Whatever I want

To Whom it May Concern,

Last week, during class, my team was given the assignment to create a lab. As team leader, I decided the first thing to do, was to find out what would be interesting, or cool. There were various things, most of which were very plausible ideas for the lab. Some of the ideas were luminescence, exothermic and endothermic reactions, something that floats or levitates, and a foaming chemical reaction. After much discussion, we decided on exothermic and endothermic reactions. We plan to accomplish this by using the following chemical reactions,

Mg(s) + CuSO₄(aq) —> MgSO₄(aq) + Cu(s)   Exothermic

3NaHCO₃(s) + C₆H₈O₇(aq)  —> C₆H₅Na₃O₇(aq) + 3CO₂(g)+ 3H₂O(l) Endothermic

Some solutions will have to be made, while the other ingredients are borrowed form the chemistry department. I believe this lab will sufficiently explain the two reactions, and be fun to watch what happens.

To Whom it May Concern:

Last Tuesday, the class visited MIT, and got a tour of the nuclear reactor there. The nuclear reactor is for research only, and does not power anything. The reactor itself is very small, and only produces 5.9 gigawatts of power when at full operation.

The nuclear reactor at MIT can be classified as a tank-type reactor, which is very similar to the pool-type reactor. The only difference between the two, is that the the tank-type reactor is much smaller and the coolant is more active. The core of a pool-type reactor is comprised of uranium enriched aluminum rods, which are set in a hexagonal structure. The core is then submerged in about 15 feet of water. Among the control rods are six shim blades that control the reaction speed of the core. These blades are boron infused, so as to absorb the neutrons emitted by the core. The nuclear reactor is so small, that at max power output, the temperature of the core is only about 50 C. Water needs 100 C to boil, so the water that is surround the water never boils, or converts to steam. The tank containing the core can be opened, and experiments placed inside. The core is deep enough that the water protects the world from the radiation.

I enjoyed the opportunity to visit an active nuclear research reactor. It gave us a perspective of how nuclear reactors work and operated. Also we got a broad overview of the dangers and safety switches that are put into place. I also learned of the research opportunities that come with the reactor. I also learned about how the reactor made the money to maintain the plant. Using the excess neutrons emitted from the core, the operators would  run almost pure silicon through the reactor, and dope the silicon. This is there main source of profit. Overall, I found the experience very informative and entertaining.

References:

http://world-nuclear.org/info/inf61.html

http://web.mit.edu/nrl/www/reactor/reactor.htm

To Whom it May Concern:

During the last class, we had the opportunity to study and experiment with solar cells. Our objective was to measure the voltage produced by the solar panel at different distances and different filters. The lab went by pretty quickly. We ran into no problems. Our data is as follows,

In conclusion, we see a difference in voltage with every variable. As the distance increased we saw a drop in voltage. This result was expected. Also when we changed the color filter we found a small, but significant, change in voltage. Orange produced the highest voltage, while pink produced the less. This result was expected. All in all, this lab was pretty straight forward. We didn’t run into any problems either.

It has always been the goal of modern society to achieve the cheapest, most efficient, most abundant energy source. Today we mainly use carbon based fuels, or as it is more commonly known as, fossil fuels. As our society advanced, we started to understand the impact fossil fuels have on the environment, the increasing rate we consume fossil fuels, and the finite supply we have on this earth. Using this knowledge, we know that we need alternative fuels, and machines that can harvest these fuels. The Stirling engine, Peltier effect, and the Mendocino motor are all generators that run off alternative fuels.

Stirling Engine

The Stirling engine was invented in 1816 by Robert Stirling. It has remained mostly unchanged since then. It runs off the difference of temperature between the two aluminum plates. As the bottom plate heats up, the displacer will raise. As the plate raises, the top aluminum plate cools the displacer, causing the displacer to fall. This movement is then converted into mechanical energy by a piston. This piston drives the flywheel.  To implement this device, one would need a water heater, and a Stirling device. The torque on a modern Stirling device would be sufficient enough for an average household, so every house would need a generator. I believe that this machine isn’t widely used because the cost of the materials and manpower is significantly higher than burning coal. Also the switch between the two fuels would cost billions if not trillions of dollars. All the pros from this motor are long term. A new technician field would be created to repair and maintenance the generators. Over time the CO2 levels would drop because the Stirling engines have zero emissions.

Peltier Effect

In 1834, Jean Charles Athanase Peltier discovered that two unlike metals kept at a difference of temperature, creates a current. This isn’t a very practical solution to alternative energy in my opinion. They work great with fridges, but on a larger scale I believe upkeep cost would be tremendous. Also the repair and maintenance would be a problem as well. Overall I do not support the use of the Peltier effect on a large scale for an alternative energy supply.

Mendocino Motor

The Mendocino Motor cannot be used to generate electricity. It is used as a learning tool. In this devise, there are four solar panels with copper wire rapped around the corners. When the light turns on, a current runs through the copper wire. This creates a magnetic field that reacts with the central bar magnet on the base. This causes the solar panels and copper wire to spin fast. The four corner magnets on the base balance the panels and copper wire. The panels and copper wire is free floating. The floating devise  if very sensitive to the load put on it, so no current can be harvested yet. I fully support this devise and the research of this devise. I believe that if this can be used to create a current. The buy in cost would be relatively lower than the other alternatives, and the energy created is only limited to how fast the motor can turn.

References:

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

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Peltier-effect

http://www.chessplayingrobot.com/id4.html

To Whom it May Concern:

Last week our class did some simple programming with robotics. We ran into a few complications with the software. This was mostly caused by my groups ignorance of the software. I believe that after a few more times of working with this software, we will become very familiar with the software. After much work, we calculated the percent error in our robot. As we increased the distance our robot traveled the percent error increased slightly. The average percent error was 1.2%. This is a good range to be in. All in all, it was a productive day.

Bijan Adams

Electricity is all around us. Every where we go there are signs of electricity. We have become so use to electricity, that we may not recognize electricity in all its forms. This can be dangerous because if we can’t see what is using electricity, we will be wasteful in our consumption. That is where demand response comes into play. Demand response is essentially a program that helps reduce energy consumption, and puts the responsibility of saving energy on the consumer. The way demand response works, is that it only supplies power where power is needed. For example, when you turn a light bulb off, you are no longer using any energy.

Demand response programs are now being used very widely. One of the newest versions of demand response, is the smart grid. Today, electricity works as a one-way communication. The light bulb asks for electricity and electricity is sent. The smart grid uses a two way communication. The light bulb asks for electricity, and the smart grid monitors and tracks its consumption. Using this information, the smart grid can raise a red flag on those appliances using too much electricity. As technology advances, the light bulb will have a smart chip that would allow the light bulb to “talk” back to the grid. In the near future, whole houses will be set up with a smart system. It will react to the rise in electricity prices, and reduce energy consumption by turning off an appliance that’s not in use, or turning down the thermostat a few degree. On a small scale study, conducted by the Department of energy, homes with the smart system saved 10% on their electricity bill, and 15% in their energy consumption.

Demand response is an important technology that must be improved and implemented across our power grids.

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