As part of ongoing research to make hydrogen a mainstream source of clean, renewable energy, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have determined how titanium atoms help hydrogen atoms attach to an aluminum surface. Their study isolates the role of titanium, which is used as a catalyst in the crucial first step to trap hydrogen within a particular class of hydrogen-storage materials. The work may also help identify and develop similar hydrogen-storag
Researchers able to calculate projected damage based on wind speeds, severity of waves, other effects of storm
About 86 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and 59 percent of the natural gas output are being disrupted by Hurricane Katrina, according to a new prediction model developed by a University of Central Florida researcher and his Georgia colleague.
On their Web site, http://hurricane.methaz.org, UCF statistics professor Mark Johnson and Chuck Watson, founde
Rising oil prices have revved momentum to develop more efficient combustion systems. But instrumental to this goal is a need to achieve greater understanding of the complex chemical reactions involved in combustion processes.
In one of the largest simulations ever brought to bear on this problem, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory performed quantum chemical calculations to accurately predict the heat of formation of octane, a key component of gasoline.
Engineers at Purdue University have developed a new way of producing hydrogen for fuel cells to automatically recharge batteries in portable electronics, such as notebook computers, and eliminate the need to use a wall outlet.
The findings will be presented Sunday (Aug. 28) during the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., and also will be detailed in a peer-reviewed paper to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Combustion and Flame. The pa
Heat has always been a problem for fuel cells. There’s usually either too much (ceramic fuel cells) for certain portable uses, such as automobiles or electronics, or too little (polymer fuel cells) to be efficient.
While polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are widely considered the most promising fuel cells for portable use, their low operating temperature and consequent low efficiency have blocked their jump from promising technology to practical technology.
EUREKA project E! 2929 ICOLS offers complete automatic control of lighting levels in both work and home environments. This € 300,000 project has developed an intelligent system extending the control offered by dimmer switches to all lighting sources, including fluorescent lamps. The system saves up to 30% of energy costs while providing safer illumination for work locations.
Artificial lighting is an everyday necessity, often taken for granted when readily available. It influe
Imagine this: A tiny, fast switch that uses water droplets to create adhesive bonds almost as strong as aluminum by borrowing a mechanism found in palm beetles.
The new beetle-inspired switch, designed by Cornell University engineers, can work by itself on the scale of a micron — a millionth of a meter. The switches can be combined in arrays for larger applications like powerful adhesive bonding. Like the transistor, whose varied uses became apparent only following its inventio
Street lighting in the UK could better cut crime, promote feelings of well-being and enhance sight for pedestrians, according to a report published today. By using the wrong type of lighting councils are missing an opportunity to reduce both the fear of crime and pedestrian accidents, and are spending more than they need to on powering street lamps.
The paper, published in Lighting, Research and Technology argues that while UK councils traditionally use orange sodium lamps for their s
A discovery by Princeton researchers may lead to an efficient method for controlling the transmission of light and improve new generations of communications technologies powered by light rather than electricity.
The discovery could be used to develop new structures that would work in the same fashion as an elbow joint in plumbing by enabling light to make sharp turns as it travels through photonic circuits. Fiber-optic cables currently used in computers, televisions and other devi
Integrated European research project develops low-cost, modular and interactive automation solutions for SMEs
Automation makes you competitive ndustrial robots which, while being quick to install and easy to operate, are intended, thanks to their low-cost design, to make the competitive potential of automation technology available to European SMEs. “SMErobot” brings together leading European robot manufacturers, research institutes, scientists, software engineers and consultant
ELTA of France is looking for international distributors for its latest range of Argos data transmitters – the HAL-2 and the VHAL-2. These new high-performance products have been designed to operate in the most hostile environments. Argos – with more than 11,000 active platforms throughout the whole world – has become the preferred system for observing and monitoring the environment on a worldwide scale.
The new-generation Argos HAL-2 (High Accuracy Locator) transmitter has an excellent
To help achieve the Bush Administration’s goal of increased use of solar and other renewable forms of energy, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science has released a report describing the basic research needed to produce “revolutionary progress in bringing solar energy to its full potential in the energy marketplace.” The report resulted from a workshop of 200 scientists held earlier this year.
“The tax credits contained in the historic energy bill signed by President Bush
New technology developed at Northwestern University has the potential for broad application in the detection of terrorist activities such as missile attacks on U.S. troops. Scientists at the Center for Quantum Devices (CQD) have demonstrated, for the first time, uncooled infrared imaging using type-II superlattice technology. This significant development could lead to smaller, faster and less expensive hand-held infrared imaging devices.
High-speed infrared (IR) imagers are capable of se
Space has come down to Earth for this week’s legendary Fastnet regatta. Competitor Marc Thiercelin’s 20-metre Pro-Form yacht boasts lighter batteries, more efficient solar cells and advanced energy management systems – all spin-offs from Europe’s space programmes.
On Sunday 7 August 283 boats took off from Cowes in the Rolex Fastnet 2005 race, sailing along the south coast of England before crossing the Irish Sea to round the Fastnet Rock off Ireland’s south we
The next generation of motor vehicles could be powered by engines that are cleaner, greener and smarter, thanks to research at two South West universities.
Engineers at the University of Bath are carrying our research described as being like ‘neurosurgery on diesel engines’ to find ways of making them even more efficient than their petrol-driven equivalents.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of the West of England are experimenting with the production of fuel ma
A new sensor being patented by Ohio State University could be used to detect concealed weapons or help pilots see better through rain and fog.
Unlike X-ray machines or radar instruments, the sensor doesn’t have to generate a signal to detect objects – it spots them based on how brightly they reflect the natural radiation that is all around us every day.
There is always a certain amount of radiation – light, heat, and even microwaves – in the environment. Every objec
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