Month: December 2016

A new way to collect transportation data

A new way to collect transportation data

12/22/16

“How can we create a low-cost mobility measurement system?”
Many developing countries have a problem. Data regarding the usage of vehicles needs to be extrapolated in order to create more accurate transportation policies. The current method to obtain such measurements is to use an array of road sensors to track vehicle speeds, whose components cost an average of 10,000 USD per device and maintenance can go up to 4,000 USD per year per device. It goes without saying that this system can be insurmountably expensive for lower-income countries. So how can we use our engineering mindset to create a new, more affordable paradigm for transportation data collection? Well, a group of intrepid researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have published a paper regarding such a method. After much analysis, they realized that even though many developing countries such as India may not have the highest quality road infrastructure, they do have a fairly robust mobile communication infrastructure. And what everyday technology uses such infrastructure to transmit data? Why, smartphones of course! So what if we were to use citizen’s smartphones to collect driving data (at their own discretion of course) to create accurate information for policy makers? This is the operating idea behind the research done by the international transportation group at Berkeley lab, and it has the possibility of causing a paradigm shift in transportation analysis

Solar outlets

Solar outlets

12/21/16

“How can we use sunlight to create an electrical outlet?”

It is well known that items powered by solar energy have a much cleaner impact on the environment. However, most of our electricity in our homes comes defiling non-renewable resources. So how can we replace our outlets with solar power alltogether? Well, let’s think about it. First, we need to obtain sunlight to create power. Well, In our homes, sun light often comes in through transparent windows. So what if we were to attach a suction-based device on to a window, attach a small solar panel to it, and then add on a electricity storing unit and outlet? This is the operating principle behind a solar outlet, and they are a most intriguing and practial way to make your home a greener place.

Anti-islanding

Anti-islanding

12/20/16

“How can we turn off solar power generation when the grid shuts down?”

Grid islanding might be cool for keeping your residential unit powered when the grid experiences a blackout, but feeding electricity through a grid-tied system can be very dangerous to maintenance workers. So how can we develop a system in which the generation unit will shut off when the grid does? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to solve this problem. One fact about grid-tied inverters is that they can sense the frequency of the incoming current. We also know that when a blackout happens, this current will drop down. So what if we were to program the inverter to recognize when the frequency drops below a certain threshold, it would cut power generation? This is the operating principle behind what renewable energy engineers call anti-islanding, and it is required as a feature for all grid-tied systems in the United States.

Grid islanding

Grid islanding

12/19/16

“What happens when a solar powered system experiences a blackout from the surrounding grid?”

Solar panels are truly an exquisite technology. Not only do they allow for energy independence from oil, but they also allow for energy independence from the surrounding grid! Because solar panels are self-sustaining, if you were to hook enough up to your residential area, you could provide enough electricity that you would not need to take from your local electric company, and even have enough to supply energy back! There is one large disadvantage to this, however. If a blackout were to happen, the electric grid would go down except for self-generating units such as solar panels, which would be islanded. This technology would continue to funnel electricity to the grid, an action that would open the potential for injury to repair workers. As such, most modern day solar panels come equipped with anti-islanding technology to prevent such a case from happening.

The environmental impact of methane

The environmental impact of methane

12/18/16

“What damage to humanity does the emission of methane cause?”

Most of the discourse surrounding pollutive emissions centers on carbon dioxide. However, there are other greenhouse gasses that have an equivalently repugnant impact on the environment such as methane. Methane, with the molecular formula of CH4, is released from the operation and transport of coal and natural gas. Scientific studies have shown that methane is over 25 times more potent in trapping heat than carbon dioxide! In fact, methane is so dangerous that the American EPA has recently created a new ruling to regulate the emission of this gas (which are estimated to not only save the equivalent of 11 metric tons of Carbon dioxide but also yield economic benefits of 690 million USD).

Does Titan have an underground Ocean?

Does Titan have an underground Ocean?

12/17/16

“Is it possible that there is an underground ocean on Titan?”
As far as humanity knows, there are only two terrestrial objects in the solar system that host liquids on their surface, our planet Earth and the ominous Saturn based moon called Titan. Titan is already known to posses liquid methane for seas, but recent research by NASA scientists open the possibility of an underground ocean being present on the planet! During the Cassini spacecraft’s tour of Saturn, it observed that not only have a number of prominent surface features shifted over time but that Titan’s axis of rotation also had a tilt of about 0.3 degrees. These phenomena unlock the possibility of Titan having a subterranean ocean, which in case could mean that Titan could possibly have liquid water present in its geology! However, before you jump on the bandwagon, it is necessary as a scientific thinker to take this news with a healthy dose of skepticism, since just because we found the possibility of Titan having an underground ocean does not mean that it has to be water, or we could be wrong and it could be an entirely different phenomena all together!

Suspension bridges

Suspension bridges

12/16/16

“How can we create a bridge using the phenomena of tension and compression?”

As the scope of humanity’s ambitions and technology grow, so must it’s fundamental infrastructure such as bridges. So if we would like to create bridges that can cross wide spans without faltering, how can we use our own ingenuity to do so? Well, let’s think about it. We know that we can use tension to keep solid objects up. Furthermore, if we experiment, then we can find out that if we attach a beam-like object with tensile supports on both ends to two heavy vertical beams, it would be kept stable. Now let’s apply this system to build ourselves a bridge. First, let’s take a basic, horizontal beam and put in on two end supports. Then, to balance things out, let’s put in two vertical beams, attach them to the horizontal beam, each not too far away from the supports. Now let’s fashion onto these vertical members a long cable that not only connects each support to each other but also contains supporting cables coming out vertically that will hold up the bridge deck, keeping it level in tension, while transmitting the rest force into the members. This is framework is termed a suspension bridge and is one of the most effective bridge designs ever fabricated. Perhaps the most example of a suspension bridge is the monumental Golden Gate Bridge, a 746-meter long piece of metal whose salient engineering has led it to become the most iconic emblem of the San Francisco Bay Area

Electrolytes

Electrolytes

12/16/16

“What are those electrolytes that I often hear about?”

During sports drinks commercials, you probably hear the term electrolytes tossed around a lot. However, what exactly are these electrolytes? Well, electrolytes are simply substances that produce an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in water. For example, Sodium [Na+] and Potassium[K+] are positive electrolytes. Electrolytes are extremely important to the functioning of a healthy human body since the cells that compose it use the material of electrolytes to maintain a voltage potential across their membrane and to carry electrical impulses (such as nerve connections and muscle contractions) alongside your body. Replacing electrolytes are especially important if you contract a stomach flu, as such support will become depleted with the advent of such a situation.

What happens to topsoil when it becomes overused?

Topsoil erosion

12/14/16

“What happens to topsoil when it becomes overused?”

The topsoil of the earth is indisputably one of the most important factors for human agriculture. But what would happen if such a fundamental material erodes away? Well, as scientific thinkers, it would only be logical to take a look at it. Topsoil can be carried away by a multitude of natural processes such as wind, water, and ice. However, nature is not alone in diminishing the supply of useable soil. In fact, the leading cause of topsoil erosion is human activity! By committing to unsustainable processes such as overgrazing (by putting too much animals on open land, the creatures will overeat the grass and stomp on much of the useable dirt), overcropping (when too much agriculture is harvested in an area, the large multitude of plants will over consume the nutrients of the soil, inducing a vacuum of natural provisions), and deforestation (a lack of dead leaves will accompany a lack of trees, which in turn will cause a loss of nutrient supply, inducing soil aridity). The loss of usable topsoil will make land for agricultural work unavailable, which in turn will trigger grave economic and social instabilities. Since topsoil will often take 1,00 years to grow back, such a vital resource must not be seen as something yo be nonchalant about.Topsoil erosion is one of the most imposing existential issues our civilization has on hand, with a United Nations official stating that humanity may have only 60 years of farming left if this process continues at the current rate