Kevin and All Great job on calculating various energy source costs. Care to put it in a table?
On my website, www. Woodgas.com, I have a section called Energy Rosetta Stone at http://www.woodgas.com/energyrosetta.htm I believe it is an interactive table. It would be interesting to check your new numbers against mine... Tom Reed Dr Thomas B Reed President, The Biomass Energy Foundation www.Woodgas.com On Jul 12, 2011, at 10:03 PM, "Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear Tom > > Thanks very much for the specific real numbers for the energy available from > a pound of Aluminum. > > Assuming that scrap Aluminum sells for $1 per pound, then the cost of the > energy in the Hydrogen produced is thus $1/3.3 = $.30 per kw-hr, assuming > 100% conversion to Hydrogen. > > In comparison, purchased wood pellets cost about $5 per 40 pound bag, or > $.125 per pound, and each pound of pellets contains about 8,500 BTU, or about > 2.5 kw-hr per pound. In this case, the cost of contained energy is about > $.125/2.5 = $.05 per kw-hr, ie, about 1/6 as much. > > As I understand it, the best practical efficiency of a Fuel Cell running on > Hydrogen is about 60%; this would cost of energy for electricity of about > $.30/.6 = $.50 per kw-hr. > > A biomass gasifier has a typical efficiency of about 70%, giving a cost of > the gas energy of about $.05/.7 = $.071 per kw-hr. If this gas is sent to an > internal combustion engine with an efficiency of 25%, shaft power thus costs > about $.284 per kw-hr; if the shaft was connected to a generator with 80% > efficiency, then the energy cost of power from high cost wood pellets would > be about $.284/.8 = $.357 per kw-hr. > > There was a discussion about an "Earth Battery" using Aluminum as the energy > source. Would you have any idea of the conversion efficiency of Aluminum to > Electricity in such an "Earth Cell?" More particularly, would the efficiency > of such an "Earth Cell" be lower than, approximately equal to, or higher > than, a Fuel cell? > > Thanks, and Best wishes, > > Kevin > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Thomas Reed > To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification ; Art Krenzel > Cc: [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 9:52 PM > Subject: Re: [Gasification] CONSERVATION OF ENERGY > > PS. > > According to my book, THE FREE ENERGY OF BINARY COMPOUNDS (available at > Woodgas.com) > > The Enthalpy of combustion of Al > > Al + 3/2 O2 ==> 1/2 Al2O3. Delta H (C) = 178 kcal/mole = 745 kJ/mole. The > MW of Al is 27, so this is 27.6 kJ/g or 12,527 kJ/ lb. 1 kW hr is 3.8 MJ, so > this is 3.3 kW hr/lb. > > Well worth capturing. > > Tom Reed > > Dr Thomas B Reed > President, The Biomass Energy Foundation > www.Woodgas.com > > On Jul 12, 2011, at 7:51 PM, GF <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> The other day I posted an article on this site concerning: >> Cornish Hydrogen Generator. Keelynet, which describes a method of >> converting >> Aluminum into its oxide and in the process cracks water, freeing up hydrogen >> for use as fuel for a light car. >> By all accounts, using this gas in the place of any other fuel. >> Distances and the amount of metal used in this attainment were mentioned. >> I was hoping for a reaction from one of the many “Energy Economists” >> Who lurk on this site, to respond with negative information regarding the >> impracticality and waste fullness of such a process? >> I believe there is a large following on this site who are interested in >> obtaining electrical power using renewable energy, derived from carbon >> neutral sources. >> They might question the economics and ethics of using a refined ore as fuel. >> Instead of chopping down oxygen producing vegetation. >> In this respect I am a nonconformist. I believe most Aluminum is produced by >> Hydro electric power and, so the CO2 is not in the equation. >> My second comment is harnessing a “free” supply of high temperature heat >> which is emitted from most Ice’s in the form of “Hot Exhaust”. >> This is the place to install a reactor capable of converting beer cans into >> hydrogen as not too much energy would be needed to complete the reaction. >> Bubbling super heated steam through a molten bath of AL would give pure >> hydrogen. >> No tar, and the ash is a hot commodity >> The real question is: how much energy is locked up in a pound of AL >> gfwhell >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Gasification mailing list >> >> to Send a Message to the list, use the email address >> [email protected] >> >> to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page >> http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org >> >> for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: >> http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/ > > _______________________________________________ > Gasification mailing list > > to Send a Message to the list, use the email address > [email protected] > > to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page > http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org > > for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: > http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/ > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1390 / Virus Database: 1516/3760 - Release Date: 07/12/11 > > _______________________________________________ > Gasification mailing list > > to Send a Message to the list, use the email address > [email protected] > > to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page > http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org > > for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site: > http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/
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