Showing posts with label renewable energy. Show all posts

2009-09-13

Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System -- Deep-Ocean Renewable Energy

Clipped from: Hydrothermal vent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hydrothermal vent

A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots.

Hydrothermal vents are locally very common because the earth is both geologically active and has large amounts of water on its surface and within its crust. Common land types include hot springs, fumaroles and geysers. [...]

A black smoker, a type of hydrothermal vent

Clipped from: Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System - Video

See the only system ever patented that allows the awesome power of deep-ocean hydrothermal vents to be used to generate electricity on a massive scale.

Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System - The funniest videos are a click away

Clipped from: Welcome To Marshall Hydrothermal

Deep below the surface of the world's oceans, lies a vast and inexhaustible energy source, completely untouched by humans. Capable of providing enough power to make 20 GW+ generating stations a realistic expectation, its exploitation has only been awaiting the moment that a practical means of utilizing it could be developed.

As the plates separate from each other, magma rises from within the earth to fill the gap.

A "black smoker". The "black smoke" consists of an abundance of dark, fine-grained suspended particles of various metals and minerals that precipitate when mixed with the cold seawater and rain down onto the sea floor below.

The energy available is simply immense, far beyond anything ever before harnessed by mankind. National Geographic estimates the energy escaping from just the known vents to be 17,000,000 MW, an amount that approximates all human consumption on the planet, and there are tens of thousands of kilometers of ridge system that have never even been explored.
[...]
Southern California inventor Bruce C. Marshall has patented the first practical system for commercializing the energy flowing from these vents. Called the Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System, it literally has the potential of revolutionizing electric power generation worldwide.

The Marshall System's base is constructed of highly stable circles and triangles. The horizontal support arms only take the weight of the one section of pipe to which it is attached. The first section of pipe at the top of the cone is the one that takes the weight of the column of pipe to be built above. It would be constructed on land or aboard a ship and then lowered into place as a complete unit. The intake pipe is placed as deep down into the vent as possible, to recover the highest temperature fluid. Anchors can be drilled through the bottom ring and into the seabed below for additional stability.

The complete Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System, showing electric generation, water desalination, and mining facilities operating together.

In this closed loop configuration, the Marshall System does not actually bring the hydrothermal fluid to the surface. Instead, hydrothermal vents heat a clean working fluid through a heat exchanger, which is then returned for reheating after its energy has been extracted on a platform similar to an oil platform.

Sources:
Hydrothermal vent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File:Nur04506.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marshall Hydrothermal Recovery System - Video
Welcome To Marshall Hydrothermal
Related:
Welcome To Marshall Hydrothermal
Mining Hydrothermal Vents For Renewable Electricity, Drinking Water + Valuable Minerals : CleanTechnica

2009-08-28

Masdar -- World's First Sustainable City

clipped from www.youtube.com

Masdar City

Masdar is a planned city in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. It is an initiative by the Government of Abu Dhabi through Mubadala Development Company. Designed by the British architectural firm Foster + Partners, the city will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources, with a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology. The city is being constructed 17 kilometres (11 mi) east-south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi, beside Abu Dhabi International Airport.

clipped from www.youtube.com

clipped from www.masdar.ae

As the first major hydrocarbon-producing economy to take such a step Abu Dhabi has established its leadership position by launching the Masdar Initiative a global cooperative platform for the open engagement in the search for solutions to some of mankind's most pressing issues energy security climate change and the development of human expertise in...

clipped from www.designboom.com

LAVA wins first prize for masdar - world's first sustainable city in UAE

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Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) Producing Methane From CO2

Clipped from: Microbes turn electricity directly to methane

Microbes turn electricity directly to methane

Shaoan Cheng and Defeng Xing (l to r) work with cell that produces methane directly from electricity by way of tiny microbes while Bruce E. Logan looks on.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A tiny microbe can take electricity and directly convert carbon dioxide and water to methane, producing a portable energy source with a potentially neutral carbon footprint, according to a team of Penn State engineers.

Clipped from: Bruce E. Logan

Bruce E. Logan

Research in the Logan lab is focused on bioenergy production for the development of an energy-sustainable water infrastructure for both industrialized and developing countries. Using new technologies, it is possible to directly generate electricity using microbial fuel cells, or hydrogen gas using microbial electrolysis cells, from wastewaters and biomass. These systems have the potential not only to power the water infrastructure, but to produce net excess power for communities and industries.

Clipped from: Bruce Logan Research - Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs)

How does a microbial fuel cell work? When bacteria are placed in the anode chamber of a specially-designed fuel cell that is free of oxygen, they attach to an electrode. Because they do not have oxygen, they must transfer the electrons that they obtain from consumption (oxidation) of their food somewhere else than to oxygen-- they transfer them to the electrode. In a MFC these electrons therefore go to the anode, while the counter electrode (the cathode) is exposed to oxygen. At the cathode the electrons, oxygen and protons combine to form only water. The two electrodes are at different potentials (about 0.5 V), creating a bio-batter (if the system is not refilled) or a fuel cell (if we constantly put in new food or "fuel" for the bacteria).

Check out the MFC-cam, our on-line demonstration of an MFC!

Clipped from: Penn State Live - Microbes turn carbon dioxide into methane

Microbes turn carbon dioxide into methane

The cells are about 80 percent efficient in converting electricity to methane and because they use carbon dioxide as feed stock, would be carbon neutral if the electricity comes from a non-carbon source such as solar or wind power.

"The process does not sequester carbon, but it does turn carbon dioxide into fuel," said Logan. "If the methane is burned and carbon dioxide captured, then the process can be carbon neutral."

Logan suggests the method for off peak capture of renewable energy in a portable fuel. Methane is preferred over hydrogen because a large portion of the U.S. infrastructure is already set up to easily transport and deliver methane.

The National Science Foundation and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. supported this project.

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