On Dec 2, 2011, at 12:56 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Horace Heffner <[email protected]> wrote:
For very small units a turbine could be avoided entirely, by using
a free sliding linear motion armature, driven in a manner similar
to old steam engine pistons. The armature would simply make or
break one or two external magnetic circuits to generate power. It
would oscillate back and forth like a frictionless air hockey puck.
Some of the microturbine people are using friction-less forced-air
bearings for their turbines. I guess they have to pump up the
bearings first before spinning, with an outside source of power, or
a battery.
Small air-bearing gadgets like miniature hovercraft have been used
to lift and position heavy machinery that requires precision
alignment.
A very small LENR unit could be used to charge an EV battery 24
hours a day.
Do you mean a LENR unit sitting in the house?
No, I mean a small unit in the car. All electric EV's have utility
right now. One that could recharge itself, at the expense of a
cubic foot and a hundred pounds or so would be very useful. Excess
energy could also be used to keep a car warm or cool. I consider it
an advantage to be able to pull off the road to get charged up enough
to make it home. It all depends on weight/size economics. I expect
batteries will become fairly cheap and light soon (next 4 years), if
nothing else due to Dais Analytic's program.
Batteries and ultra-caps can have wildly differing performance and
range characteristics, depending on temperature. A small energy
source to maintain temperature 24 hr/day could be a very good thing.
I have often thought an ordinary nuclear powered trickle charger
could do this, and too bad this can not be entrusted to the public
for obvious reasons. A small LENR device would be perfect in this role.
Putting it on board the car to trickle charge the battery would
not be a good idea, in my opinion.
We all have our opinions, don't we? 8^)
It is all a matter of economics, weight, and size. There is no doubt
that electric vehicles can be made with enough power to be sporty.
Commercial or long range vehicles are another issue. Some need to be
able to run 24/7. These should be able (avg.) to run on LENR power
alone, with battery boost for hills etc.
It would be a lot more convenient and practical to make it a large
cold fusion battery capable of meeting peak demand, when the car is
moving at top speed up the steep grade. That would be the same as
the internal combustion engines in today's hybrid cars.
Yes.
If it was a small battery that trickle charged the batteries, the
electric car might run out of power in the middle of nowhere. The
driver would have to park and wait for hours, or plug into someone
else's electric power supply.
Pure EVs have that problem now. They are designed for shorter range
driving. Running out of power can tend to be with only a few miles
to go, and in cold temperatures on routes that normally could be made.
If the cold fusion battery took a while to reach peak output, say
10 min., that would not be a problem. You could have an auxiliary
battery large enough to power the car for 10 min. at top speed.
Then after you park, the cold fusion device would continue to run
for a while until the auxiliary battery was fully charged.
You need an auxiliary battery anyway, to handle sudden changes in
demand such as merging onto a highway.
Yes.
I used to have a VW with a radiator fan that ran for a few minutes
after you parked the car, on hot days.
- Jed
I would love to see an Indy 500 race with LENR EV's only. I expect
long haul trucking and railroads will be the likely first
transportation benefactors though. Big dollars and comparatively
easy implementation and retrofitting. A rail car or two full of
LENR stuff following a locomotive, and some big wires/busses between,
could make for a quick railroad "hybrid".
Greenhouses should overnight become a lot more profitable and
feasible, especially here in Alaska.
Best regards,
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
