Vee Jay 41; Who is Dr. Geoffrey Ballard

VeeJay says, "Who is Dr Geoffrey Ballard?

Dr. Ballard is Mr. Fuel Cell.

"Dr Ballard has been internationally honoured for bringing fuel cells to commercial viability through his work at Ballard Power. In 1999, he was named by Time magazine as 'Hero of the Planet' and received the Order of Canada. He serves as chair of the Canadian Hydrogen Association and as an Advisory Board member for the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California. He received the World Technology Network Award in Energy in November 1999, and received the Gutenberg International Environment prize in Sweden in 2000. Dr Ballard is a graduate of Queen's University and was awarded a PhD by Washington University."
world-nuclear.org/sym/2002/ballardbio.htm

Scientific American, Masters of Technology,
Dr. Geoffrey Ballard, Environmental Technology
"For years, he was dismissed as crazy but the dogged engineer persisted and with a team of dedicated scientists developed a new, non-polluting fuel source for automobiles and busses--the hydrogen fuel cell. Masters of Technology went to Vancouver, British Columbia to talk with Dr. Ballard about his amazing odyssey--as he went up against the automobile establishment in seeking to prove that cars don't have to be polluters. Even his own father discouraged him from going off on his quixotic effort to find a new non-polluting power source."
Check local listings for airdates. To purchase a VHS copy of this episode, click here.
sciam.com/mastertech/ballard.html

"Dr. Geoffrey Ballard Vancouver Geoffrey Ballard is acknowledged worldwide as the father of the fuel-cell industry."
protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/news/Backgrounder2003.pdf

Says Dr. Ballard: personal autos will be last to use fuel cells,
Fortune Magazine, July 14, 2003
fortune.com/fortune/print/0,15935,456366,00.html

"Whatever you may think of the long term prospects for a "hydrogen economy", you have to admire Dr. Ballard's knowledge and integrity. He's never tried to sell hydrogen and fuel cells as panaceas for all our energy problems. He makes no bones about where he sees the energy to produce hydrogen as coming from: he's a strong advocate of nuclear power. His views of how fuel cells will appear in the market also strike me as quite realistic. Forget about hydrogen-powered personal autos in the near term. Fuel cells and hydrogen storage systems are still 30 times too expensive to compete with fossil fuel powered IC engines."
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/38748

We might not agree completely here but the article is worth a look.
Hydrogen Cars Not Needed, U.S. Experts Say
Reuters- July 18, 2003
"Two U.S. energy experts cast more doubt on Friday on a push to develop hydrogen-powered cars as a means to cut air pollution and reduce oil imports. Cheaper and faster ways already exist to achieve the same effect, including raising fuel efficiency and toughening environmental standards, David Keith and Alexander Farrell, wrote in Friday's issue of the journal Science. 'Hydrogen cars are a poor short-term strategy, and it's not even clear that they are a good idea in the long term,' Farrell, assistant professor of energy and resources at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement."
Story....

Fuel Cell Technology
John Magner, The Woodlands, Texas, Letter to Editor of Chemical and Engineering News, August 25, 2003 Volume 81, Number 34
"Our nation's real need for a viable long-term solution to renewable energy, especially for private transportation, is not well served by articles that paint a fanciful picture of the promise of fuel cells (C&EN, June 9, page 35; June 16, page 16). Economically viable solutions for the following fuel-cell challenges seem highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.
PEM Engine Cost
"The total cost (without subsidy) of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell engines (fuel cells, power conditioning, electric motors, and so on) with mass low enough to be practical in a vehicle is in the range of $3,000-$7,000 per kW--40 times that of the advanced diesel engine. It is worth noting that PEM fuel cells have been in use and development for 40 years, and costs have not yet begun to drop significantly--notwithstanding many assertions to the contrary (such as those in the June 16 article) that use artificial costs from heavily subsidized projects or cite costs of massive, stationary fuel cells that are unsuitable for vehicles."
Hydrogen Storage
"Safety-approved affordable compressed-gas cylinders achieve 1.5% H2 storage by mass at 34 MPa (5,000 psi). A $25,000 carbon-fiber-wrapped fuel tank achieving 6% H2 storage seems impractical for the small private car, and liquid hydrogen (LH2) doesn't keep long. The huge mass penalty associated with economical H2 storage seems likely to keep the mileage of fuel-cell-powered automobiles (of acceptable range, acceleration, cost, and cargo capacity) below 25 miles per kg of H2 for many decades."
Hydrogen Production
"Current U.S. H2 production is enormous--about 2 x 10,000,000,000 kg per year. Yet the current pretax cost of LH2, delivered in 15,000-gal (4,300-kg) tankers to high-volume customers, is $4.30 per kg, and other methods of H2 distribution are even more expensive. On the other hand, the current U.S. pretax cost of gasoline for the individual consumer at the local station is about 30 cents per kg."
Hydrogen Source
"The only economically viable sources of H2 in the U.S. are natural gas and coal. The nearly adiabatic partial-oxidation/reformation/shift reactions use 3 kg of natural gas (90% CH4) to produce 1 kg of H2 plus 9.5 kg of CO2. Then more than 3 kg of coal must be burned (releasing another 10 kg of CO2) to generate the 10 kWh (36 MJ) needed to purify and liquefy 1 kg of H2. The energy efficiency in producing LH2 is under 50%. (This number has not budged in 15 years and will not in the next 50. We're near Carnot limits.) The energy content of 1 kg of H2 is equivalent to 2.8 kg (1.1 gal) of gasoline, which contains only 2.3 kg of carbon."
Miles Per Kg CO2
"At 80 miles per gallon, the advanced diesel hybrid achieves 7 miles per kg of total CO2. The fuel-cell automobile at 25 miles per kg of hydrogen achieves 1.1-1.3 miles per kg of total CO2. Hence, when miles per kg of CO2 release ("fossil mileage") is more fairly calculated, the total CO2 generated per mile by a hydrogen vehicle is likely to be five times that of a comparable diesel-powered hybrid vehicle for at least four decades. (If we have not been able to raise fuel taxes a nickel in the past two decades, how can we expect to impose a $1.00 per kg surtax on H2 production to support CO2 sequestration?)"
DOE position
"It is most interesting to note that, seven years ago, the Department of Energy expected fleets of fuel-cell-powered vehicles to be in use by now. Today, they are projecting that will occur seven years from now. Undoubtedly, if DOE invests $2 billion (as expected) over the next seven years, many more demonstration vehicles (at $300,000 each) will be on the road, but that really does not accomplish much. I expect to still see that "seven-year" projection for commercial fleets 20 years from now. It's time we start putting some serious money into real options for our future transportation needs."
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/42128

See also a Buddycom fuel cell discussion
Fuel Cells
And a second fuel cell dsicussion
Eco-car...
And fuel cell references
Eco-car references

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion and philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, and the seeker after truth must strive to disentangle the two. The debate between so-called "creationists" and "evolutionists" in contemporary America is a splendid demonstration of what happens when that effort fails. --Arthur M. Shapiro

VeeJay says, "Who is Richard Muller?

Richard A. Muller, a 1982 MacArthur Fellow, is a physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches a course called "Physics for Future Presidents." Since 1972, he has been a Jason consultant on U.S. national security.

"His first class session, on energy and power, starts off with a bang. An asteroid the size of Mt. Everest colliding with Earth, creating an explosion more than 10,000 times greater than the combined U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals. From that vivid introduction, Muller explains why the asteroid caused an explosion."
berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2003/02/26_.shtml

"I explain that a pound of gasoline has 15 times the energy of a pound of dynamite," he says. "That surprises everybody, but it's true. We use dynamite not because it has a lot of energy but because it can release it very quickly." Eighteen months ago, the first lecture's lesson proved all too pertinent, Muller says. "A week later airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, releasing an enormous amount of energy. None of my students were surprised that the terrorists didn't bother to carry dynamite, because they already knew the amount of energy stored in gasoline far exceeds that in an equivalent amount of dynamite."
berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2003/02/26_.shtml

Good thing he is not teaching in Kansas. His book "Ice Ages and Astronomical Causes" is meant for students or researchers who want to learn how to do spectral analysis of paleoclimate data. As long as it does not go back more than ten thousand years ago? Bushies, Kansans, and other truth-o-phobes will probably want to miss Richard's websites in order to contribute to a more well-rounded state of ignorance.
muller.lbl.gov/

His monthly column for the MIT publication "Technology Review" is based in part on his classroom lectures. Recent columns have addressed terrorism-related topics, Iraqi weapons inspections, airport security, and the North Korean threat.

Technology for Presidents by Richard Muller
technologyreview.com/articles/opinions.asp
Technology for Presidents is the title of his section of Op/Eds at MIT's technologyreview.com
Most of the "remarkable" things Richard says should be obvious to any holder of a bachelor of science degree. Are you a religious right icehole with highly cherished lies swimming around in the rancid cesspool you call your brain? You'll probably want to tune in to Sunday football this season. Hey, Rush Limberger can add some fizz to your cesspool while you chant God Bless America. Limberger is the great bamboozler. Why else would conservatives lavish $285 million per year on the dude? A few of the points made by Muller would be welcomed by Bushie Limberger fans. Most would cause contention. Here are some articles by Richard Muller. Bushies should probably not bother parsing them.

amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967276519/auravisionpublis

Want to see a Christian turn into something resembling an insanely angry whirling Tasmanian Devil?
Recommended reading for jerky-kneed religious right conservative Republican lobotomatons. You know who you are. The ones who can't rest until you cleanse our world for the benefit of your cognitive elite. You know who you are. The genetically superior ones. God's chosen ones. Bound and determined to seize Bush's "historic opportunity". Jesus, Jesus this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Where? Revelations and Deuteromomonomony. Opportunity for what? Armageddon, WWlll, Holocaust, World Cleansing of Disbelievers, Second Coming of Noah. Call it whatever tickles your fancy. Book is also recommended for Jewish persons in need of a good chuckle. Jews have said for centuries that Jesus was just a dude, after all. Isn't life unfair? How come they can say that and still go to Heaven? But if Christians and other Gentiles say that, they have commited the UNFORGIVABLE SIN, and have to go straight to hell, don't pass go, don't collect two hundred dollars?

Selections from the novel are available for download and free distribution.
Jesus Is Told How Moses Split the Red Sea
richardmuller.com/pages/RedSea.txt

Quote from Dr Richard Muller:
"I think of physics as the liberal arts of technology," says Muller. "You understand the fundamental aspects of physics, and then you can learn the technology and understand how it relates to current world problems. I'm teaching the elementary physics that is most useful for someone who is trying to live in a technological world, to contribute to that world, and to make correct decisions."

NB: What is a correct decision? For the One-And-Only-One-Way Arrowheads, in most cases, the term, correct decision holds the opposite meaning to what the term means for the rest of humanity. Can the rest of humanity wake up and smell the coffee before Bushies pull the plug? Smart money is on the Bushies.

Quote from Dr Richard Muller:
"I explain that a pound of gasoline has 15 times the energy of a pound of dynamite," he says. "That surprises everybody, but it's true. We use dynamite not because it has a lot of energy but because it can release it very quickly.""None of my students were surprised that the terrorists didn't bother to carry dynamite, because they already knew the amount of energy stored in gasoline far exceeds that in an equivalent amount of dynamite."

A viewer read the quote taken from this article about Dr. Richard Muller.
"I still think the number of MJ/kg for kero and dynamite are about the same."

Octane, which some British call kerosene.

Estérification par l'acide nitrique
La nitroglycérine est le représentant le plus connu des nitrates d'alkyles. Ces composés (qui sont tous très instables et donc dangereux) sont obtenus par estérification des alcools par l'acide nitrique.

Comme la plupart des explosifs, un petit volume de nitroglycérine liquide libère un volume très élevé de gaz.

Nitroglycerine
faidherbe.org/site/cours/dupuis/alcools.htm#nitroglycerine

Octane, ball and stick model.

Les dérivés polynitrés,
notamment le 2,4,6-trinitrotoluène, sont utilisés comme explosifs. On les obtient dans des conditions plus dures que les mononitrés. La réaction doit être effectuée à chaud et sous pression. L'image représente la molécule de trinitrotoluène plus connue sous le sigle TNT, encore appelée tolite. A la différence de la nitroglycérine, c'est un composé assez stable pour lequel la décomposition nécessite un explosif auxilliaire. Comme tous les explosifs nitrés, la réaction est une oxydo-réduction interne qui provoque une grande libération de gaz. L'augmentation brutale de volume qui en résulte est à l'origine d'une onde de choc et du caractère brisant de l'explosif.

Trinitrotoluene, TNT
faidherbe.org/site/cours/dupuis/aromatiq.htm

"At launch, the booster carries 1.8 kilotons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, the energy of 4 kilotons of TNT, roughly 20 percent of that of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The astronauts surf into space on top of an enormous continuing explosion. Could that be made safe? The simple answer: no."

Quote from Dr Richard Muller:
"There is nothing in my course that should not be known by everybody in the United States," says Muller. "With a technological background one can have a reasoned understanding of the issues, which is important for everybody."

NB: What is a reasoned understanding? For the One-And-Only-One-Way Arrowheads, in most cases, the term, reasoned understanding holds the opposite meaning to what the term means for the rest of humanity. Especially as explained by Rush, simple terms like this become complex as he drapes them in laters of creative semantics. Can the rest of humanity wake up and smell the coffee before Bushies pull the plug? Smart money is on the Bushies.

Quote from Dr Richard Muller:
"My goal is to make Physics 10 into the most interesting course you have ever taken, and to teach you material that will be useful to you for the rest of your lives. The course will NOT be a watered-down physics course. I believe that students who take this course are smart and interested in -- maybe even fascinated with -- physics. They read about recent discoveries, and wish that they could understand them better. They enjoy Science specials on TV, even though they don't fully understand everything. The barrier has probably been the math. Although they did well in advanced algebra, and perhaps even calculus, their main interests have been elsewhere, so their ability to use math as a tool has atrophied. Math has been the barrier to understanding better, but they don't have the time or inclination to learn the math just so they can understand the physics."

The vast amount of jet fuel in the 9/11 airliners didn't explode in the same manner that nitroglycerine would have. But that is really moot. How did the enermous amount of energy cause the WTC destruction?

Re:The looniest of all 9/11 conspiracy theories
September 11, 2003, by Michael Pettengill
"With engineering documentation on the cause of the fall of the twin towers, its a bit hard to imagine how anyone needs to grasp at straws to explain what has been explained, but then again, there seem to be lots of people who think that fossil energy consumption is the only source of energy and civilization depends on an infinite supply.... "
"So, the fuel oil didn't cause much direct damage. What it did do is ignite all the flammable materials in the 6-10 floors affected. Sort of like dumping a gallon of kerosene on 200 pounds of charcoal. The heat from the carpets, the fabric in the wall dividers, the plastics, etc., burned for more than a hour at temperatures that were generally no higher than 2000 degrees F. That is high enough to melt aluminum, but not steel, but at that temperature, steel becomes much more ductile and it will remain ductile as the temperature drops slowly. The trusses in one tower sagged and pulled lose letting the outside walls to bow out resulting in a collapse. In the other tower, the core steel probably became ductile enough to bow under compression and that led to the collapse. "
"Man, all this stuff is pretty simple. Blacksmiths 200 years ago knew most of it. No electricity, no machine tools. Gee, how do you expect to survive past the collapse of civilization? ;-)"
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/41502

Fat Cat Laws for those who don't have time for the math.

1) Law of Energy Conservation
Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.

2) Law of Cat Motion
A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction.

3) Law of Cat Inertia
A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force ... such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.

4) Law of Cat Magnetism
All blue blazers and black sweaters attract cat hair in direct proportion to the darkness of the fabric.

5) Law of Cat Stretching
A cat will stretch to a distance proportional to the length of the nap just taken.

6) Law of Cat Obstruction
A cat must lay on the floor in such a position as to obstruct the maximum amount of human foot traffic.

7) Law of Cat Acceleration
A cat will accelerate at a constant rate, until he gets good and ready to stop.

8) Law of Rug Configuration
No rug may remain in its naturally flat state for very long.

9) Law of Selective Listening
Although a cat can hear a can of tuna being opened a mile away, she can't hear a simple command three feet away.

10) Law of Cat Embarrassment
A cat's irritation rises in direct proportion to her embarrassment, times the amount of human laughter.

11) Law of Pill Rejection
Any pill given to a cat has the potential energy to reach the speed of escape velocity.

12) Law of Cat Invisibility
Cats think that if they can't see you, then you can't see them..

13) Law of Cat Composition
A cat is composed of: Matter + Antimatter + It Doesn't Matter.

~VeeJay, Written for Reasons Unknown

VeeJay