It seems that the burning of fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide is often incorrectly blamed in the media for global warming. Carbon dioxide accounts for just 0.0383% of the atmosphere. The amount is too minuscule to have any significant effect on global warming. In fact water vapor is a stronger greenhouse component of the atmosphere. In fact the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has fallen to suffocatingly dangerous levels for plants. They need it for photosynthesis and are a source of food for animals and humans. Greenhouse owners who raise carbon dioxide content about three times find that plants grow fifty percent faster.
Scientists have concluded that human activity over the last century has probably contributed to global warming. If so, then the probable cause is deforestation and not the production of carbon dioxide through burning of fossil fuels.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Energy models for Future Towns
The rapid depletion of fossil fuel if not the addition of global warming gasses in the atmosphere is sufficient to indicate that current lifestyles of modern humans are not sustainable. A sustainable lifestyle would probably involve the following changes:
A return to small towns rather than living in large cities with public transportation fueled by bio-fuels and electricity.
The use of wood energy from sustainable forest plantations combined with the use of wind energy for meeting the electricity needs of the town.
When wood is burnt from forests that are periodically replenished for more wood the net carbon addition to the atmosphere is zero. New trees absorb the carbon dioxide produced by the power plant. To minimize this wood burning a substantial amount of electricity would have to be produced from wind turbines with the wood burning stepping in to fill the lull in the breeze. With a disappearance of fossil fuels in future, the use of bio-fuels would become necessary to supplement electric driven transportation. These bio-fuels would probably be too expensive for individual cars. A greater use of public transportation and perhaps just walking would become the means for movement within a town. Tree varieties exist that produces both wood and bio-fuel and perhaps even food.
Eventually if the changes visualized here take place it would be better for the health of humans. Life in a big city can be dehumanizing. These changes may be made willingly or unwillingly because it does seem that nature makes unhealthy lifestyles unsustainable in the long run forcing mankind into healthier pattern of living.
A return to small towns rather than living in large cities with public transportation fueled by bio-fuels and electricity.
The use of wood energy from sustainable forest plantations combined with the use of wind energy for meeting the electricity needs of the town.
When wood is burnt from forests that are periodically replenished for more wood the net carbon addition to the atmosphere is zero. New trees absorb the carbon dioxide produced by the power plant. To minimize this wood burning a substantial amount of electricity would have to be produced from wind turbines with the wood burning stepping in to fill the lull in the breeze. With a disappearance of fossil fuels in future, the use of bio-fuels would become necessary to supplement electric driven transportation. These bio-fuels would probably be too expensive for individual cars. A greater use of public transportation and perhaps just walking would become the means for movement within a town. Tree varieties exist that produces both wood and bio-fuel and perhaps even food.
Eventually if the changes visualized here take place it would be better for the health of humans. Life in a big city can be dehumanizing. These changes may be made willingly or unwillingly because it does seem that nature makes unhealthy lifestyles unsustainable in the long run forcing mankind into healthier pattern of living.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Alternative Energy
The world is running out of fossil fuels for sure. As the price of petroleum crudes and coal increases, alternative sources of energy will be used in greater proportions. Besides wind energy, solar energy has been considered often as a source, but the hard facts are that laws of thermodynamics and heat transfer make electricity produced from solar energy very expensive. If one considers all the costs involved perhaps trees are the most economical solar collectors.
An electric steam power palnt can be visualised where water is first preheated to moderate temperatures with solar collectors and then to high temperature steam in wood fired boilers. In order to prevent depletion of forests this would have to be done in a sustainable manner so that trees that are cut and solar dried for wood are replaced on a continuous basis. Doing this will also eliminate the carbon footprint of these power palnt. The net carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by such a plant will be absolutely and precisely zero. A pilot plant based on this principle needs to be constructed and studied in detail.
An electric steam power palnt can be visualised where water is first preheated to moderate temperatures with solar collectors and then to high temperature steam in wood fired boilers. In order to prevent depletion of forests this would have to be done in a sustainable manner so that trees that are cut and solar dried for wood are replaced on a continuous basis. Doing this will also eliminate the carbon footprint of these power palnt. The net carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by such a plant will be absolutely and precisely zero. A pilot plant based on this principle needs to be constructed and studied in detail.
STUDENTS AND EXAMINATIONS
Examinations are a major matter that concerns any student. We all know that things like being intelligient and working hard are important to do well in examinations. But then we find that there are students who are consistently high scorers. It is not just intelligience, there are well known techniques that help a student get a high score. There are book on the topic. For example "How to Succeed in examinations" and now even a short course conducted over the internet that a student can enroll in offered by a leading international educator. Check here
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Green Solutions to Global Warming
There is much concern at the present time about the increasing addition of green house gases to the earth’s atmosphere. A prominent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. This gas is produced when fossil fuels are burnt to produce energy for driving our automobiles or for producing electricity in power plants. It is believed that increasing addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will result in adverse changes to the earth’s climate such as global warming to the extent that many presently inhabited areas of our planet will become inhabitable.
As a result of the concern caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from power plants it has been proposed that the use of fossil fuels should be restricted and a greater emphasis should be laid on alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.
There is however another route to reducing green house gases that may in the long run prove to be the most beneficial route towards improving the life sustaining qualities of our planet. This route is to green the planet. Carbon dioxide is to plant life what oxygen is to human and animal life. Plants need it for their growth and sustenance. Every time a tree is grown, it absorbs and converts some atmospheric carbon dioxide to useful organic materials. This absorption of carbon dioxide is rapid in the early growing phase of a tree. Absorption of carbon dioxide continues throughout the life cycle of a tree because trees continue to produce fresh foliage year after year.
Large portions of our planet have been deforested through recent human activity. While some deforestation is required for agricultural purposes there is much that can be avoided. In addition very large parts of our planet are large deserts or barren land not suitable for agriculture. These latter tracts are ideally suited for increasing green forests on earth. In ancient times they were green. It is for this reason that petroleum is found in such areas. Modern science and technology has made feasible the planting of select varieties of trees in dry desert areas. It is true that there is a cost involved in planting forests. Some of these can be recovered if the money that is being used for developing and subsidizing alternative energy sources is diverted for this purpose. More can be generated if the industries emitting carbon dioxide are levied an additional tax for forestations
The source of fossil fuels is green organic matter that once grew on earth’s surface. In ancient times this got buried under the surface and converted into coal, gas and crude petroleum oil. Bringing it back to the surface of the earth through mining is the first step towards returning this green material to the earth’s surface. The second step is its combustion to produce carbon dioxide. The final step is the conversion of this carbon dioxide to plants and trees through human effort. The green house gas emitting industry is already doing a commendable job of the first two steps of this cycle. However, we as a civilization have lagged behind in the last step towards greening our planet. Urgent attention must be given to this last step. If not done, it will result in the conversion of some of this green gas into materials such as inorganic carbonates through natural processes. Calcium carbonate is one such product. One converted into an inorganic form the carbon becomes unavailable for creating biomass. The result is a planet that is more barren than it has ever been before. Large scale planting of trees that reduce barren tracts of earth, including the Sahara Desert is the route to go if humans are seriously interested in improving our planet over the short as well as the long term.
As a result of the concern caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from power plants it has been proposed that the use of fossil fuels should be restricted and a greater emphasis should be laid on alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.
There is however another route to reducing green house gases that may in the long run prove to be the most beneficial route towards improving the life sustaining qualities of our planet. This route is to green the planet. Carbon dioxide is to plant life what oxygen is to human and animal life. Plants need it for their growth and sustenance. Every time a tree is grown, it absorbs and converts some atmospheric carbon dioxide to useful organic materials. This absorption of carbon dioxide is rapid in the early growing phase of a tree. Absorption of carbon dioxide continues throughout the life cycle of a tree because trees continue to produce fresh foliage year after year.
Large portions of our planet have been deforested through recent human activity. While some deforestation is required for agricultural purposes there is much that can be avoided. In addition very large parts of our planet are large deserts or barren land not suitable for agriculture. These latter tracts are ideally suited for increasing green forests on earth. In ancient times they were green. It is for this reason that petroleum is found in such areas. Modern science and technology has made feasible the planting of select varieties of trees in dry desert areas. It is true that there is a cost involved in planting forests. Some of these can be recovered if the money that is being used for developing and subsidizing alternative energy sources is diverted for this purpose. More can be generated if the industries emitting carbon dioxide are levied an additional tax for forestations
The source of fossil fuels is green organic matter that once grew on earth’s surface. In ancient times this got buried under the surface and converted into coal, gas and crude petroleum oil. Bringing it back to the surface of the earth through mining is the first step towards returning this green material to the earth’s surface. The second step is its combustion to produce carbon dioxide. The final step is the conversion of this carbon dioxide to plants and trees through human effort. The green house gas emitting industry is already doing a commendable job of the first two steps of this cycle. However, we as a civilization have lagged behind in the last step towards greening our planet. Urgent attention must be given to this last step. If not done, it will result in the conversion of some of this green gas into materials such as inorganic carbonates through natural processes. Calcium carbonate is one such product. One converted into an inorganic form the carbon becomes unavailable for creating biomass. The result is a planet that is more barren than it has ever been before. Large scale planting of trees that reduce barren tracts of earth, including the Sahara Desert is the route to go if humans are seriously interested in improving our planet over the short as well as the long term.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
How Thermal Power Plants can help Green the World
Global Warming due to the effect of greenhouse gases such as those released by thermal power plants is increasingly becoming a matter of serious concern for environmentalists.
Another area of serious concern to environmentalists is the destruction of forests and green cover on our planet. Vast tracts of our planet are covered with desert like conditions and these tracts are increasing. A novel solution exists that can solve both these problems simultaneously. Just as animals and humans breathe oxygen releasing carbon dioxide as waste (A green house gas), trees and plants breathe in carbon dioxide releasing oxygen. Thermal power plants too release copious amounts of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels. IF a regulation existed (Lets call it the GREEN STEAM PROTOCOL or GSP for short) that required every operating power plant to green sufficient areas of our planet to create a green cover sufficient to absorb the carbon dioxide released by them during their lifetime the problem can be solved. Such a protocol will undoubtedly increase the cost of thermal power but the benefits to the society at large would be immense. Scientists can easily calculate the amount of green cover required for various thermal plants based on their electricity output and thermal efficiency. A GSP needs to be imposed on fossil fuel based thermal plants just as a GST is imposed on various other goods. If the amount of greening required is somewhat in excess of the actual requirement, Thermal Power Plants will become the agents of reducing global warming rather than increasing it.
The somewhat increased cost of power due to GSP will also encourage alternative power technologies such as wind and solar power to become more competitive which they are not at presentas well as encourage power plants to operate at higher supercritical pressures so as to improve their thermal efficiencies. AN increase in thermal efficiency would become more economically attractive since power cost reduction will then be due to both a reduced GSP as well as due to increased thermal efficiency.
It must be remembered that at one time the fossil fuels were trees and forests on our planet. Digging these out from the earth and producing electricity through their use combined with the Green Steam Power Protocol only helps to restore our planet to its Pristine Glory.
If you are interested in such a protocol becoming law in most countries please give your views on the matter as a comment, and help lobby for it with the appropriate forums seized with the issue. At the heart of this campaign is the visualization of a new partnership between Environmental and Engineering groups. Partnerships based on mutual help accomplish far more than confrontation
Friday, September 15, 2006
Diary of an Alien
Read the Diary of an Alien from another planet here. In the first few installments the Alien talks about evolution and how life began on earth.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
How to get Traffic to your Blog
It is dissapointing to write something in a blog that is worth reading and then find out that hardly anyone has visited your blog to read it. That is because there are so many millions of blogsites and websites out there. There is little possibility that someone will just wander in. One way of getting some traffic to your blog is by viral methods. That is like telling someone about your blog, who tell others and so on. Try this link to find out about one such.
Another way is to join blogexplosion. This last is really a fun site where you can learn a lot about blogs and blogging as well as meet other bloggers. They review each blog personally before including it in their blog directory and system but if your site is a real blog there should be no difficulty in getting it included. Just follow the link given here.
Another way is to join blogexplosion. This last is really a fun site where you can learn a lot about blogs and blogging as well as meet other bloggers. They review each blog personally before including it in their blog directory and system but if your site is a real blog there should be no difficulty in getting it included. Just follow the link given here.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Steam Power Plants for the Future
Steam power plants are here to stay. Even if the heat source is nuclear the power plant is still a steam type. At the present time the thermal efficiency of steam power plants is limited by the fact that turbines cannot handle steam beyound a certain temperatue. However we know that the humble automobile engine handles much higher temperature. That is because it is not a turbine. Therefore in future it may become imperitive to explore rotary steam engines for the highest pressure and temperature stage of a steam power plant. These would be of the Wenkel type but with different valve opening and closing system. Lower pressure stages of the power plant can still be turbine based. And as mentioned in another post there is a possibility that power plants will return back to simpler configurations and smaller sizes. Bigger is not always better.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Steam Tables
Get your copy of the latest steam tables in SI units from here. You can download a copy rightaway or order a printed copy by mail. These neatly printed tables are ideal for engineering students undergoing a course in Thermodynamics as well as for engineers in the power and steam industry.They are based on the latest standards.
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