Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 104 posts

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#31

Post by kylemathews »

brc wrote: post #6
sasvari wrote: post #4

I remember reading about the JTEC a couple of years ago, but I am very curious to see an actual working version of it. Could be the hottest thing around ...

Right - surely they can get a scale model of it working. I take all these announcements with a grain of salt now. We're always reading about these breakthroughs, then nothing. I mean, if he had even a small working prototype, he could be on the news and gaining investors and traction.

Yeah, I'm a bit suspicious. Google returns nothing right now.

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#32

Post by dstein »

nickpinkston wrote: post #24
dstein wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He should disguise his invention as a social network for the energy industry -- BOOM! instant funding.

Haha I think you've got that backwards. It's probably better to make a social network look green and sell the carbon credits! How that for monetization?!?

You nailed it! A social network for carbon credit sharing. Call Sequoia.

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#33

Post by tlb »

tocomment wrote: post #7

How would this work? Surely sunlight can't create enough heat to ionize a gas (creating plasma?). Why don't the whole hydrogen atoms go through the membrane to the lower pressure area? How does he alternate which side is heated? How does he cool the other side?

The effect is pretty straightforward and not hard to make work in a lab. The problem is that it works at very high temperatures, and ion-permeable membranes degrade quickly at those temperatures. Anything sufficiently hot will randomly eject atoms and evaporate, even ceramic. It sounds like his work is an improved ceramic membrane, but it's not useful unless it lasts thousands of hours at full temperature, with temperature cycling every day.

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#34

Post by haliax »

kylemathews wrote: post #31
brc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right - surely they can get a scale model of it working. I take all these announcements with a grain of salt now. We're always reading about these breakthroughs, then nothing. I mean, if he had even a small working prototype, he could be on the news and gaining investors and traction.

Yeah, I'm a bit suspicious. Google returns nothing right now.

http://www.johnsonems.com/?q=node/2

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#36

Post by kjuhygtfrde »

anthonyb wrote: post #26
tocomment wrote: post #7

How would this work? Surely sunlight can't create enough heat to ionize a gas (creating plasma?). Why don't the whole hydrogen atoms go through the membrane to the lower pressure area? How does he alternate which side is heated? How does he cool the other side?

Sure it can - you just have to focus the sun's rays into a smaller area. The sun delivers on the order of 1000W per sqm during the day, so (eg.) focusing 100 sqm into 1 sqm == 100,000W. 12 hours of daylight will then give you a theoretical production of 1.2MWh per day, but it's usually a lot less, due to the angle of the sun in the morning/evening and inefficiencies in your energy capture.

On HN we obey the 2nd law of thermodynamics

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#37

Post by stcredzero »

Steam engines—powered predominantly by coal, but also by natural gas, nuclear materials, and other fuels—generate 90 percent of all U.S. electricity. But though they have been refined over the centuries, most are still clanking, hissing, exhaust-spewing machines that rely on moving parts, and so are relatively inefficient and prone to mechanical breakdown.

Do steam turbines really clank? (I can believe in the hissing part.)

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#38

Post by stcredzero »

hop wrote: post #18
tocomment wrote: post #5

Speaking of inventors, does anyone know how inventors ever get a foothold? I had a cool idea for heating swimming pools to ambient air temperature (think giant heat sinks). But do I get giant heatsinks built for me to test? How do I find out if this is already patented? How do I sell it?

Cover it with an insulated top when not in use. Your pool is colder than ambient because the top surface is constantly evaporating, leaving behind the slower moving molecules. A solar heater would work better (if you have sun) because it will absorb more energy than ambiant air convected over the same area. And you would need a fan for a heatsink if its wasn't windy. http://www.amazon.com/SmartPool-SunHeater-Above-Gr…

Your pool is colder than ambient because the top surface is constantly evaporating, leaving behind the slower moving molecules.

Sounds like a way to save on air conditioning costs to me. Put a heat exchanger to the pool and heat your pool while cooling your house.

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#39

Post by tocomment »

cameldrv wrote: post #14
sdesol wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have to imagine this would have been patented if your "heatsink" source is practical. Unless you are living in a area like Iceland where you can tap into geothermal energy, I would have to imagine any other method would be impractical. You have to obtain the heat from somewhere. Be it natural or from some form of man made energy source. I do remember reading somewhere about capturing/retaining heat during the…

I don't know about that. It sounds like it could be a good idea to me. Ambient air temperature varies 25 degrees or so from night to day. The pool is going to tend to gravitate towards a temperature between the ground temperature and the average air temperature throughout the day. If you want to heat the pool in the Fall and Spring, just circulate the water through an air-source heat exchanger in the afternoon, and t…

Yeah, that's what I had in mind. I just don't know where to start. It seems like an obvious idea so it's probably not patentable. But I guess if I came up with a specific implementation then maybe that would be?

I still have no idea how to get someone to manufacture it, or to mass produce and market it myself.

Re: Super-Soaker inventor may have solar-powered fuel cell breakthrough

#40

Post by tocomment »

hop wrote: post #18
tocomment wrote: post #5

Speaking of inventors, does anyone know how inventors ever get a foothold? I had a cool idea for heating swimming pools to ambient air temperature (think giant heat sinks). But do I get giant heatsinks built for me to test? How do I find out if this is already patented? How do I sell it?

Cover it with an insulated top when not in use. Your pool is colder than ambient because the top surface is constantly evaporating, leaving behind the slower moving molecules. A solar heater would work better (if you have sun) because it will absorb more energy than ambiant air convected over the same area. And you would need a fan for a heatsink if its wasn't windy. http://www.amazon.com/SmartPool-SunHeater-Above-Gr…

Good points. I was hoping to come up with something easier to use than a cover, and possibly cheaper.
Post reply on HN