Auros ([info]auros) wrote,
@ 2007-10-17 12:27:00
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Current mood: impressed

Innovative new wind-power design...
Shawn Frayne harnesses aeroelastic flutter -- a phenomenon related to the kind of resonant vibration that tore apart the Takoma Narrows Bridge -- to produce power.

The idea was to produce a generator for lighting in Haiti, at a price point of $2 to $5. He also suggests that these "wind belts" could be put into ducts, to power the kinds of sensors that have to be deployed throughout an efficient building in order to monitor and control internal climate.


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[info]erg
2007-10-17 07:57 pm UTC (link)
So, every time the Enterprise shook like a rattle when going faster and faster into "Too fast", maybe Scotty was using something like this to eke out the extra power?

I've been thinking (I saw this yesterday) that some kinds of engines might have their rattle and shake built back in, as getting extra power could be a bonus, rather than spending the money on insulation.

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[info]gramina
2007-10-17 09:07 pm UTC (link)
Have to insulate the ears of those around it, though...!

Some of that rattle-and-shake can be *really* loud. (even if it's not hearing-damage loud, which it certainly can be, it can make communication challenging.)

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[info]auros
2007-10-17 09:50 pm UTC (link)
Well, bear in mind that with an engine, any energy that's going into a vibration is probably energy that you're losing from the desired purpose. Recapturing some is good, but not losing it in the first place is better, since the loss/recapture cycle is (by the second law) less than 100% efficient.

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[info]erg
2007-10-18 12:26 am UTC (link)
Oh, I do. Our usual engines are so inefficient at this point, the recapture I'm thinking of for today's world simply has to exceed what we're used to. There's also the whole idea of having some rattle and hum because this provides feedback to the user.

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[info]gramina
2007-10-17 09:18 pm UTC (link)
Oh, that is *very* cool! Thanks :)

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[info]surpheon
2007-10-17 10:06 pm UTC (link)
Hmmm, I don't think I would expect them to last more than a year or two in a typical duct system. We can't count on pitot tubes, that is a little pipe with a bunch of holes drilled in it, lasting more than a year or two. Although I'd love get away from that @!#@!# 24V wire spaghetti.

Would be very cool to start lining our parapets with.

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Quibble
[info]xthread
2007-10-18 04:19 am UTC (link)
Tacoma Narrows

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