High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle (HEHC): Finally Something Fresh for Thermodyanmics

For a long time, I had thought that achieving greater than 50% efficiency for a practical internal combustion engine is impossible.  Of course each engine is tuned to a particular fuel type.  However I was wrong.  There is an engine that can exceed 50% real efficiency (75% ideal) in even very small sizes (40hp or less.)  Not just that, this engine isn't tuned to a particular fuel type, and can use a variety of available fuels.  It's called the High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle or HEHC, concieved and prototyped by the start up company LiquidPiston.  Ladies and gentleman, we have a true discovery in the field of thermodynamics, and a remarkable achievement at that.

The Diesel cycle and engine is known for its efficiency in practice.  They are ubiquitous among the internal combustion engines found in buses, trucks, trains, cruise ships, submarines and backup electric power plants.  Even though on paper the gasoline or Otto cycle, engine is more efficient, gasoline knocks, combusting spontaneously without the spark plug at high compression ratios.  In Diesel engines, knocking is essentially the standard method of combustion, using compression, rather than a spark, to ignite the fuel.  This of course means this problem is inapplicable to them.  Therefore, Diesel engines can be designed in the real world with much higher compression ratios.  The efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICEs) is defined based on the compression ratio; the higher it is, the more efficient the engine.  This has made Diesel engines the most efficient ICE engines up until now.

Left: Diesel Engine, Right: HEHC Engine

While some of the sources claim the LiquidPiston HEHC engine is a diesel engine, it isn't limited to it.  This engine solves two problems.  One is the inherent poor efficiency of the ICE, unchanged for nearly 100 years.  The second is that ICE cycles are tuned to specific fuels.  The HEHC engine runs on a variety of fuels, and is also remarkably efficient because it can achieve compression ratios like a Diesel engine, with better overall efficiency.  Additionally, the engine's power to weight ratio is 5 times better than an equivalent Diesel--about 2 lbs per hp, compared with 10 lbs per hp.  This is important for propulsion applications.

While other cycles and engine designs have these properties, but they aren't useful for automotive and small engine use.  For example, Rankine cycle engines must be very large--like large enough to be contained in a building--mostly useful for driving banks of steam turbines.  Stirling engines, while efficient and flexible with regards to fuel and heat sources, require a long start up time.  HEHC engines can be designed small, start producing useful work as quickly as a regular gasoline or Diesel engine, and have the advantage of efficiency and fuel versatility.  HEHC engines can run on gasoline, jet fuel (JP8), diesel, natural gas, to name a few.  This opens up the possibility of using a much broader variety of fuel blends to maximize efficiency and operation in a variety of conditions such as cold weather.

For example, if one wanted to stop diesel from gelling in freezing temperatures, a blend of gasoline and diesel could be used--a feat normally impossible without causing severe damage to an internal combustion engine.  The design eliminates knocking and so requires no spark plugs, nor a forced fluid cooling system--it is air cooled, requiring no radiator.  Part of the reason for this, is that the engine turns more heat energy into mechanical work, rather than needing to sink it into the radiator.

LiquidPiston's design has really helped restore my hope in heat engines.  And it's not total baloney like those stories of cars that ran on water, that are about as silly as perpetual motion machines.  This one actually has a published paper hosted by MIT describing the technology.  Before this, I truly though heat engines were going to go the way of the dinosaur.  It now seems there may yet be progress in taking a turn-of-the-century technology, and bringing it up to speed with modern advancements.  It will be exciting to see the anticipated video of the X2 prototype engine operating.  The ideal 75% efficiency means that there might still be room to improve the real world design's efficiency into the 60's.  I would have never expected a heat engine that small to exceed 40%, let alone the near 60 of the current design and the surprising fuel versatility.  Hopefully the company won't be purchased by an automaker and disappear, like what happened with a certain mom-and-pop battery manufacturer in Detroit.

The Destructive Potential of GMOs

I am opposed to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) on many grounds.  These objections are on both moral and scientific grounds, and establish why they need to be regulated if not outright banned.  Unlike an organism that evolved symbiotically with its environment, a GMO has been specially designed in a laboratory to meet a given human need.  While I agree with the use of science to enhance our lives, we must be sure discoveries do that.

The major company involved in these practices, Monsanto, is in collusion with government regulators.  Often times it is the FDA that assists Monsanto in ensuring that its innovations stay out of the consumer's eye.  Monsanto sued and won a lawsuit in Ohio against farmers wishing to label their food “hormone free.” That is a complete squelch of freedom of speech.  They are targeting farmers that grow organically claiming that their seed was stolen to shut down businesses.  Now Monsanto is threatening to sue the state of Vermont for putting labeling identifying food that has GMOs.  I have my problems with organic farmers--crops take three times the land space and require "organic" pesticides which can actually be more toxic in many cases.  However they have a right to differentiate their product and have freedom of speech.

One of the reasons to stomp out poor science is that it can deligitimize the claims good scientists make.  Sadly, there have been crack claims that turn the public numb to new claims of legitimate concern.  To answer critics out there, there is good science [1] showing increased IgE immune responses as if an allergen or inflammatory agent was introduced when fed GM corn.  There is also further work [2] indicating there is often carcinogenic contamination of the corn from the large amounts of Round-Up used.  Allow me to point out that while the problem with cancer isn't the GMO itself, the fact that a Monsanto contracted farmer can put as much pesticide as needed to drive off undesirable organisms is the concern.

GMOs are mixing with indigenous populations of plants through horizontal and vertical gene transfer, or run of the mill sexual reproduction, (HGT, VGT) as predicted by evolutionary theory.  I'm surprised the scientists that made these things didn't consider that they are subject to the same natural process as any other living thing.  We are now finding natural wheat populations in states that carry the signature Monsanto genes for Round-Up resistance.  This means that other plants will likely pick up the genes via HGT.  These aren't super plants or super weeds by any means as the media likes to call them.  They are simply behaving according to the predictions of the theory we have demonstrated time and time again.  Speciation occurs continuously.  It means that weed killers will eventually stop working, and insects will develop immunities to toxins more quickly.

I rarely take the side of hackers.  Personally I was pursued by someone who claimed to be a member of Anonymous, so I won't offer any sympathy towards them.  However, I sometimes they do the right thing.  Anonymous apparently published some internal documents from Monsanto online, claiming they attacked the world's food supply.  While I'm not particularly sure there is actual malice or just disregard in the face of greater profit, there is truth to that statement.  The Monsanto genes have contaminated indigenous corn species throughout the Americas and have more than a couple farms in ruin.

GMOs set the legal precedent for the patenting of living things.  This is of grave concern to me.  Human cloning was banned by Bill Clinton in the 1990's.  The cloning ban however applies to Homo sapiens.  It doesn't include organisms that are similar to Homo sapiens that have been created by scientists.  Since living things can be patented, think about what will happen if a company patents the DNA of a human-like animal.  That animal can think, feel, and experience things like a human, but since their DNA is not human it isn't protected under the cloning ban.  Neither is it protected under the Constitution either.  To add insult to injury it is the property of a corporation.  Not just that organism, but all copies of it.  This invokes the ghost of slavery in my mind.

Further Reading & References

[1] Intestinal and Peripheral Immune Response to MON810 Maize Ingestion in Weaning and Old Mice.  Alberto Finamore, Marianna Roselli, Serena Britti, Giovanni Monastra, Roberto Ambra, Aida Turrini, and Elena Mengheri.  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.  2008 56 (23), 11533-11539

[2] Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize Gilles-Eric Séralini, Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage, Steeve Gress, Nicolas Defarge, Manuela Malatesta, Didier Hennequin, Joël Spiroux de Vendômois. Food and Chemical Toxicology. November 2012, 50

Potential of Wind Power in the US

NREL Land and Offshore Wind Speed

The US has a massive potential for wind power.  All along the eastern and western coastline the wind is ripe to be taken advantage of.  The mid-west also has massive potential for the technology along with the great lakes area.  A massive boom to our economy could be had by tapping into this massive source.

NREL has provided extensive work for us in this regard.  As can be seen there is a massive wind corridor in the Midwestern US.  It is concerning we haven't seen more effort to take advantage of this.  Considering the unemployment situation in the US especially in those precise areas, surely it would be beneficial to push for the building of wind power infrastructure.

It is true that new oil finds in the Dakotas have quelled the Peak Oil fears.  This of course does not mean that there won't be threats to the oil supply because of other reasons.  Regardless of these finds I haven't seen any reduction in fuel prices.  And even if we could have all the petroleum we wanted, I doubt the greenhouse gas emissions would bode well for our future along with our children's.

Looking at the numbers and potential it is clear that investment in a wind power corridor would bring prosperity and jobs to a region blighted by the loss of manufacturing jobs.  In the midwest there is a large willing workforce ready to get back to making things.  Constructing wind turbines to be used in the very same area they are manufactured would bring prosperity to a once prosperous region now called the rust belt.  Not only that, the massive amount of electricity produced could be sold east or west; a benefit of being right in the middle.

Of course the corridor is closest to the west, which is the same part of the US which has some of the fastest expanding electrical demand.

The coastline is also remarkably viable for wind turbines.  All along the eastern and western coasts of the US there is ample wind to run turbines.  Strong wind potential is found throughout.  It is a wonder that the idea hasn't taken off, nor has private industry stepped in.  There is remarkable potential for profit, especially if the equipment can be manufactured locally so it doesn't have to be shipped long distances.  Turbine parts are expensive to transport considering their large size.

There is already manufacturing infrastructure in place in the northeast and midwest.  And there are lots of people in need of jobs in these areas as well.  Enhancing wind generation and supply would be great way to add jobs as well as provide for the energy needs of our future economy.

Thorium Reactors: A Stepping Stone to Fusion

There is a technology that lets us create syngas and electricity at the same time to power our economy.  The waste products of the technology cannot be efficiently weaponized.  It is remarkably abundant and cheap, having the potential to solve energy problems in third world countries.  Reprocessing occurs continuously as a result of the process, leaving behind almost zero waste.  Not just that, but it is inherently safe in design with no chance of dangerous situations like meltdowns.  It sounds like something out of science fiction really, but the thorium reactor is actually a technology from the 1960's that is easily realizable today.

Diagram of the Thorium MSR at ORNL

There was research throughout the 1960's on this particular type of molten-salt reactor design.  In 1964, the US built the first thorium breeder reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  The reactor operated for the equivalent of about a year and a half of production use.

Thorium prevents proliferation, since the materials used are difficult to weaponize.  The US discovered this early on since it was decided against thorium for that exact reason.  In the US's case, a weaponizable fuel cycle was desired due to the military situation of the times.

For scale, by converting all existing US nuclear reactors to use thorium fuel, our electricity demand would be resolved for at least the next few hundred years.  The countries that have the fastest growing electrical demand, India and China, are going straight to thorium for the aforementioned reasons.  Thorium is about four times as common as uranium in the earth's crust.  Unlike water based reactors, there is no need for a natural source of water such as a river or lake in the vicinity for cooling purposes.  This makes them usable in deserts or even in extraterrestrial operations such as on the moon, where there is a sizable amount of thorium.  If that wasn't enough, thorium even has a unique electrical signature that lets us locate deposits very easily.

Kirk Sorenson Discussing Thorium at TED

The way the thorium reactor works is by sitting in a molten salt.  There is really no concern for melting down, since the core is essentially molten during operation.  In the event of a runaway, the contents of the reactor core, there is a melt-away safety which dumps the contents of the core into a dump tank and shuts down the reactor.

There is an excellent TED talk on the subject for more information.  In it Kirk Sorenson discusses how it can power us until the next energy source comes along.  Looks like this one will give us enough time to get fusion working.