Dear Tom
----- Original Message -----
From: Thomas Reed
To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 11:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Gasification] CONSERVATION OF ENERGY
Kevin and All
> Great job on calculating various energy source costs. Care to put it in a
table?
It is difficult to put in a Table, in that Outlook Express doesn't easily
permit making Tables. However, teh results below can be presented as follows:
Material Energy Content, kw-hr/lb $/Lb Cost of Energy Cost of
Energy, $/kw-hr
Aluminum 3.3 $1.00
$.30
Wood Pellets 2.5 $ .125
$.05
> 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...
This is a very helpful table, and gives a good perspective on the cost of
energy and power from different sources. There is minor disagreement between my
figures and yours, in that for wood pellets, with about 5% moisture, the heat
value per ton is about 17 million BTU per short ton of 2,000 pounds. There can
be large variations in heating value of biomass, simply as a consequence of
moisture content, and your Spreadsheet allows insertion of a more accurate
heating value, if one is known.
Best wishes,
Kevin
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
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