Uncategorized – omarqus

Final Blog

Wind turbines will transform the kinetic energy from the wind into electricity. The amount of power a wind turbine can produce depends on blade efficiency, the design of the blades will affect the power production. More efficient blades will use the wind and make the drag as small as possible as the blades spin around.The way the blades are designed and set up on the turbine will decide how fast they spin and therefore how much power is being created from that wind. The motor that the blades are attached to will convert mechanical energy to electrical energy as it is spinning.

Procedure:

Estimate the area of each blade
The windmill will have no blades on it. Pick of one of the three blades and attach it to the windmill.
The multimeter is already connected, set it to 20 DC volt (to get a voltage reading).
Hold the leafblower four feet from the windmill, and keep it on for 30 seconds. One person should be watching the multimeter to record the highest voltage read.
Another person should be measuring the wind speed & recording it.
Set the multimeter to 20 k (to get the resistance)
Hold the leafblower four feet from the windmill, and keep it on for 30 seconds. One person should be watching the multimeter to record the highest resistance read.
Repeat steps 1 6 for the two other blades.
Calculate the expected power of the turbine & the actual measured power

To calculate the data we used this formula:
Pturbine = 1/2pAv3
p = air density ; A = area of blade ; v = velocity (wind speed)
amperage = voltage^2/ resistance

We expected the white blade to give us the best results because it was standard blade used in windmills. Since it’s design had been honed over many years of work, it was safe to assume that the white blade would be the most effective.

Here is some of the data from our experiment:

Blue Blade-

Voltage

Amperage

Power Output

Watts = voltage x amperage

Wind 30MPH

.95

6.56

6.232

White Blade-

Voltage

Amperage

Power Output

Watts = voltage x amperage

Wind 30MPH

.85

14.07

11.95

Black Blade-

Voltage

Amperage

Power Output

Watts = voltage x amperage

Wind 30MPH

0.63

1.7

1.071

The other blades were not as effective at generating power because their design was not as honed as the white blades.

The Experiment:

The greatest obstacle we faced during the experiment was the calculations required for the experiment. Since we had multiple moving parts and many of our classmates. It was difficult for us to keep the data consistent since the leafblower would hit the blades at different angles it could have affected the result in different ways too.

We also enjoyed doing our colleagues’ experiments, learning about the difference between diet coke and regular cokes reaction with mentos, understanding the laws of inertia and learning about energy production was a blast!

Keystone xl blog

The Keystone Pipeline is a oil pipeline system that runs from Alberta, Canada to Cushing Oklahoma. The Keystone XL Pipeline proposal to expand the keystone pipeline in two parts:

1. The first part would be to connect the end in Oklahoma to the Gulf of Texas, and

2. The second part would consist of a new portion of the pipeline that runs from Alberta to Kansas.

The portion that connects Oklahoma and Texas has been completed. The Canadian company that runs, and expands the pipeline is focused on gaining the necessary permits from federal and local governments. The expansion of the pipeline has been marred in controversy. Finding information on what the pipeline is was a challenge. Most sources only spoke about pros and cons of the pipeline without providing tangible information. The pipeline’s official website says that the keystone pipeline will support the crude oil production in the USA.
Homeowners and environmentalists are vehemently opposed to the expansion. They have blocked TransCanada from acquiring the many permits they need to expand the pipeline.

Pros:

1. The project is estimated to create 20,000 jobs in the USA, other reports have estimated 500,000 jobs being created around it.

2. Since Canada and the USA have always been on friendly terms, it would boost oil production in the gulf coast of texas and give its energy sector security.

3. Another potential benefit would be the tax revenue, which is estimated to be a total of 100 million dollars for the regions surrounding the project. This would only apply if general tax evasion was not practiced.

4. It is one of the safest methods to transport oil.

Cons:

1. Leaks and past leaks have wreaked havoc on the environment and the people surrounding the pipeline. Oil leaks create ridiculous amounts damage to ecosystems, they poison water supplies and destroy human and animal populations alike.

2. The pipeline would cause environmental damage equal to adding more than 5.6 million new cars to our roads. Instead of investing into an environmentally unfriendly fossil fuel, we should be investing in clean renewable energy that would pay off in the long term.

3. The jobs created would be short term and would cause economic distress in the surrounding areas. A major employer no longer bringing in money after a project is destructive to economic environments

https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-project/

http://keystone-xl.com/five-reasons-why-keystone-xl-benefits-the-u-s/

http://heavy.com/news/2014/11/keystone-xl-pipeline-facts-map-news-senate-house/

Brain storming

Our group had 3 initial ideas.

1. Create energy using a potato or fruit battery

2. Create energy using a wind turbine

3. Create energy using rubber bands.

We researched the various potential experiments by reading about projects, and watching videos surrounding each project. After watching videos and reading the method behind each experiment, we decided that creating energy using rubber bands a potato would have been very simple.

The videos we watched showed the methods and materials required for each experiment. As stated earlier, the potato battery and rubber band experiment would have been far too easy.

The turbine experiment allowed us to try different types of blades. We chose to make 3 different blades, one of them being a standard blade that is used. We wanted to see what kind of blade would create the most energy when a fan is blown on it. The only variable will be the different blades, since we will be using the fan at the same setting every time.

We split the work like so, one of us would be in charge of building the actual turbine and blades. A second member will be writing the blog. The third will be creating the handout and powerpoint for the class. Creating a fairly even split.

Reactor in Cambridge

Touring the lab was pretty cool, being given a way to measure the radation we were exposed to was also cool. Going through all the safety checks and seeing how much work goes into keeping people safe was very comforting. I was surprised to find that the reactor existed for non-violent purposes and research instead of electricity generation. The multiple safety nets in place, both electrical and manual was also a comfort, really setting in the importance of safety was awesome.

The core is made up of 27 positions. There are six blades surrounding the core and will drop in less than half a second if an alarm is ever sounded. The awesome part about the blades and magnet is that if there is ever an alarm or malfunction, all it takes is one blade to drop. If the magnet stops working, then the blade simply shuts down the reactor instead of causing a potential disaster.

The reactor is shielded through concrete walls. The coolant system that uses water then releases it as vapor was interesting to see, since it showed nuclear power plants work and how nonharmful they are to the environment. With multiple computer safety checks and a person monitoring the reactor at all times of the night to make sure none of the dials would read a potentially dangerous level. The tube system was also cool to see since it was a throwback to the 50s and some cartoons I watched as a child. Seeing all of the safety procedures and efforts in the lab was very important to me.

Also, our guide telling us how MGH uses radiation to kill tumors in non-invasive ways was really interesting and informative.

Solar Cell Experiemnt

We wanted to understand the relationship between light intensity and voltage output and the relationship between the wavelength and the voltage output of the cell. We used legmindstorm to measure the energy levels for 30 seconds.

We measured the energy output of a flashlight based on distance, we would put the light one CM away each interval and the further the light was, the less output we had. We measured the light for 30 seconds

In the second part of the experiment, we added different color filters over the cell to see what colors would inhibit and amplify the energy output. Purple had the largest ouput. We placed the flashlight directly over the filter.

Worldwide solar energy use

A list of where solar energy is used most

Ranking	Country	Installed PV [MW]
1	Germany	32,411
2	Italy	16,361
3	China	8,300
4	USA	7,777
5	Japan	6,914
6	Spain	5,166
7	France	4,003
8	Belgium	2,650
9	Australia	2,650
10	Czech Republic	2,072

Germany:

Germany is the number one user of solar energy in the world in 2010, “Germany installed 3.8 GW of PV(Photo Voltaic) solar energy capacity, and the country has added at least 3.3 GW of new solar capacity per year, and more like 6 GW per year between 2010 and 2012.” 50% of the energy used in the country was from solar energy, 78% of their total energy was from renewable sources. They also have the first building that captures more energy than it uses.

China:

China has grown its solar energy usage by a whopping 6000% since 2009, from less than one-third of a gigawatt to 18.3. They are also a major solar panel manufacturer. The government has also increased their renewable energy plan from 20-30 Gigawatts by 2020 to 70 gigawatts by 2017.

http://pureenergies.com/us/blog/top-10-countries-using-solar-power/

http://energyinformative.org/where-is-solar-power-used-the-most/

Nuclear Energy self study

Nuclear energy is the energy released during nuclear fission or fusion, especially when used to generate electricity. When energy is released when an atom is split in two it is called fission. When two parent nuclei merge and release energy this is called fusion.

Nuclear Power Plant-

The chain reaction that occurs during fission (neutrons cause other atoms to split) creates the heat that is used to generate electricity in a power plant. Uranium, a heavy metal that is mined, is the most common fuel in Nuclear Power plants

Advantages:

Efficiency: a pound of Uranium= one million gallons of gasoline.

Cleanliness: 164 tons of carbon do not enter the atmosphere annually because of nuclear energy(more nuclear energy use will increase this)

Disadvantages:

Radiation can cause genetic mutations, some do not have a great effect, like blue eyes, others can result in horrors found in chernobyl.

Radiation has been linked to causing cancer.

Fukushima Daiichi

On March 11, 2011 an earthquake occured that killed 20,000 people in Northern Japan. The quake created a tsunami. A natural disaster of this level led to a breakdown in civil services such as public transport and electricity. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was effected because of this.

Fukushima Daiichi Disaster

Without any power, there was no water to cool the power plant, creating the high temperatures which lead to explosions that released radioactive debris into the air. Contaminated water was leaked into the sea for months.

A large amount of steam was produced because and the pressure began rising. The temperature kept rising rapdily and the cooling system had failed because of the tsunami.

Effects

The people surrounding the reactor were very quickly evacuated, minimizing the effects of the radiation of human life. Certain areas were quarantied for a short time until the radiation faded, while some areas are still under quarantine.

Radioactive material still spills into the sea because the fences that were present before the accident had faield. They are being consumed by species of fish that are consumed for food. The food in Japan is now being mointored to avoid the consumption of radioactive fish.

Continued nuclear reliance

Without access to natural resources Japan will continue to rely on nuclear energy, although continiously trying to develop renewable energy they have had trouble leaving nuclear power.

http://fukushima.ans.org

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-struggles-to-find-balanced-energy-strategy-1431545581

10. Obama’s Climate Action Plan

In 2009, President Obama announced that that by 2020 US greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 17%. The s Climate Action outlined three major goals to complete the

1. Cut Carbon National Carbon Output by Increasing Fuel Economy Standards:

The amount of carbon released into the air would be regulated by the government to help protect the health of the American people. In 2012 carbon emission levels. If we decide to focus on reneweable energy as a country, we would be able to reduce emissions even more and create jobs to boost the economy since importing energy is difficult.

Fuel standards have been set for heavy duty vehicles for the first time in the country’s history. They are the second largest source of greenhouse gases because of transportation. An estimated 270 million metric tons and 530 million barrels of oil will be saved.

2. Create a National Infastructure that can Withstand Climate Change:

While trying to prevent climate change (which is already occurring) steps are being t taken to prepare the country for its effects. The creation of stronger roads, shorelines, and bridges has been promised to better shield the populace from the effects of climate change.

Prepration for the consequences of greenhouse gases and climate change have begun. Hospitals will need to be able better serve patients during heatwaves and keep the temperature reasonable. Agencies and taskforces have been developed to pinpoint the proper investments, which can be done privately or through federal agencies, for different facilities in the country . The goal of the agencies and taskforces is to create an infastructre that can last against the tide of climate change.

3. Spearhead the Fight Against Global Climate Change and Prepare for its impact on an international level through Long Term Investments In clean Energy

No lone country can counter a global issue of this scale, the goal of the USA will be to lead the world in combatting any effects of climate change and pollution that have already occurred while

One of the first goals of the initiative is to increase the use of clean energy. The plan wants the Gov to research, develop, and deploy clean energy. This will be done with a 30% increase of budget across all agencies.

Stirling Heat Engine

Robert Stirling invented The Stirling engine in 1816 to create a safer alternative to the steam engine. Steam engine boilers would explode due to high pressure combined with low quality parts, killing and injuring many operators. The Stirling engine operates by cycling the compression and expansion of gasses. The gasses used never leave the engine, so it has no exhaust valves that can explode and cause injuries and deaths. They have been used to run refrigerators, fans, cars, and sewing machines.

Modern Day Uses:

Modern ingenuiety has created other alternatives to the Stirling heat engine, but ti is still used in solar power generation for being very efficient in converting solar energy to electrical energy and

The Peltier effect is a temperature difference created by applying a voltage between two electrodes connected to a sample of semiconductor material. This phenomenon can be useful when it is necessary to transfer heat from one medium to another on a small scale. A Peltier device is a heat pump that uses the Peltier effect to move heat.

http://www.mpoweruk.com/stirling_engine.htm

http://stirlingshop.com/html/applications_.html

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