Month: January 2017

Drivetrain

Drivetrain

Drivetrain

01/05/16

“What exactly causes the wheels to move in a car?”

 

Everyone knows that in order to move a car, you have to turn on the engine, which will cause the wheels to move, but have you ever wondered how an engine transmits power to the wheels? Well, let’s think about it. We know that an internal combustion engine or a motor will produce rotary kinetic energy. In addition, the position of this component in the car will be parallel but not contiguous with the wheels. So wouldn’t it be logical if we were to implement a shaft connecting the engine and wheels to facilitate the transfer of power and energy between these two components? This is the fundamental idea behind a drivetrain, and it is one of the most important parts of a car. The power transfer function of drivetrains allow them to enable the operation of regenerative braking technology. Drivetrains are considered to be so economically vital that the market for such items is expected to reach $314.4.00 USD by the year 2019!

Spherical Sun Power Generators

Spherical Sun Power Generators

Spherical Sun Power Generators

“Is the only thing we need for the next solar power revolution  just a simple change of geometry?”
The current design of solar panels have a distinct bottleneck; their rectangular geometry leaves them inefficient for obtaining solar power from the sun since the sun’s rays will be in a sub-optimal direction for most of the time. Solar trackers can also be inefficient and are prone to damage in the rain, so how can we completely transform the way we collect solar power? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to figure this out. Our goal is to make the design of our solar producing unit so that the sun can be in an optimal angle at all times. If we think back to our geometry class, then we will remember that a sphere is symmetric from all directions. With this knowledge, the German architect Andre Broessel created a Spherical Sun Power Generator. The setup works as follows: A supporting structure will house a spherical lens. This spherical lens will have a dual tracking system structure at the back of it. In this tracking system will be solar cells, which will receive ample sunlight as a result of the focusing effect from the spherical lens. These spherical sun power generators allow for twice the conventional yield in a much smaller surface area, allowing it to even absorb the reflected sun light from the moon!

Grid-tied inverters

Grid-tied inverters

Grid-tied inverters

01/03/17

“How do solar panels connect to the main electrical grid?”

 

Residential solar panels are one of the hottest technologies on the market right now, with a 119% growth rate in the United States alone! However, this most innovative work of machinery comes with one contention. Solar cells will produce DC electricity, while the national grid is structured by AC electricity. Not only that, but solar panels may not be able to power the entirety of your residential unit, especially during power fluctuations. So how can we integrate this technology to achieve technological feasibility? Well, instead of just giving up, let’s be proactive and use our engineering mindsets to solve this problem. Fundamentally, we need some sort of component that can take in DC electricity and convert it into AC electricity. Well, thanks to the hard work of many researchers, a device known as a grid-tied inverter has been produced for this need. Grid-tied inverters will take the direct current electricity generated and convert it into alternating current electricity in sync with the surrounding grid. This technology is not only environmentally but economically green since any excess electricity generated will be sent over the grid, in which the local electric company will be obligated to remunerate you for the electricity being generated. Furthermore, if your housing unit is in need of electricity, then it will be able to siphon energy from the larger grid to complete your needs. There is one drawback to grid-tied inverters however. Due to the connected nature of the technology, when there is a grid blackout, and no micro-grid is present, your solar cells will be shut down as well, impeding a true self-sustaining system.

Carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage

“Could we fight climate change by taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and putting it into the ground?”
It is a well-known fact that there is an overabundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a result of human activity. So are there any creative ways in which we could reduce this amount? Well, This, how about if we were to take the carbon dioxide during an energy generation process, and then funnel it into the ground? This seems like a good (yet crazy) concept, but as engineers, we can’t just make ideas, we have to implement them as well. The first step is to capture the CO2 during energy generation. This can be accomplished through one of two methods, post-combustion (which takes in the extra flue gas released during the burning of fossil fuels and uses a filter to separate out the CO2) and pre-combustion (which traps the CO2 gas before it is burned). This gas will then be transported through a pipe towards a deep rock formation, where it will finally be ejected and stored for a longer period of time. Carbon capture and storage has the potential to save much CO2 from entering the atmosphere (upwards of 14% of energy-related CO2 reductions by 2050). A stalwart example of a Carbon capture and storage plant is the Canadian Boundary Dam plant, which has the potential to save up to 90% of CO2 related emissions.

Green rooftops

Green rooftops

Green rooftops

01/01/16

“How can we fix the problems of conventional rooftops while simultaneously making them friendlier for the environment?”
Traditional rooftops, while useful for insulating us against the hazardous external world, have many drawbacks associated with them. They can get hot in the summer, get moist during the rainy season, and can sometimes be unpleasant to look at. These grievances look like the perfect sort of job for an engineer to solve. To start, we should address the primal causes of the heating and water runoff. What sort of material would be capable of countering these effects? Well, if we look hard enough, then we would be able to discover that plant matter itself would be a perfect substitute. Think about it, they can absorb water, heat and are rather aesthetic. Now, let’s go a step further, and create a green rooftop by covering the surface of our roof with plant matter. Green rooftops can twice as long as traditional rooftops, absorb harmful UV radiation, and provide far superior cooling for hot summer days. There are two types of green rooftops: intensive and extensive. Intensive roofs contain far more developed vegetation, while extensive units are lighter and less complex. A most stalwart example of a green rooftop is the Chicago City Hall (pictured), which combines both types of roofing