Matters of Science

So here we are. This is the final installment on my group’s final experiment. A semester’s worth of experimenting and lab performance has culminated into this one final test: to see if we are capable of successfully creating our own experiment. I have to admit, it was not always easy. There were good times and there were bad times, but they all were the best of times. Anyways, I digress. For those of you arriving late to this post I’ll review everything for you! Prepare yourself, for this is the final rundown.

The Technology of Hydropower

Hydropower. Can you picture it? I’m sure you can because it’s been around for a while. Only recently, however, given the rising demand for green electricity, has hydropower been advancing and becoming a more prominent source of energy. To give you a bit of background, these are the words of my teammate Nicholas O’Keefe:

“Hydropower is one of the largest sources of clean, renewable energy found on earth today.  Harnessing the mass amounts of potential energy contained in the world’s water supply to create electricity has become a viable alternative energy source. Today, hydropower accounts for 9% of the total electricity supply in the United States, and about 73% of the nation’s renewable energy.  The advantages of hydroelectricity include zero pollution and the substantial availability of water on earth.  The different kinds of hydropower plants include diversion, pumped storage, and impoundment; each of which uses a turbine to generate electricity.”

Our experiment focuses on the turbine, the method in which the kinetic energy of the water is transformed into mechanical energy, which can be used as electricity. It’s a simple yet efficient and green method for harnessing the natural energies of the water in rivers and lakes. To the right is a simple diagram outlining the basic structure of a hydropower facility.

Just to get an idea about the importance of this technology, hydropower is currently the largest, most reliable, and inexpensive source for renewable, clean energy in the U.S. as of now. In September of 2011, the Department of Energy stated that it was funding 16 Research and Development Projects in 11 states across the country in an effort to advance hydropower. They stated that $17 million was to be released between 2012-2015. They claimed this funding is meant to develop hydro-technologies in an effort to produce more efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly hydropower systems. This government funding of research and development, with the eventual goal of application if everything goes well, furthers the government’s ambition to reach the nation’s goal of having 80% of all electricity in the country be generated by a renewable source by the year 2035. If you ask me, people are pretty serious about this technology and it has promise enough to invest large amounts of funding into its development. It’s for this reason that our experiment is important. Hydropower is becoming more and more significant in this country as a prominent source of energy. We should understand this technology. My team’s experiment sought out to educate another group on how hydropower functions, and it did so in a simple, yet effective, way.

The Experiment

So now that you know the basics of the technology and it’s application, it’s time to put that knowledge to the test! Here is a version of our experiment:

Yes, it’s really that simple. But that’s the beauty of it! Hydropower is a simple and straightforward technology and understanding it is as simple as building your own waterwheel. So that’s what we did! Below is a description of how the experiment works, taken and revised from my first post on this experiment:

It starts by creating a waterwheel using an ordinary tin pan. We actually used two and stapled them together (after testing it ourselves we found that the tin needed to be stronger to resist the weight of the falling water). The students then cut and fold the tin to create panels so that it will catch the water when it falls. The waterwheel is then placed on a dowel over a bucket. The wheel is taped tight to the dowel so that when the water hits it the wheel won’t shake and the dowel is loosely fitted on the bucket so that it can rotate, but it’s unable to fall out. On the other end of the dowel there is a string attached, onto which a small weight is tied (the weight is decided upon my the students, with a minimum of two different weights being used). The objective of this experiment is to lift the weight using only the energy provided by the water source, which is a pitcher of water being poured into a funnel (there are three different funnel sizes, all of which are used for each weight). The falling water from the funnel, which has kinetic energy, hits the waterwheel and rotates it, which in turn rotates the dowel. Now we have mechanical energy. The string, which is attached to the dowel, begins to wind itself, carrying the weight upwards as it shortens. The mechanical energy preforms the work needed to lift the weight, all of which happens because of the falling water rotating the wheel.

For the experiment my team created this worksheet, as previously posted:

As the worksheet explains, the objective of this experiment is to test the different perimeters of hydropower. The varying sizes of the funnel (one releasing a small amount of water, a second releasing a moderate amount of water, and the third releasing a large amount of water) are measured and compared for their effectiveness, along with at least two different weights that the wheel has to lift. Each trial is timeed and recorded in the chart provided so they can compare their results. Finally, the grand question is what all this means in terms of hydropower.

The Performance of the Experiment

As mentioned earlier, our initial test run did not go as easily as we hoped. The tin wheel was too thin to withstand the weight of the falling water. For this reason we improvised for the actual experiment, stapling two tin plated together for additional strength. This ended up working perfectly. The students cut the wheel according to our directions and it proved to be a much more stable design than a single tin plate. As for the rest of the experiment’s construction, we provided them with our already constructed bucket and dowel set up. We did this in order to save time and hassle, after all the experiment is not about enginuity and craftsmanship, but about the waterwheel and the data. As their teachers we didn’t have to explain too much, the worksheet we gave them having adequately described the experiment. They knew what they needed to do and they set out right away in doing it! Having constructed their double-plated wheel, they attached it to the dowel and taped it secure. They were now ready to pour the water and collect data.

We discovered in the initial experiment that pouring the water was a fine art, so to speak. Having poured the water myself, I experienced how difficult it was to get the water to fall on the appropriate place on the wheel. It proved no different for our students. With their reinforced waterwheel they didn’t experience any troubles due to a flimsy design, but there was a learning curve to how they should pour the pitcher into the funnel and where to aim the falling water from the funnel on the wheel. It took a few test runs for them, but they were able to get the hang of it and produce results. Besides those two issues, however, the rest of the experiment performed perfectly, producing the results we anticipated and allowing everyone to have a good time while doing it!

The Experiment’s Results

Our team of students decided to run the experiment with two different weights (mostly due to time restrictions). For the first weight they used 70 grams of weight on the end of the string. The first and smallest funnel was used first, the yellow funnel, and they recorded a time of 11 seconds for the weight to reach the top of its determined distance (the distance from the floor to the dowel). Next they used the blue funnel, which allowed a moderate flow of water to fall through it. This time the weight took 7.9 seconds. Finally, the red funnel, the largest of the three, was used to record a time of 5 seconds. They determined that the larger the water flow allowed, the faster the waterwheel turned, resulting in the weight being lifted quicker.

To further test their analysis, the students recorded a second set of data using a weight of 90 grams. For this weight the yellow funnel yielded a time of 16 seconds, the blue funnel yielded a time of 12.8 seconds, and the red funnel yielded a time of 9.7 seconds. They determined that this new set of data corresponded to their first set, confirming that the more water flow allowed the faster the weight was lifted. In addition to this confirmation, they discovered that the additional weight, while following the trend of the first results, took more time to rise. They further concluded that while water flow increase results in a quicker time, weight increase results in a decrease in time. The results: the more water flow the more energy generated, but the greater the weight the more work that needs to be done, meaning a greater water flow is needed to keep efficiency.

But what does all of this mean for the greater question of hydropower that our experiment asks? Well without getting too technical in an effort to keep the simplicity of this experiment in tact, what this experiment teaches about hydropower is that the more powerful a water source, such as a river or a waterfall, the greater potential it has in generating more energy due to the fact that it can rotate stiffer turbines while remaining efficient. This conclusion makes sense when you think about it. The more water moving the more hydropower generated. Simple, yet promising in its potential for real world application.

The Experince of it All

Overall, I would say this experiment went very well. It was education for both my team and our students, and it was fun at the same time. We discovered that a great deal of planning, as well as trial and error, goes into creating an experiment, and looking back we have a greater appreciation for the projects we have done over the course of the semester. It’s not easy leading an experiment where anything can happen, and even the best planned experiments can go wrong. In the end though it was a positive experience, and I think we all were able to take something away from it.

Sources

http://energy.gov/articles/16-rd-projects-across-11-states-advance-hydropower-us

Remember that science lab I was talking to you about? Well good news! Here is the outline my group has completed for our experiment:

I confess, I have never done a science project before. I know, I know, you’re asking how can this be. While I have had many science labs before, using that dear old bunsen burner for many of them, I have never had the classic science fair project at any point during my academic career. It is for this reason that now, faced with a fifth grade level science fair project, I am interested in learning just what all the fuss is about. My subject for this novel experience: hydropower.

The project is simple yet fully demonstrates the concept of hydropower. First, let me explain hydropower for anyone who is not aware. Hydropower is the act of transforming the kinetic energy of moving water into mechanical energy by means of a turbine. The moving water can be from a running river, a waterfall, or any water that is in motion.

Here’s how the project goes. It starts by creating a waterwheel out of the bottom of a tin pan. Cutting and folding the tin to create panels, this allows the rushing water to rotate the wheel. The wheel is then placed on a dowel over a bucket. The wheel is fastened tight to the dowel and the dowel is loosely fitted on the bucket so that it is free to rotate. On the opposite end of the dowel there is a string attached, onto which a small weight is tied. The goal of this experiment is to lift the weight using only the energy provided by the water source. Having set us the experiment, it is then only a matter of providing the water source to convert its energy mechanical energy. A sink or any form of falling water will do. This falling water, which has kinetic energy, hits the waterwheel and rotates it, which in turn rotates the dowel. This is now mechanical energy. The string, which is attacked to the dowel, then begins to wind up, carrying the weight upwards as it shortens. The mechanical energy transferred to the turbine preforms the work needed to lift the weight. All of this happens because of the moving water.

There you have it! Simple, yet elegant in its simplicity. It’s only a matter of time before I find out whether or not I was ever meant to create a science fair project.

We are all familiar with Nuclear Fission. We have nuclear fission plants all around the world providing energy to millions of people. This technology has been around for decades and has served society in our expansion, providing greener energy and a large amount of it. There are risks to this technology, however. While the benefits of nuclear energy are worth the risk of its production, there is defiantly room for improvement. The production of radioactive waste and the dangers associated with nuclear reactors make nuclear fission a risk, thought it is an acceptable risk. There is new technology in development, however, that can potentially replace nuclear fission; that technology is nuclear fusion.

The Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT is a center designed to educate graduate students on plasma fusion and provide them with hands on experience they need to better understand this developing technology. Plasma Fusion, once it works, will offer a great amount of continual energy with none of the risks associated with nuclear fission such as waste and explosion. The success of fusion will be similar to creating a miniature sun on Earth, a self-sustaining and massive source of energy that we will be able to draw from, never having to worry about energy again like we do now (with fossil fuels as well). Through developing this technology we are getting closer to obtaining a sort of “ultimate” energy source.

This center, however, has been jeopardized by budget cuts due to a transferring of funds to the international fusion program ITER. While this transfer is significant as ITER will provide a large enough scale attempt at plasma fusion to actually be successful, the cutting of the MIT center poses a serious risk to the US’s future involvement in plasma fusion. This hands on education is the only education provided in this country and by taking away the practical aspect of actually creating plasma fusion the government is limiting its future fusion scientist’s education. It’s for this reason that PSFC is creating a petition to keep its program running and fusion reactor operational. I strongly agree with their efforts and consider plasma fusion the future of green energy, and the loss of such an in-depth educational system will serious limit the US’s involvement in the future of energy production.

In today’s world we are faced with two major problems when it comes to energy. The first problem is that the energy we are using creates a great deal of greenhouse gases and this is having dangerous effects on the planet. The need to develop and put into use different forms of green energy has never been greater than it is now. The second problem that we face is the need to meet a growing dependance on energy. As the population rises there comes a demand for more energy and that demand has to be met. Energy is a vital force in daily life and anyone who has lost power for a few days can appreciate just how greatly they rely on energy. So here we are at this junction. The need to stop using dirty energy and switch to green energy crosses paths with a rising demand for energy production. This would be alright is green technology was more developed, but right now there is doubt as to the current energy-output of green technology and it will take a few years, or more, for the technology to replace dirtier energy sources such as coal.

Now the question is what is being done about this? Well thankfully green technology is on the rise and will one day reach its potential to replace all dirty energy sources, but until this transition is a reality there is still a growing demand for energy. Here is where nuclear energy comes in. Nuclear energy is greener that coal and other similar dirty energies, producing no carbon waste, and it has the capability to provide energy to thousands of people. It’s green, it meets demand, so why is there still a problem? Well people are frightened. People have always been weary of such a powerful and destructive force despite its clear benefits. It’s this fear of nuclear energy that is the subject of this post. The Indian Point nuclear power plant is being threatened by people who want it shut down, and personally I don’t think they know what they’re asking for. Looking at the pros and cons of shutting the plant down, I consider the loss of the plant to greater outweigh the risks.

To see my reasoning being my opinion, read by Indian Point Page.

I have spent a considerable amount of time talking about global warming and related subjects, but I have yet to really talk about the other side of the argument. I only think it’s fair that both sides be stated. There are those who are skeptical about the seriousness or even the existence of global warming, making arguments that range from claiming that there is no direct link to humans contributing to rising global temperatures to the date gathered is forced, incomplete, and even inaccurate.

Let me just say that I am in agreement with the majority of scientists and with the mounting data being collected stating that global warming is a real and serious threat that needs to be handled now before it’s to late to do anything about it. The skeptics are in denial, due to political or economic reasons, and they refuse to engage properly in the debate by acknowledging the evidence of the opposing side. So in order to make sense of what the skeptics are claiming, I will line their argument up with the scientific consensus so that way it will be clear what the skeptics are responding to in their claims and just what evidence they are overlooking when they claim such things.

To compare the skeptics against the consensus, continue reading on my Skepticism Page.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. Tom Vales.

The other day the class was visited by Mr. Vales, the laboratory coordiantor at Suffolk. He gave us a little presentation on how alternative energy is employed by a variety of motors, then to all our amusement he demonstrated his homemade Tesla Coil.

I have to say, his presentation was very engaging and informative. Because of him I now want to own a Mendocino motor and put it on my windowsill.

Tom showed us three different kinds of motors, each one employing a different kind of energy source. Here, I will mention the two that stood out to me. The hot air engine was perhaps the only one that has been applied on a greater scale. With only a cup of hot wanter he was able to power the engine and turn the fan, and it was spinning surprisingly fast. This technology is simple, yet its application is very useful, especially for submarines who want to move quietly through the water.

The other motor that I found very interesting was the Mendocino motor. While he described the motor as having little, if any, real-world uses, its educational purposes and entertainment value are great. Floating in midair due to magnets, whenever sunlight hits the solar cells the motor starts to spin quickly. So by putting this on your windowsill you have an amusing trinket that floats in midair and spins whenever it’s sunny.

Then of course he demonstrated what I consider to be his climactic show, the Tesla Coil. He explained how it was invented as an effort to wirelessly power lightbulbs, but now it serves mostly for demonstration purposes of energy and electricity (as well as his annual Tesla convention). Below are some videos of his impressive display.

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Furthering the production of green energy has become the interest of many people in recent years. With growing concerns over the greenhouse effect and the use of fossil fuels, alternative energy has rapidly developed in ways of the technology used, the application of that technology, and the people interested in it. It is no question that the green energy industry has established itself as “having the foot in the door” and from here there is potential for improvement and production.

But what happens when the push for green energy goes sour, as in the case of the Solyndra company. What does it mean when a supposedly promising company is backed by the government and then suddenly files for bankruptcy, costing the tax payers millions of dollars? They said they were worth investing in and the government was willing enough to ensure their loans, hoping that the company’s production of high-grade solar panels will both stimulate the green energy industry and provide thousands of jobs for Americans. Yet despite what was said, they lost everything. People think this means green energy is a waste of money, others suspect foul-play, and then there’s always China to blame. But when we step away from the scandal and try not to get to caught up in what happened, we can see that this event, or “scandal” as some refer to it, while it does have its bad parts, does not ruin clean energy subsidies as a whole.

If you have an interest in this controversy, continue on to my Solyndra Scandal Page.

Okay, picture this:

There’s a power outage and you’re left stranded in the dark. No electricity so no lights. It has fallen to you to reset the breaker, meaning you have to go down cellar, fumble through various objects without hurting yourself, and flip the right switch. This would be alright if you could see in the dark, but lets face it, you can’t. Luckily, you have the means to generate your own electricity. How you say? Well with a special kind of flashlight of course. With just a few shakes you’re able to generate electricity, power the battery, and produce light! (For the sake of this introduction, all the batteries you own are dead or you just don’t believe in batteries because they cost too much and aren’t friendly to the environment)

This little yet useful tool is the product of understanding the science behind magnets and electrical currents. The flashlight is a generator just like any other, only it’s a hand held one. Instead of the initial energy being provide by steam, coal, or other sources, the initial energy is supplied by you, specifically, the motion of your arm when you shake it. The lab I preformed sought to graph this production of man-made electricity.

The Technology

First, before I talk about the experiment, I want to quickly discuss how the technology works. This understanding, as originally provided by Michael Faraday, is needed to know just what’s happening with each shake of the magnet.

It begins with a magnet and a wire. Faraday discovered that by passing a conductive wire through a magnetic field an electric current was produced. Furthering his discovery, he found out that by spinning a coil of wire around a magnet, a steady electrical current could be produced. What this means is that he could convert the energy used to spin the coil, mechanical energy, into electrical energy.

The Experiment

Taking this knowledge and applying it to the flashlight, the mechanical energy being used, by us, to shake the coil inside the flashlight is being converted to electrical energy which is in turn powering the lightbulb so it can produce light. What my experiment sought to graph was the correlation between the number of shakes made and the amount of electricity being produced. Below you can see the graph of the data findings.

First taking a reading of the voltage with no shakes, it comes at no surprise that there is an insignificant amount of electrical energy. Without any shakes there is no energy to be converted. Next, the flashlight was shaken 15 times, producing a voltage of 5.1. The third recording was shaken 30 times, and to my dismay what can only be thought of as an inaccurate reading produced a voltage read out of 3.5. The recording was back on track though with a fourth recording of 60 shakes with a voltage reading of 60.4, and then a fifth recording of 120 shakes with a voltage reading of 103.5.

As you can see from the data collected, the more mechanical energy used, or shakes of the magnet, the more electrical energy being produced.

Sources

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/travel/hand-powered-generators.htm

Energy is always in demand, yet our struggle to provide the needed energy to run the world and be responsible for the effects of using those sources of energy, such as oil and coal, often proves to complicate things for everyone, especially the environment. One source of energy that has become extremely popular is natural gas. Providing approximately 20% of the world’s energy supply, natural gas, when compared to oil and coal, the other two leading energy sources, appears to be a preferred source of energy when it comes to the environment and global warming. Producing less carbon dioxide, less of a pollutant, and especially its inexpensive price, natural gas appears to be naturally preferable as an energy source.

The retrieval of natural gas, however, makes using this energy source a bit more complicated. Until recently the technology for drilling for natural gas was inefficient, costing more than the gas itself. This is where hydrofracking comes in. As a new technology designed to improve natural gas extraction, hydrofracking appears to be an easy solution to the energy complex. In reality though, this technology has its drawbacks. Creating, as usual, a struggle between the environment and the economy, this time there may be no benefit worthy for either side.

To discover more on this new and controversial technology, visit my Hydrofracking Page.