Homer Simpson was on to something...

[Tom Yum]

A few years ago, I watched an episode of the Simpsons where Homer decided to go into business for himself by taking grease from his son's school cafeteria and trying to pawn it off on strangers.

It looks like someone decided to run with that idea and make it a reality...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4718813.html

Conoco Phillips and Tyson are working on a JV project to turn animal fat into biodeisel. I doubt they will release the conversion process just yet, but it should be interesting for engineers and chemists alike.

Its probably a trans-esterification reaction? (Alcohol-A + Ester-B -> Alcohol-B + Ester-A). Not going to go into kinetics, thermodynamics but its probably a based catalyzed rxn (lower temp requirements, higher yields etc.)


The project will supply 175 MM gallons of bio-fuel per year.

Once the fuel is at full production in 2009, Tyson said it expects the venture to add between 4 cents and 16 cents a share to its annual earnings. Looking at Tyson's current no. of outstanding shares (which fluctuates) that's $14.2 to $56.8 MM in net earnings.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=TSN

Anyone have any idea what that cash will be used for? Re-invested as capital expenditures? Pay down debt? Regardless, that's a nice chunk of change to entice competitors in both industries to team up.

Other midwestern meat packers such as Perdue Farms Inc. and Smithfield Foods inc. are probably on the lookout for partners to mimick similar projects...I'd bet some former engineer, Investment banker guys are hitting the streets for this.

Who would have imagined chicken wings n' fuel? More importantly why does this make sense?

Fat is a cheaper feedstock. Using soybean oil as a feed stock costs $0.33 per lb versus $0.19 per lb for chicken fat. Demand for diesel as a whole is expected to increase. Economists predict the U.S. will produce about 1 Bln gallons of biodisel per year due to growing demand from increased transportation, with half of it coming from animal sources.

Lastly, our nation's energy policies are pushing us towards alternative energy sources to reduce political risks from foreign sources, while rewarding home-grown renewable sources.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/jan/04/using-fat-for-fuel-tyson-chicken-byproduct-seen/

One wonders how it was dreamed up in the first place and the skepticism it must have faced until the details were worked out.

I'm sure Homer would be proud of himself for his foresight.

[GonzoStyles]

Nice link Tom, that would seem to be a fuel bonanza for America!

I just finished a job for a small division of J.P. Morgan that is designing
wind-turbines that are mounted on oil rig type platforms, the cool thing about their design is they tow the rig out to the location, then the wind turbine actually drives the legs down into the ground!
Texas actually leads the nation in wind generated kilowatts, I love seeing the blades for these big generators going down the highway, makes me proud to be a Texan!

[Tom Yum]

Texas actually leads the nation in wind generated kilowatts, I love seeing the blades for these big generators going down the highway, makes me proud to be a Texan!

Amen.

I take it the gulf-coast is prime for wind generation. I can also see the hill country being a good location too?

[Tant01]

I have a buddy who runs his truck on bio

This is just small scale but his fuel cost is less than 20 cents per gallon and his F-350 gets almost 20 MPG on the stuff...

[treelizard]

I know people who make biodiesel out of grease they get at fast food restaraunts.

Unfortunately my car doesn't run on diesel.

[Tom Yum]

Last discussion was about a JV deal for Tyson foods to supply animal fats to Shell Chemicals as a feedstock to make biodiesel. We looked at some of the projected earnings from the project, Tyson's likely competitors and the economic justification.

And now for something completely different...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070418/ap_on_he_me/ethanol_health_risks

The press release discusses the possible increase in environmental and smog-related health hazards of using ethanol over gasoline over the next 20 or so years. The study is based on a computer modeled simulation of "pollution" and air flow.

Personally, I'd like to see what assumptions the model makes about the composition of said pollution and compare it to a series of laboratory studies of the combustion products of say, E-85.

Theoretically speaking, the combustion of ethanol produces more hydrocarbons than say straight gasoline. For some of us non-science folks out there: HYDROCARBON POLLUTION = BAD.

In an ideal world, the combustion of ethanol in pure oxygen under ideal gas conditions is stated as follows:

C2H6O + 3 O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O.

But we live in the real world and some of the reaction products can include unreacted ethanol (although really small %), Nitrogen Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide (both refered to as NOx gasses).

What's the fuss over NOx gasses?

1. Irritate the lungs.
2. React with air to form ozone.
3. React with water to produce Nitric Acid -> Acid Rain.

Gasoline mixtures, such as E-85 are not pure ethanol, rather 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (C4 - C12) by mass, which contains other oxygenated compounds such as MTBE. Also combustion reactions do not take plus under ideal conditions.

It would be interesting to catch some of that freshly combusted E-85 from a chamber that mimics an engines air-to-fuel ratio with non-ideal conditions and characterize it by both Gas Chromatography (for relative molecular properties) and Mass Spectrometry for identification. The resulting analysis would help us better model the composition of poluution.

This study has probably been done before, but would be an interesting science fair project for a really smart highschool kid or a self-motivated college student with an interest in petrochemicals and/or engineering.

I've got some technical questions myself about column selectivity for the GC, considering the possibility of acidic combustion products (NOx + water) which may or may not be pertinent, as well as some unwanted side reactions (gumming polymerizations) that may be irrelevant to the analysis, but a potential issue for engine performance.

I'd like to hear from any other science minded or technically skilled folks here...

[Tom Yum]

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know...

[Tom Yum]

Gonzo, thanks for the lead into wind power.

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) uses a map of the U.S. with data from the measured/calculated average annual wind-power-density (is that a correct engineering term?).

There are 7 classes of wind-power-density corresponding with 7 different ranges of wind velocities.

The information I've looked at suggests that wind-utilities require atleast class 3 winds for optimal production and perhaps class 4 winds for optimal profitability?

Here's a map I found that shows certainty of class 3 winds or higher:

http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/maps/chap2/2-08m.html

Apparently the Gulf Coast and the Pan Handle are best for wind utilities. I always assumed Hill country was windy too...but perhaps the wind isn't as consistent.

Same thing, except it shows the certainty of class 4 winds or higher:

http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/maps/chap2/2-09m.html

I can see wind power projects providing additional jobs and supplying more electrical energy, especially in North Texas. If real-estate up in the Pan Handle is cheap and with a readily available supply of technical and professionally skilled labor from UNT, Texas Tech and UT-Dallas, do you think it could spur the growth of new manufacturing plants in the Pan Handle region?

Perhaps I'm jumping too far ahead here. I'm not really an engineer, neither am I an urban/city planner.

As for the future of wind power projects, I read something about an airborne, tethered windmill - sort of like a kite with a helium sack or a helicopter-like device. At high enough altitude, there would be a constant supply of wind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_wind_turbine

If they go the tethered route, that's a perfect engineering application for the ultra strong carbon-nanotube cable that scientists keep talking about...and you heard it first on defend.net, a martial arts website...lol.

[Tom Yum]

I suppose we would use a similar multi-colored map for sunfall and optimal regions for solar power collection?

[Tant01]

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know...

There's a quote worth saving...

[GonzoStyles]

Tom here is another good future source for power, waves

Scotland is leading the world in wave generated power technology and have made a few substantial leaps here lately.

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/wave-power-scotland/

[Tom Yum]

Tom here is another good future source for power, waves

Scotland is leading the world in wave generated power technology and have made a few substantial leaps here lately.

http://www.alternative-energy-news.i...ower-scotland/

Energy, energy everywhere and not a Joule to harvest. Thanks Gonzo.

[Tom Yum]

My first engineering/science challenge idea was to try to simulate the fuel combustion reaction of E-85 and various grades of ethanol-gasoline mixtures in an actual engine and to characterize the exhaust products by GC/MS. The idea came up when I read about a paper that said ethanol would create more pollution than standard gasoline blends.

Inspired by Gonzo's article on the wave generator and some facts I read about wind generation, my next engineering/science challnege idea is to create an off-shore generator that can generate electric power from ocean waves, wind and sun 24/7.

What would it look like? How big should it be and what would be its generation and storage capacities?

I need an architect/artist and an engineer/mathematician here...someone whose like a Leonardo DaVinci. Its complete science-fiction at this point.

Would a sphere-shaped body collect the more sunlight or a cone-shaped body? Is there another geometry that can more efficiently collect sunlight from sunrise to sunset?

Would the solar collector sit on a platform and have seperate wave generators floating around it or be flexibly attached to the ocean floor in order to collect the most wave energy from the ocean?

How far out in the ocean should this generator be positioned to catch the strongest waves during high-tide and low-tide?

If we go with the tethered-wind generator, how many should be used and how should they be attached?

Lots of questions. Just brainstorming.

[Tom Yum]

Alright, I've asked a friend whose a really good artist if he would sketch something for me based on a few assumptions. If he can find the time and desire to do it, I may post it.

I also have a friend whose a physicist/electrical engineer and overseas operations for a utilities-related firm. Hmmmm....well, we'll see how far this goes.

[Tom Yum]

Once, I tried to make fire using water. I was successful in two ways. First (and by far, hardest), I put the water in a baggie and made it into a lens. it took nearly an hour to ignite tinder, as any movement made the shape of the lens distort and therefore weaken the focusing power. I had really impressive success, though, by freezing the water in a cereal bowl. The nearly hemi-spherical shape was an awesome lens.

Freezing the water requires too much work, unless of course you're in weather that's below 32 F

The water baggie as a lens is interesting and reminds me of your fire starter challenge issued a while back. I've thought of clear plastic bottles (from trash) as a possible lense, the reflective part of a watch (the thin clear plastic part), car mirrors, foil wrapper from gum and a lot of things since then.

I wonder if the hemi-spherical shape would be a good light collector across the arc of the sun from dawn to dusk? It would seem a naturally suitable shape, since it provides a well-aligned surface at all angles of the sun's path, and a flat side for transmission of that light to the ground below....

I threw the cone out there to see what people's responses would be. Hemi-spherical light collector is optimal; here's a piece of artwork that resembles what I'm imagining, except that it would have more panels per square foot.

Would it be a good idea to put these off shore or near the coastline? Coastlines/offshore areas probably collect as much sun as inland areas but are salty and can cause alot of corrosion upping maintenance requirements.