Case Western Researchers Make Fiberglass Windmill Blades As Long As Two (and a Half) Football Fields

The pace of technology increases in fiberglass technology is matched, perhaps, by only advances in green tech. And when the two industries align, things can get pretty awesome.

A recent report from MSN lists some advances made by researchers at CAse Western in Cleveland, OH.

Fatigue tests show the reinforced polyurethane composite lasts about eight times longer than epoxy reinforced with fiberglass. The new material was also about eight times tougher in delamination fracture tests, according to the researchers.

The researchers expect to make blades that are 250 meters long, by 2020. To give you an idea, maybe, of that ridiculous size: picture a full football field, then picture another one, then picture half of another one. That's how long the windmill blades will be.

The only expected downside of these huge strides in fiberglass and power generation technology are the usual ones, the NIMBYs. (NIMBY stands for "Not in my back yard.") Of course, I wouldn't necessarily want a gigantic windmill in my backyard, but that seems pretty unlikely. Seeing giant windmills in the distance would actually make me proud of my home area, that it wants to invest in green tech and generating power in a sustainable way. But only time will tell how well implemented Case Western's fiberglass windmill tech becomes.

The SIC Power Grid of Chile

There’s some unfortunate news out of Chile this week. It looks like the South American nation is facing extended power shortages due to a crushing drought affecting the country. (Remember, south of the equator it’s the opposite season.) Since a good amount of Chile’s industrial power generation comes from hydroelectric plants, the draught is affecting the country in several very bad ways.

This power shortage could have bad effects for the rest of the world, too. Chile is the world’s leading producer of copper — it makes almost a third of the world’s supply. Though the government has said the power shortage would leave the country’s copper mines unaffected, a power shortage should cause infrastructure problems and price increases that have tertiary affects on the economy.

The power shortage is so bad that the government is thinking of instituting a power rationing plan — only the third time the government’s intervened over the last fifteen-odd years. Reservoir levels are at a pitifully low level, and a power-rationing move could reduce as much as 5% to 10% of the country’s power generation.

The main primary industrial power generators supplying energy to the drought-affected SIC power grid are Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA (EOC, ENDESA.SN), AES Corp. (AES) through its Gener SA (GENER.SN) unit, and Colbun SA (COLBUN.SN).

Fiberglass Whale Set For Cleaning Soon

The biggest fiberglass structure in the world (or at least the biggest one I've ever seen...) is set to be cleaned soon.

Of course I'm talking about the gigantic whale hanging from the ceiling at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The giant blue whale is made of fiberglass of polyurethane. To give you a sense of its scale (life sized, apparently), it is 94 feet long and weighs 21,000 pounds. Despite its massive weight, hundreds of people walk under and sit under the whale model every day.

The big blue whale hasn't been cleaned in two years. Looks like it's due.

Custom Composite Battery Boxes For The Next-Next-Gen Hybrid Auto

Sure, you've got your Toyota Prius. Or maybe you've got a Ford Fusion hybrid. Or one of those new Chevy Volts. Those hybrid automobiles are OK. But they lack a certain... custom composite battery technology.

What do composites have to do with hybrid automobiles, you may be wondering? Well, researches out in Germany look to have developed a crash-resistant battery case for automobiles. On the one hand, it's not extremely difficult to create a crash-resistant case for automobile batteries, but given their power output (read: a sight less than a V8 Hemi), keeping weight down is a prime concern. Hence the custom composite casing.

According to this news report,

The Ernst-Mach Institute has developed a mass-production-ready, crash-safe battery housing that meets strict requirements. The battery housing that surrounds the battery that weighs 340 kilograms (749.57 lbs.) only weighs 35 kilograms (77.16 lbs.) [...] The battery housing can withstand a crash, assuming a ten-fold gravitational acceleration.“ And even if a sharp object collides with the housing at 60 km/h (45mph), the highly sensitive battery on the inside remains intact.

Not only are these composite material battery boxes lighter than metal alternatives, but they're also easily mass-producible, making them a potentially cost effective solution.

Southern Spars Spurs Innovation In Custom Composites

Another week, another story about the uses of custom composites in nautical applications? What can we say: composites provide such a great combination of strength to weight that they're just the best for demanding uses, like sailing.

In this case, we're talking about the very most demanding nautical application: world-class superyachting. A New Zealand company called Southern Spars has recently unveiled some new custom composites technology it calls "TPT" or "thing ply technology". TPT is a supposedly revolutionary new laminate composite. Says Wayne Smith of Southern Spars,

"Our designers now have the ability to design products using whichever ply angles are optimal for the loading situation at every point on the spar or boom," he says. 

"The plotter then lays the carbon fibre laminate more accurately and efficiently than can be achieved by hand. 

"It is also possible to individually position pieces rather than being required to lay all adjacent plies parallel to one another."

That's pretty awesome, especially when you consider the unbearable loads these components will be handling on the superyacht circuit. Our neighbors to the very far south are certainly coming up with some sweet composite technology.

Custom Composites On Deck, Literally

Think custom composites don't have much application in a non-power generation application? NorthJersey.com would have you know you're wrong.

Even though it comes toward the end of the season, the online paper has a nice breakdown of different deck and patio options. (If you live in the northeast, you can bookmark this one for next year.) Included in the survey is a discussion of wood versus composites:

Traditional decks are constructed of pressurized wood that has been chemically treated to help increase the life of the lumber — in fact, that’s now the law [...] Over time, wood cracks, needs to be refinished, or splinters, so treating it may slow the aging process, but it doesn’t necessarily look any younger. Composite material has a little longer lifespan and requires far less maintenance.

So when it comes to decks and patios, you select composites and that's that, right? Well, ideally. Composites cost four to five times as much as their wood counterparts up front. Then again, they last longer and require much less by way of repairs and maintenance.

At the end of the day, the choice between wood and composites will come down to your available money right now, and how much you think you can budget for the future. You also may just plain prefer wood or composites for aesthetic reasons, of course. The North Jersey story is pretty in-depth, though, with some words of wisdom from folks in the industry. Check it out for a little change of pace!

Pennsylvania Hits a Solar Power Milestone, According to PennFuture

Pennsylvania isn't known as a sunny state, but it's set to reach a milestone in solar power generation. According to a group called Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), the state has reached a level of 100 megawatts of installed solar capacity.

A 100 MW solar capacity means solar energy can produce the amount of pollution-free energy needed to completely power over 12,600 per year. Not too bad for the Keystone State.

In just four years, again according to PennFuture, the state has grown from 3 MW to its present level of 100 MW. That's just tremendous growth! Overall, it's also accounted for more than 6,700 jobs and 600 solar-related businesses.

While many green tech ventures like solar power are time- and cost-intensive, they can be hugely beneficial one they're up and running. Solar power certainly represents an investment, and its present technological state is sure to be improved upon, but as Pennsylvania has shown, by being dedicated to an ideal, truly great levels of solar accomplishment can be reached in relatively short time.

GE Energy Adds Converteam to its $30 Billion Power Portfolio

General Electric Corp. has been on an industrial power generation roll lately. They've spent over $11 billion (with a "b") the last few months, and they're set to add to that with the acquisition of Converteam, for $3.2 billion.

The GE energy unit has taken over scads of companies lately, including Dresser Inc., Wellstream Holdings, Lineage Power, and part of the John Woods Group. GE's energy-sector portfolio is now estimated to be worth north of $30 billion.

Converteam is a power generation company based out of France. It supplies power electronics, rotating machines, generators, and energy controls to for large industrial power generation outfits like gas pipelines. It looks like GE is betting big on power, which is, of course, a strong bet! So far, there's been only one direction in human progress: Upward. And as the population and industry expand, the demand for power will only increase.

Bushehr Nuclear Plant Raises Questions As Well As Power Generation

In industrial power generation news that's sure to have the more hawkish among us up in arms, Iran is all set to commence nuclear power plant operations. As of midnight this past Tuesday, Iran's nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr started generating about 60 MW of energy.

Overall, the plant in Bushehr will have a 1,000 MW power generating capacity. The plant was originally started in concert with Siemens. But after the partnership fell through, it was built with Russian help; there are also some inklings of Chinese and North Korean involvement, based on Iran's recent behavior.

 An Iranian Parliament member has recently been reported to be scheduled to visit North Korea, the first such visit since the 1980s.

 As Iran inches into nuclear power, it is disturbing that the country maintains involvement with such totalitarian governments as North Korea. Nuclear power is a great boon, which should not go abused by those with dark motives.

The Indian State of Gujarat Suffers Power Cutbacks

There was a setback to Indian industrial power generation this week. At least a dozen power generators have shut down in the Indian state of Gujarat, according to some reports.

 The shutdowns are credited to a decreased demand for power, which seems kind of odd for such a brisk economy. Though there have been some heavy rains that may account for the drop off. The power generation decrease of these twelve generators accounts for over a quarter of the state's power generation, bringing total power from 13,354 MW to less than 10,000 MW.

 As farming and agriculture continue to take hits from the weather, it looks like power production will continue to stay low in Gujarat, which has suffered sub-par power production since July of this year. Some private power generators like Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited have been shut down completely in recent days.

 Hopefully this beleaguered Indian state can get back up to snuff in the power generation department. Paying for infrastructure is a costly affair, and having a dozen power generators sit inoperable exacerbates an already poor situation.

Kevlar Mithril Jacket Will Last Longer Than You!

We use kevlar and other aramid fibers for a lot of industrial power generation applications. Since it’s appallingly strong, fire-resistant, and extremely lightweight, it can be used for just about everything. If you and your company use a lot of kevlar, you might want to check out this new garment.

Especially if you’re a big Lord of the Rings fanatic.

The Mithril Kevlar Jacket is made by Klättermusen, a Swedish company whose name also looks like something from Tolkien’s classic. Originally designed to be a motorcycle jacket, the company updated it to be a generally all-around great coat. It’s supposed to last literally longer than you, and practically forever.

It weighs about 1.3 pounds, so it’s pretty light, but not too light. The Mitrhil Jacket is also wind resistant and water repellant, made with hiking, climbing, mountain biking, and basically any outdoor activity requiring durability and protection.

The jacket has won the OutDoor Industry Gold Award for its sustainability-minded design (a jacket that last forever won’t require being wastefully replaced). It retails for a bit over $500, so hopefully it lives up to its lifespan claims.

Puget Sound's Hydrokinetics Project

There’s a fascinating story out of the Bellingham Herald (based in Washington state) about fiberglass and industrial power generation via the power of the ocean. It outlines a project to put two hydro-electric turbines 200 feet deep in the Admiralty Inlet. Slated to be complete by the summer of 2013, it calls for the use of giant fiberglass and steel turbines to be installed in Washington’s famous Puget Sound to meet the state’s mandate to generate 15% of its power from renewable resources.

In charge of this massive project is the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Even though the project is being made to meet Washington state’s renewable energy mandate, it has broader applications:

If the project succeeds, scientists say, the potential for tidal power is huge. Twenty-eight coastal states consume 78 percent of the nation’s electricity, and 52 percent of the U.S. population resides in coastal counties.

Even though there are many positives coming out of the project and research behind it, there are some problems, as well. Hydro power is expensive and unreliable based on the state of technology today. Turbines break down regularly. And they may have ecological ramifications on local fish.

Regardless spending time and money on new power generation ideas—rather than refining our use of fossil fuels to extinction—seems like a good practice. There’s literally only so much fossil fuel in the ground. The oceans, if we take care of them, will last forever.

Masayuki Sono's "Postcards" Utilzies Vacuum Infusion to make Vinyl Ester Resins into Art

Custom composite resins are used in the industrial power generation industry all the time. We’re used to producing composites like vinyl ester resin using a vacuum infusion process in our daily operations, but we usually don’t see this sort of technical detail in our “normal” lives.

That’s why the decision of Masayuki Sono, architect, to use a vinyl ester resin formed by the vacuum infusion process is so surprising.

In order to make a 35 foot tall 9/11 memorial called “Postcards”, Sono cantilevered two composite wings made of vinyl ester resin. The monument is meant to evoke the Twin Towers while framing a view of lower Manhattan from Staten Island. Even though the installation is very artistic and inspirational, its creation is very technical:

After conducting a structural analysis, the engineers in charge of the project specified a composite laminate of E-glass, foam core, and vinyl ester resin. Once testing was conducted, Reichhold, Inc.’s Hydrex® 100-HF, low-styrene, 100% vinyl ester resin was selected, and NEB began building the structure using a vacuum infusion technique. The resin is designed specifically for the vacuum infusion process.

By using composites, Sono was able to realize a 30% cost saving and 90% weight saving compared to using concrete. “Postcards” is just another example of custom composites making our lives a little bit better.

Fiberglass Laptops Take a Bit Out of Apple?

Apple struck a blow in the personal computing industry with its “unibody” aluminum MacBooks. The Cuptertino company’s most recent business moves have seen it officially retire the white plastic MacBook, and a big upgrade to its svelte MacBook Air. This on the heels of of the company’s latest financial earnings call, which revealed Apple has a 10.7% share of the US computer market, making it the third-most-popular computer seller in America.

A lot of Apple’s popularity has to be attributed to its brilliant aluminum MacBook designs, which marry strength and (low) weight in perfect harmony. But a report in the Washington Post shows that aluminum is starting to be in short supply—precisely because Apple has that market practically cornered.

Fiberglass is now being touted as an alternative to aluminum for laptop manufacturers not named Apple:

The laptop makers plan to combine the latest fiberglass fabrication techniques with a plastic shell to produce something as tough and lightweight as magnesium-aluminum, but significantly cheaper.

By using fiberglass (rather than a metal alloy), laptop makers could expect to lop off $20 from the gross cost of manufacturing a laptop. That gross saving on a per unit basis means that your next laptop may be housed in fiberglass.

The Hidden Industrial Coal Power Generator of Camp Lejune

Looks can be deceiving. Obviously. The Camp Lejune Globe has a charming (if brief) story about the steam industrial power generator on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune.

Marines, sailors and patrons aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune drive on Holcomb Boulevard every day and at one point or another, glance over at the rusty industrial building and have no idea that they are looking at the steam generator plant.

The unnoticed plant actually houses two massive industrial power generators: one, dating back 70 years, is exclusively coal powered, and another, only 25 years old, runs on natural gas and diesel. Overall, the story is a lovely look at how industrial power generators don’t have to be big, flashy, or noxious in order to keep a community powered.

Industrial Hydropower Generator Development in Africa

Africa, roughly speaking, is growing its hydro-electric power generation capabilities. According to Dean Pratt, a power executive with ties to Africa, “There is great potential for hydro-power in Africa, particularly in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, the DRC, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Uganda.”

That’s great news for a whole continent that’s been suffering from social and economic woes for the better part of four hundred years.

This September, according to the same piece, Johannesburg will host a hydropower event, that will boast presentations and events based on industrial power generators, hydropower schemes, and more.

Smart Grid Power Generation From an Automation Standpoint

InTech, the trade publication for automation technology, has an interesting overview of Smart Grid technology. Calling it a “new buzzword in industrial circles”, the piece walks the reader through the ins and outs of Smart Grid.

In a nutshell, Smart Grid describes a sort of lean, super-efficient way of manufacturing and delivering energy. They make the analogy that Smart Grid is like an assembly line, where you need to balance the line so you don’t get a bottleneck at one station holding up other stations. Smart Grid is predicated on eliminating waste and continually improving efficiency.

One important part of the real-life applications of Smart Grid power generation is the equipment used. The InTech piece gives the example of a large, anonymous electric user:

Siemens Access Energy Management engineers worked with facility engineers and consultants to define what the existing EPMS system could do to help them with the solution. The solution was to install new closed transfer switches and some additional generator sets. The new and existing generator sets and transfer switches would be tied to the EPMS system for manual control of the utility to on-site generation. There was also a need to send generated KW, data to the existing Building Automation System (BAS), via staged dry contact closures at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% loading to shed load in various buildings to reduce HVAC loads during peak summer and winter months. The BAS to EPMS link was also setup with e-mail alarming if any communications were lost to the electrical generator panel. If the system failed or lost communications, the generator system would fail in “safe mode.”

The example highlights how having the right industrial power generators and power generation equipment facilitates the very most efficient Smart Grid practices.

If you’ve ever wondered at what “Smart Grid” means, or how it can help you and your business, then check out the InTech essay.

Huntsville, Alabama Tornado Lessons

When a series of tornadoes rocketed through the Huntsville, AL area, there was massive destruction. But now that we’ve got some distance on the tragedies, we can also learn from them. Popular Mechanics just published an overview of the lessons we learned from the terrible Huntsville tornadoes.

For individuals, they advise you to stay together—don’t get cut off from the community and its ability to band together. Keep cash in hand so you can keep supplies and food in hand. Hand-crank radios are the best way to stay in touch with civilization and its larger goings on: whether rescue announcements, messages from the government, or important community info, you need to know what’s happening.

One of the most important lessons is also one of the most surprising. In the event of an emergency, it’s a good bet to go to a national hotel chain. Big hotels not only have big stocks of food and supplies, but they also have industrial power generators, which can continue to supply life-saving power when the utilities go down.

Be sure to check out the whole post for more details on the lessons we learned from the Huntsville tornadoes.

Bloomberg’s got some pretty good news for the power generation industry in America, at least. Total power-plant energy output was 89.8 million megawatt-hours last week, up 3.8% from the previous year. The numbers come from Genscape, an energy information company. They create their power generation numbers by measuring output at 280 monitored power plants, and have a margin of error less than 2%.

Azerbeijan Sees Power Increase with Three New Units

Azerbaijan is increasing its power generation capacities in a big way with a recent move. The former Soviet country is adding three industrial power generation units to its arsenal this week, all operated by BP.

The units are made by Rolls Royce, and will be installed in the Chirag Oil Project to supply the area near the Caspian Sea with power.

Each unit measures 60” long by 15”7’ wide by 14”3’ tall, and each weighs 185 tons. Their total cost and installation will total about $6 billion, and they should help Azerbaijan’s power generation situation, which has seen a steady oil production over the last two years of about 40 million tons of oil per year.

Autoclaves and Ultrasonic Baths in the Kitchen? Must Be Art.

It started with an innocuous question: “If music can be art, why can’t food?” Well, former Microsoft whiz kid Nathan Myrhvold—a physicist and engineer by trade—is used to asking (and solving) such thorny questions. That’s why, after retiring at 40, Mryhvold holed himself up in a lab with an autoclave, centrifuge, tanks of liquid hydrogen, ultrasonic bath, and regular cooking equipment, as well, to create the formidable tome Modernist Cuisine.

And it is quite a formidable tome. At six volumes, 2,438 pages, costing more than $600, Modernist Cuisine is quite the doorstopper. Mryhvold spent years crafting the techniques used in the book, and gaining knowledge about food.

One of the keys to enabling this kind of allusiveness is increasing our knowledge of culinary history. “Even those who are very into food are — and I don’t want to sound arrogant — ignorant about the history of food,” says Myhrvold. He points out that the molten-centred chocolate cake, star of those near-pornographic Marks & Spencer adverts, was invented within our lifetime. More surprisingly, it isn’t just the rich who eat foreign food: “Africa survives on maize and cassava — those are the number one and two staple crops — and they are both from South America.”

Myhrvold is a font of odd facts such as this. Mark McClusky of Wired likened talking to him to taking several graduate seminars all at once. My favourite anecdote is the history of Egypt’s national dessert, Om Ali. “It is clearly not an Egyptian dessert,” he says, “because it is puff pastry with nuts and heavy cream poured over the top. It’s bizarre — puff pastry cannot possibly be Egyptian. The story is that it was [thought up by] an Irish chef at the British embassy named O’Malley.” He laughs, loudly.

The book is not a normal cookbook. In fact, as the question above suggests, it’s more about art than eating. But still, it’s quite the culinary accomplishment.

Cape Wind Has No Fear In Wind Power Expansion

Green power generation in the New England area is getting a big, green boost. A six state area covered by Cape Wind, a $2.5 billion project to build 130 wind turbines, will see an increase in its green energy very soon.

Recently, National Grid signed a 15 year agreement locking in 50% of Cape Wind’s power at 18.7¢/kWh. Once the Cape Wind project is completed, it is expected to supply about 75% of the energy needs of residents in Cape Code, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Even though the Cape Wind project seems like a great boost to the green power generation industry, it has seen some opposition from local residents and politicians. One prominent group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, includes John Kerry and Mitt Romney. Despite that, Cape Wind is optimistic. Its CEO, Jim Gordon noted they’d been at it for more than ten years, and they’ve been victorious against opposition groups every time. They have a perfect 15-0 record, and it seems like Cape Wind will be right at the forefront of supplying the US northeast with wind generated power for years to come.

Autoclave For Zimbabwe, by Way of Kansas

Many power generation manufacturers use an autoclave to help form custom composite materials. So it’s pretty cool to see this project, by a group of college students in Kansas. What was the project? Well, some engineering students designed and also built a solar-powered autoclave.

According to this story in the Beaumont Enterprise, a group of four students worked on the autoclave over the course of their senior year as part of a special design course.

They landed the project because Dougherty and Scott Hoffman, a Honeywell engineer, crossed paths at the right time. Dougherty was looking for class projects and Hoffman was needing assistance to help his friend, Dr. Mark Byler, a medical missionary in Zimbabwe, who was in need of a reliable autoclave.

Hoffman did some research at first, but quickly realized that it would be too time-consuming for him. So, he’s glad the KU students were willing to take on the challenge.

The fact that the students worked with a medical missionary from Zimbabwe is really great. They got to get some essential experience while helping out an ailing nation, even if just a bit. By next May, the students will be done with the autoclave and a community in Zimbabwe will have another autoclave.

Kevlar, Steel, and Plastic Glass: Anatomy of a Popemobile

Ever since Pope John Paul II was the target of as assassination attempt in 1981, the so-called Popemobile has been fitted with extra defenses to keep the leader of the Catholic church safe in transit. The Telegraph has an extremely interesting breakdown of the Popemobile, going over its clever uses of Kevlar, hydraulic seats, and three” “plastic glass.”

According to the story, the Popemobile is based on a Mercedes-Benz M-class, but that’s where its similarities to a consumer car ends. The vehicle was specially designed with two kind of contradictory needs, “safety and visibility.”

The Popemobile’s body is Kevlar-plated half-inch thick plate steel, and its windows are three-inch thick plastic glass. The vehicle can withstand explosives, and it also has an air filter to protect occupants against biological attacks. In all, the vehicle can reach speeds of 70 mph even though it weighs five tons.

The Popemobile is one of the iconic vehicles of the world, and it shows well how Kevlar and steel can combine to create something special.

Kevlar: So Heat Resistant It Helps You Juggle Fire!

We use kevalr as an insulating material in industrial power generation. Since it’s stronger than steel and incredibly resistant to heat, it’s an extremely versatile material for a ton of power gen applications. Of course, kevlar’s strength and heat resistance means its great for many other, as well.

Another kevlar application, outlined here, is fire juggling. Pretty cool hot, huh?

The article talks a bit about the what and how of fire juggling, including its main tool, the “poi”:

Originally from New Zealand, the poi typically is a rope or chain with a ball attached at one end. It’s now used worldwide as a hobby, for exercise or for performing arts. Modern fire poi usually is a ball chain with a Kevlar blend material for a wick, soaked in lamp oil, lighter fluid or kerosene.

For the Fire Family, the fire jugglers in question here, they also need to pony up $800 a year for insurance, which actually seems pretty reasonable when you consider they’re juggling fire.

The group also offers workshops, so if you happen to live near Evansville, Indiana, be sure to check it out. And be thankful for kevlar. Not only does it keep police and soldiers safe from harm and insulate giant power generation machines, it also allows people to chase their dreams and juggle fire.

When we talk about fiberglass, we’re usually thinking of custom components for power generation. Of course, fiberglass has a bunch of other applications, as well. But here’s one use that we haven’t ever come across: a “CowParade”.

Down in Austin, Texas, there will be a literal “cow parade”, with about 100 colorful critters lining the sidewalks. To make it all happen, a group of local artists all worked together to decorate fiberglass cows.

The CowParade in Austin is expected to be the largest public art even in the world. There are CowParades all over the world. The events actually function as charity events, which have raised more than $25 million for children with cancer and blood disorders.

This is one of the coolest uses of fiberglass we’ve come across. The material is sturdy and light, and apparently makes for great cow canvases. If you’re in the area this summer, be sure to check out Austin’s CowParade!

Over a Hundred Boats Later, Renn Tolman is Still Afloat

Boat building seems like it would be the provenance of your fairly well-kitted shop, right? Not so. At least, not for a man in Homer, Alaska. Using dory-style plywood, fiberglass, and epoxy, Renn Tolman has made more than 100 boats in his home shop.

Just recently, Tolman crafted his 104th boat. And we’re not talking a small, rowboat style craft. No, this latest is 20 feet long, a Standard Tolman skiff. The vessel is extremely seaworthy, ready to brave chop and storm.

The entire boat is extremely well-fashioned, with fiberglass reinforcing wood on every surface. Overall, the boat took about five weeks in shop to make, along with a few extra days to install its 60 horsepower four-stroke outboard engine.

Tolman is a great, lifelong success story that shows that fiberglass and composites aren’t just in the realm of the industrial power generation industry.

Fiberglass to Carbon Fiber: History of the Corvette

Vette, the magazine focusing on, what else, Corvettes, has a comprehensive history of the body materials used throughout the beloved sports car’s history. From fiberglass to carbon fiber, Vette has a great historical record. The best part is, it’s all available online.

Here’s an excerpt, but make sure to click through to read the rest. Even if you don’t have a Corvette or aren’t particularly a car nut, it’s a great history of material engineering.

Fiberglass was first considered for use on a GM vehicle by legendary designer Harley Earl. Besides a certain “exoticness” for the early ’50s and the undeniable weight advantage, fiberglass offered an economical way to create the low-volume Corvette without investing in expensive sheetmetal-stamping dies.

GM’s Parts Fabrication Operation was tasked with figuring out the intricate requirements for the ‘53 Corvette’s body, while supplier Molded Fiber Glass Company (with some support from Owens Corning Fiberglass) got the contract to build them. Amazingly, the company was awarded the business in April 1953 and was asked to deliver the bodies by the June 1953 start-of-production deadline—and they had never built a car body previously.

Not surprisingly, there were plenty of unknowns when it came to designing and building those first Corvettes. Tests had to be done to determine how many layers of fiberglass were needed for the various areas of body, as well as the interior “tub.” And for products so large, the correct ratio of resin and plastic hardener had to be determined, not to mention figuring out how long it would take for each hand-laid body to cure. Also, it wasn’t clear at first how many separate parts would be required to construct each body, and a surface finish suitable for production-quality paint was far from assured.

Yacht and Surf Combo Duo Make Waves

What do yachting and big-wave surfing have in common? I mean, other than both involving water recreation? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is carbon fiber.

The New York Times reports that upscale yacht designer Juan Kouyoumdjian has just completed a monstrous yacht, dubbed the Mar Mostro. The big pleasure boat measures a full seventy feet long (70!) and is made of carbon fiber. Not sure if switching up to a new material is a good idea? Mr Kouyoumdjian is hoping to win his third consecutive Volvo Ocean Race with the Mar Mostro. It seems like he knows what’s going on with yachting.

Kouyoumdjian isn’t just sticking with the high class world of yachting, though. He’s also working with the big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton to design some other carbon fiber creations.

The two recently finished creating a thirteen foot stand-up paddle board, inspired by Kouyoumdjian’s yachting background. His entry into the world of stand-up paddle boarding brings some more validity toe the nascent sport, which features races from distances between three and forty-five miles.

Whether you’re yachting around the globe or designing a surfboard to travel over forty miles, it seems that carbon fiber is the one miraculous material that keeps you safely afloat.

Carbon Fiber to Help Finally Get Flying Cars Off the Ground?

The future is now (finally), and it’s all because if carbon fiber. If you’re a certain age, then you probably thought flying cars would be part of the future (the present, now). And until now, you would have been very disappointed with the present (what you thought would be the future, then). Why now? Because it looks like we finally have flying cars.

According to Auto Guide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just approved for the very first time a flying car, which you can buy today.

The Terrafugia Transition, costing a cool $250,000, has a 500 miles range, 26 foot wings (which fold up in less than a minute), and maxes out at 115 MPH in the air and 65 MPH on the ground.

And if you think the price tag is prohibitively expensive, the initial run of 100 is already sold out. Get ready for a lot of Where we’re going we don’t need roads jokes.

iPhone 5 to be Made of Carbon Fiber?

Apple uses innovative materials for its products. From its iconic (and still unmatched) machined aluminum laptops to its front and back glass iPhone, the little-big company from Cupertino. Now, rumor has it that Apple is getting into carbon fiber machining, maybe.

The International Business Times reported that Apple may radically redesign its next iPhone (tentatively dubbed, of course, the iPhone 5). Among the changes to the phone—including a higher resolution camera, better display, and 1080p HD video playback, is a rethinking of its body. Gone will be the all-glass design (criticized by many as being too fragile). The iPhone 5 may be made of something like carbon fiber, specifically a fiber-in-matrix material like carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

Free Your Hands, and Your Mind Will Follow!

Carbon fiber machining is an fast-evolving discipline, but here’s a story that’s particularly awesome. A little company called Parlee Cycles has created a new bicycle (a concept bicycle, actually) that’s made out of carbon fiber. Now carbon fiber bikes aren’t anything new, but Parlee Cycle’s take on the carbon fiber bike is.

You see, Parlee has created a bike that you can shift with your brainwaves. That’s pretty cool, huh?

The bike is one the Toyota Prius Projects, which reward innovation in transportation and technology. The Parlee Bike, by John Prolly, uses two parts for this telepathic shifting: A special helmet that’s fitted with neurotransmitters, and a special seat post that “talks” to the helmet. When you think of shifting, the thought is transmitted to the seat post, which then tells the bike to change gears.

We know about carbon fiber technology, and this is by far one of the coolest projects yet. Check it out at its Toyota Prius Projects webpage.

Autoclave Fabrication Makes the Lamborghini Aventador A Very Light Automobile

Autoclave fabrication is used for industrial power generation manufacturing, sure. But it’s also a pretty widespread (if a bit esoteric) way for manufacturers of all stripes to manufacture precisely formed, virtually perfect composites.

One of the flashiest deployments of autoclave—and one of the downright coolest uses of autoclave, besides maybe some aerospace stuff—is Lamborghini’s use of autoclave fabrication for making its new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador, the successor to the much-lauded Murcielago.

The Aventador shaves off about 10% of the Murcielago’s (already pretty svelte) 1750 kg, bringing it down to 1575 kg. Composite materials like carbon fiber comprise the car’s entire structure, allowing Lamborghini to use a material that’s half as heavy as steel but equally strong.

The way Lamborghini was able to use carbon fiber composites to create the Aventador was by using autoclave ovens. To wit,

Through the use of a material composed of short fiber prepregs omnidirectional with a thermoplastic resin, the pieces are forged in a few tens of seconds under 60 bar pressure and a temperature of 120 ° C. They are thus much simpler to design than those made by traditional process consisting of a superposition of unidirectional fabrics impregnated with a thermosetting resin before curing in an autoclave oven. But more importantly, they are truly recyclable.

The Aventador is a supremely sexy vehicle. Its also made from a high amount of recycled/recovered materials and boasts reduced CO2 emissions, meeting strict European auto standards.

Some Recent Advancements In Resin Infusion

Resin infusion is a popular method for creating custom composite materials, which are used throughout the power generation industry. As one of the leading methods in the composites industry, advances are being made in resin infusion constantly. Composites World has the rundown on a new advance in resin infusion.

The development CW goes over is a “tunable” polyurethane-based resin system, being engineered by Huntsman Polyurethanes. It works like this:

Two-part polyurethanes (PURs) traditionally have been limited to small parts or to continuous processes, such as pultrusion, because of fast reaction time and rapid increase in viscosity after PUR’s two components are mixed. But Connolly reported that the VITROX resin combines isocyanates, polyols and a unique, proprietary catalyst system that permits processors to “dial in” a desirable gel time and viscosity profile, yielding previously unachievable processing benefits together with mechanical properties that exceed those achieved with some epoxies.

The result of Huntsman’s polyurethane innovation is that impact-resistance, high-performance parts may be able to be formed by resin transfer molding and resin infusion using these new, “tunable” polyurethanes. Hopefully, we’ll see this sort of research help coax resin infusion manufacturing to become more widespread in the power generation industry.

Compression Molding for Power Generation Parts

Compression molding has a great track record for helping form the parts needed by the power generation industry. Now, companies called Southwest Windpower and PCT are leading the way in using innovative manufacturing processes for making wind turbines and other power generation products.

According to Today’s Energy, Southwest Windpower is switching over to compression molding:

Southwest Windpower recently switched to a newer process called compression molding. While the mold is much more expensive ($600,000 versus the typical $75,000), the finished cost of a compression molded blade is approximately 70% less expensive than the typical hand lay-up process. These updates result in increased energy production and lower product cost.

Of course, other proven innovators like Amsterdam, New York’s PCT have used compression molding for forming all manner of parts. The military, aviation, industrial, and consumer industries all use parts made by PCT’s compression molding capabilities.

Custom Composites Getting Muscles from Mussels!

Custom composites (including composite resin matrices) are used throughout many manufacturing industries. The power generation industry uses composite resin matrices like epoxy resins, polyester-vinyl ester, and polymide materials.

Aside from resin composites, there are a variety of other types of composite materials. Some of the most exciting advances made in composite technology are in high-strength carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are used in applications like constructing the world’s strongest cables, fibers, and fabrics, which all have uses in myriad industries. Any advance in carbon nanotube technology is good for the world’s technological innovations.

And some these advances are coming from the least likely of places… like the ocean.

According to Materials Review, certain species of mussel, the Mytilus edulis sports an adhesive foot whose proteins can be used in composites research. The strongly binding properties of this mussel’s feet are being translated to carbon nanotube composites, increasing some composites’s tensile strength by 500%!

As composites research continues, it makes sense to think that white-coated technicians in labs are going to make the biggest strides. But as we’ve seen for some time now, mother nature still has a few tricks left up her sleeve.

Carbon Fiber From China Going To Iran?

Here’s something a bit different in the power generation news world: a dispute about carbon fiber, and its role in building nuclear facilities.

This piece in Front Page Magazine traces the connections between China and Iran and the latter country’s efforts to gain nuclear weaponry. The United Nations has recently issued a report stating that the two countries frequently trade “prohibited ballistic missile related items.” Even worse, Iran is just weeks away from opening a nuclear power plant, the Bushehr plant, which is capable of creating nuclear weapons.

One of the most salient things that Iran is importing is carbon fiber. Carbon fiber can be used in nuclear reactors due to its robust physical characteristics. Robert Einhorn, of the US State Department, claims that China is sending a lot of carbon fiber Iran’s way. According to the UN, there are over 200 companies set up to sell Iran materials for its nuclear efforts.

We’ll see if the United States or any other UN nations take action to prevent Iran from gathering carbon fiber and other materials for its nuclear enrichment projects. The Chinese ambassador to the UN claims to support the organization’s efforts at keeping nuclear weapons from Iran, but the country will have to put its money where its mouth is.

Oil Seeping Into Louisiana, But Not From Where You'd Think

Some bad news in general for the power industry and the American environment as a whole. A recent report out of New Orleans, Louisiana has it that some oil is washing up on shore.

It might not seem like a big deal, after all wasn’t the BP oil spill huge? It is bad, though. There’s an oil sheen reportedly stretching 100 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. The water samples containing oil (petroleum hydrocarbons, oil, and grease, actually) were well above the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s standards for clean water.

According to the Coast Guard, this oily substance is caused by the Mississippi River’s flow and not from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill.

It’s troubling that Louisiana faces oil contamination from the north as well as the south, from the BP spill. Is it’s situated at the mouth of the Mississippi, the state serves almost like a drain for all the sediment and other materials in the Mississippi’s lengthy flow.

If Louisiana’s present struggle with oil contamination isn’t compelling enough evidence for looking for non-petroleum-based energy sources, I don’t know what is. Our hearts go out to all those still suffering from the state’s tragic disasters.

America's Tallest Building To Become A Solar Farm?

Quick—what’s the tallest building in America? If you said the Empire State Building, you’re wrong. And even if you said the Sears Tower, you’d be wrong. (They changed the name of it to the Willis Tower last year.)

The Willis Tower, the tallest building in America, is set to become a solar farm later this year, one of the largest—it follows—in America.

A company called Pythagoras Solar will replace all the windows on the west side of the 56th floor of the Willis Tower with photovoltaic glass. This special glass will allow light to come in and occupants to look out while collecting as much energy as a conventional solar panel.

If the project goes according to plan, the solar panels on the Willis Tower could generate up to 2 MW of power—as much as a 10 acre field of solar panels.

Hopefully this project goes well, because our cities represent a huge untapped resource for generating solar power. Utilizing windows and roofs in urban environs could really help America as it transitions to evolving power needs.

American Nuclear Power Remains Underutilized

Even with the terrible events in Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, demand for power remains as rapacious as ever. And as fossil fuels start running out, the need for sustainable energy is growing.

According to Bloomberg, nuclear power generation at two of the leading nuclear reactors in the United States has remained the same. This staying level could actually count as a decrease, since power generation nationwide actually increased over the last year, a sign of the public’s reluctance to embrace nuclear power.

The two nuclear reactors in question, Salem 1 and Salem 2, are located in New Jersey. The two are currently running at 90% capacity. Other nuclear power plants around the country are facing similar stagnation. A nuclear reactor, the Byron 1, lies inert 85 miles west of Chicago. It requires repairs. The Byron 2 plant, though, is operating at 96% capacity.

The McGuire 2 reactor in North Carolina recently faced a control rod malfunction. The plant is currently shutdown until it can undergo troubleshooting and repair. The McGuire 1 unit is operating at maximum power, though.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the average nuclear reactor in the United States had a 41 day outage.

Hopefully the tragedy in Japan won’t chasten further shutdowns of nuclear power plants in America. Even though the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has faced an unforeseeable tragedy of epic proportions, it doesn’t mean that a similar thing will happen at other nuclear power plants. And nuclear power is cleaner than fossil fuel-based power generation.

The Lasting Impact from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

The terrible tragedy in Japan was the massive earthquakes and tsunamis that ensued. Of course, aside from the horrible loss of life and property sustained by Japan, there is an even worse, lasting impact on Japan: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Now, there’s radiation being found in the water filling trenches around the nuclear plant.

The trenches were built to stop potentially contaminated water from spreading out from the plants. These trenches have collected the water, but its contamination is slowing down the clean-up efforts of relief workers.

According to James Acton, an associate in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment, the environmental damage stemming from the tragedy in Japan is on par with the massive British Petroleum oil spill. Hopefully, it won’t get any worse than that.

International Electric Car News Round-Up

Electric cars. Compared to our gasoline-chugging autos, they’re like a piece of the future set in the present day. Of course, they don’t have a lot to do with industrial power generation, but they’re related to many of the challenges facing industrial power generation.

Here are a couple of electric car stories.

Out in Israel, a company called Better Place is setting up batter swap stations for electric cars. Normally, you need to plug in your electric car, to charge it. However, charging a car is a slow proposition. The ability to get powered back up in a matter of minutes is a game changer when it comes to electric automobiles. No longer limited to a few hundred miles range, nor tied to a ten hour charging process, electric cars could really take off in Israel.

In other international electric car news, the first fuel cell-powered cabs are taking to the streets in London. It’s not a new thing for cars like Priuses to be employed as cabs, but these fuel cell cars are a more advanced technology. Add that to the cache of London’s distinctive black cabs, and you’ve got a stylish, power-saving way to get around London. Intelligent Energy, the company behind London’s new fuel cell black cabs, hopes to have a fleet of them ready by London’s 2012 Olympic games.

Venezuela Is a Major Player in Oil, Yet Remains Under-Powered

It’s difficult to maintain a good supply of power in the best of situations. Whether you’re worried about a steady supply of coal (clean or not), keeping a steady grid, and a myriad of other things that can come up. Bu worrying about potentially despotic rulers are above and beyond the run of the mill power generation problems.

Venezuela, under the rule of Hugo Chávez, is seeing massive power generation problems.

For the last 12 years of the Chávez regime, the Venezuelan government has face huge problems with its power generation. According to energy expert José Manuel Aller, a professor with Simón Bolívar Univesity, the country has systemic problems meeting its power needs.

Aller says that Venezuela’s electricity grid needs to expand by 500 MW per year. But since Chávez has been in control of the country, Venezuela’s power has only grown by 100 MW per year—at best.

Not only is the power generation operation not growing fast enough, but up to 60% of its equipment is obsolete and out of service. The Chávez regime hasn’t spent any money—and no major outside investment has helped—on growing the power infrastructure.

Right now, 19 states in Venezuela (of 23) are facing electricity rationing. That rationing still isn’t enough, either. The country also suffers from regular blackouts.

Venezuela is a major player in the international oil trade. It’s the 40th-largest country by population, as well. Hopefully, if the government can find some stability, it will also find some outside funding to keep it sufficiently powered.

Geothermal Power Growth in America

There may be a lot of bad things happening in the Gulf of Mexico (see the BP oil spill), but it is still a place of massive power generating potential—with or without its oil.

A big part of that power generating potential is geothermal power production. There are many new projects focused on generating power using geothermal pressure. Presently, America leads the world in geothermal power generation, with 3,102 MW generated annually by geothermal.

Geothermal power generation is also generating jobs, according to the Geothermal Energy Association. This year, there are 146 projects in 15 states all looking to develop geothermal power generation. One of the biggest ones is focused on using the massive amount of geothermal energy generated along the Gulf of Mexico, but there are also projects in NEvada, California, Oregon, New Mexico, Idaho, and Alaska.

It’s certainly a good sign for American power production that there are businesses exploring alternate energy sources. It’s good not only because it will upgrade our power generation capabilities and lessen our reliance on other countries’s resources, but it also generates jobs and tax revenues that keep America running—much like the power they also generate.

Italian Solar Power A Bit Sotto Voce

Is Italy pulling the rug out from under solar power producers? It seems like they may be.

Previously, Italy had offered plush incentives to solar operators as it ramped up quotas and incentives for overall solar production.

Now, Reuters reports, the Italian government is changing its renewable energy incentives in solar to apply only to photovoltaic plants that are on the grid by this May. Previously, companies had until 2013. Another program is being created for solar plants that get on line after the May deadline, but it’s expected to be much more limited than the original plan.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

An In-Depth Look At Solar's Future

Investors Business Daily has a comprehensive look at solar power generation subsidies. The whole thing is worth a long read if you’re interested in solar power or power generation in general.

The piece begins by noting that with all the upheaval in the Middle East, it should be a boom time for renewable energies like solar power. As oil prices increase (which they have been), investment in solar power usually increases. But that’s not the case right now.

That link may be weakening. Oil price spikes are reliably fickle. And the solar industry’s history in Europe, its largest market, is rife with lessons of boom and bust. Italy’s recent talk of drastic cuts to its solar subsidies — still the lifeblood of this industry — spurred a two-week sell-off in solar stocks. In addition, the potential for fast-growing capacity in China to overwhelm flagging demand further clouds the picture.

Solar power is heavily dependent on subsidies—as it says above. It’s an expensive form of power, infrastructure-wise. While its power is clean, it’s also very expensive to make the equipment that makes the power. Since clean energy is more expensive, the so-called free market generally wouldn’t make it a winner. That’s where government intervention comes in. And with the global economy still uncertain, governments around the world are hesitant to push ahead with aggressive solar power goals they set during boom years.

A way to cut down the costs of producing solar energy would make it more attractive, but since solar power is an unattractive option for business, the development of new solar technology is increasing at a slow rate.

The whole piece is worth checking out. Make sure you read it here.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

Record Profits in Ontario a Bad Thing?

The Financial Post has seen some holes in Ontario Power Generation’s financial numbers.

On the surface, they look good. The state-owned power generation company generated $10.5 billion in revenue and $1.2 billion in net income. And while revenue rose only 1% from last year, its net income enjoyed a 13.4% increase. That seems good, right?

Overhead for OPG has increased while it employed 20 fewer workers. The company’s debt also increased $1.2 billion, a 10.4% increase. A close look also uncovers some other problems. In the Financial Post’s words,

OPG was profitable because its nuclear decommissioning fund had a market gain of $668-million. OPG, with hundreds of millions in unfunded pension and benefit liabilities, doesn’t make money on what it actually produces -electricity.

Some of OPG’s largest projects—two large hydro power generation projects and several nuclear power-related projects—have all come in over budget.

And, as seen in its American neighbor, Canada’s OPG is also seeing some tension with its workforce, 90% of which has a collective bargaining agreement. Overall, OPG looks to be likely to increase its power rates during the year in order to keep up with its budgeting needs.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

China's Wind Woes

There’s a shocking story by Nasdaq that claims that half of China’s wind power is lost because of their poor power grid. And since China is the world leader in wind power, that amounts to a lot of (wasted) hot air!

In the first half of 2010, China wasted 2.8 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy. The country has in place the capacity to make 41.83 gigawatts. China has put in place an unprecedented amount of wind power generation infrastructure in order to meet a goal of 15% non-fossil fuel power generation by 2020.

However, a large number of its wind power turbines are located in western China, in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions and Gansu province. Much of its power is used 4,000 kilometers away, though. This great distance between the site of power generation and its use accounts for all the lost power.

Another shortcoming of wind power in China and elsewhere is that wind is an inherently unpredictable (and therefore unreliable) source of energy. This has caused the demand for fossil fuel power generation to rise, defeating the purpose of wind power.

China is doing a great amount of work in renewable energy, but it has a long way to go.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

The Sunshine State Seizes On Its Natural Strength

A “solar power innovator and leader.” That’s what Reuters has called the Florida Power and Light-commissioned Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Martin County, Florida.

The Next Generation station is made up of 190,000 solar panels; it does work in combination with a preexisting natural gas power plant, though. Still, it’s a great advance for the state of Florida. Besides providing clean energy, it’s also going to generate $5 million in tax revenue for its home county.

The Florida-based solar project is meeting a bit of pushback, though. The Miami Herald reports that legislators are bickering over what the best clean energy technology best suits the state. In the debate is Florida Power and Light, Florida Crystals, and domestic solar panel companies.

Even though the Next Generation station is a great boon for Florida, many smaller businesses are clamoring for some money and jobs, as well.

A bill passed in 2008 has mainly benefited Florida Power and Light, allowing it to charge a set rate for its solar power. Many business owners say the bill gives the company an unfair advantage. Florida Crystals, a local company that produces solar and biomass energy at a lower cost than Florida Power and Light agrees.

No matter, the market and local legislators seem primed to iron out the wrinkles in Florida’s plan to produce large amounts of renewable energy, and that’s good for everyone.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com