thermo chemical processes that converts practically all the carbon in the biomass to gaseous form, leaving an inert residue. The gas produced consists of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrogen (N2) (if air is used as the oxidizing agent) and contains impurities, such as small char particles, ash, tars, and oils. The solid residue will consist of ash (composed principally of the oxides of Ca, K, Na, Mg, and Si) and possibly carbon or char. (more…)

Hydrogen Conversion Kit Gasoline – Hydrogen Fuel Conversion

hydrogen conversion kit gasolineHydrogen has many applications when it comes to fuel. It can be used both in internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen engines are using the same principle the same way as gasoline fuels or hydrogen natural gas burned combustion, while the chemical energy of hydrogen used to generate electricity and heat transmission. Since the electrochemical reactions produced more efficient energy compare to the combustion energy, fuel cells are created more efficient fuel compare to internal combustion engines. In the long term it will benefit to the more efficient hydrogen conversion process. (more…)

Hydrogen Conversion Strategies and Barriers-Products, Devices, Kits, Cost, Technology

hydrogen conversion strategies
All of today’s hydrogen conversion products, demonstration models, and prototypes possess some deficiencies; they cannot yet provide, at an affordable cost, the level and quality of energy services, and hydrogen delivery system demanded by a broad base of consumers. While fuel cell technologies have generated much excitement, they are still in various stages of maturity. Most have not been manufactured in large quantities and numerous performance issues—including durability, (more…)