This is richard schumacher's Typepad Profile.
Join Typepad and start following richard schumacher's activity
richard schumacher
Recent Activity
Excellent. Now when the hell are we going to see retail products? I would happily pay $6 per gallon for carbon-neutral gasoline for my Prius.
“Energiewende” in a tank; Audi e-fuels targeting carbon-neutral driving with synthetic fuels from renewables, H2O and CO2; Swiss policy test case
Like other major automakers, Audi (and its parent Volkswagen Group) is working on meeting its medium-term regulatory requirements (e.g., in the 2020 timeframe) by reducing the average fuel consumption of its new vehicles using a combination of three primary measures: optimizing its combustion en...
Excellent. Now when the hell are we going to see retail products? I would happily pay $6 per gallon for carbon-neutral gasoline for my Prius.
Joule issued patent on production of medium chain-length alkanes from sunlight and CO2; diesel, jet fuel and gasoline
Joule, the developer of engineered photosynthetic bacteria as catalysts for the direct production of targeted fuel molecules in a continuous, single-step conversion process, announced the issuance of an additional patent, extending its ability to target the highest-value molecules of the petrol...
Interesting, but far removed from green car applications, no?
3D magnetic vortices could enable antennas for ultrafast wireless data transmission
Scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) together with colleagues from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have discovered three-dimensional magnetic vortices. These 3D magnetic vortices could enable future antennas for ultrafast wireless data transmission. A paper on their...
Thank you E-P.
Nations agree on global, legally binding treaty on mercury emissions: Minamata Convention on Mercury
At the conclusion of the International Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC5) meeting in Geneva (earlier post), nations agreed on a global, legally-binding treaty to prevent mercury emissions and releases. The Committee, chaired by Fernando Lugris of Uruguay, will present the Convention text t...
Oops, my bad: biomass is OK also. Carry on.
Muons and ADNA proposing using accelerator-driven subcritical reactor for heat for production of synthetic fuels and chemicals
Functional elements of the GEM*STAR reactor. Source: Muons, Inc. Click to enlarge. Muons, Inc., a private-sector high-energy accelerator physics firm, and ADNA (Accelerator-Driven Neutron Applications) Corp., are proposing using spent nuclear fuel (SNF), natural uranium, or excess weapons-g...
They want to use coal as a feedstock? Forget it. Get back to us when they want to use CO2 from the air.
Muons and ADNA proposing using accelerator-driven subcritical reactor for heat for production of synthetic fuels and chemicals
Functional elements of the GEM*STAR reactor. Source: Muons, Inc. Click to enlarge. Muons, Inc., a private-sector high-energy accelerator physics firm, and ADNA (Accelerator-Driven Neutron Applications) Corp., are proposing using spent nuclear fuel (SNF), natural uranium, or excess weapons-g...
Why is the Crown line not sold in NA?
Toyota launches new Crown series sedans in Japan, including new hybrid models
Crown Royal Saloon G (Hybrid model, rear-wheel drive with options). Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) launched in Japan the redesigned Crown Royal and Crown Athlete sedans; production of a new hybrid version of the sedan will begin in late January 2013. The original Crown mad...
This will be money well spent. The development of advanced materials and structures requires much better numerical simulation capability than exists now.
DOE awards $62.5M to accelerate development of exascale supercomputers
Under an initiative called FastForward, the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have awarded $62.5 million in research and development (R&D) contracts to five leading companies in high performance computing to accelerate the deve...
I'd happily pay $6/gallon for renewable gasoline.
Sundrop Fuels finalizes ExxonMobil MTG technology license for “green gasoline” production facility
The ExxonMobil MTG process flow diagram. Source: EMRE. Click to enlarge. Sundrop Fuels, Inc., a gasification-based drop-in advanced biofuels company, finalized a licensing agreement to use ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company’s methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) technology to be incorporated...
Funny how deniers deny that global warming is occurring at all, yet they're all gung-ho over a hint that it may not be quite so bad as it could have been. Then, having no evidence to support their position, they trot out two-year-old gossip and backbiting. Ho hum.
Study using paleoclimate data suggests climate sensitivity to CO2 doubling may be less severe than projected
A new study, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Paleoclimate Program and published online this week in the journal Science, suggests that the rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide from pre-industrial times may be less than the most extreme estimates of some...
LMP1, the "limp one"? Great bit of PR there.
Toyota to participate in FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 with prototype gasoline-electric hybrid LMP1 racer
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced that it will participate in the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Endurance Championship in 2012—the first year of the international endurance race series created through a partnership between the FIA and the ACO (the Automobile Club ...
Pulleys, belts, and two clutches? Eww. Toyota and Ford hybrids have none of those unreliable designed-to-wear-out components.
Nissan unveils next-generation XTRONIC CVT, new 1-motor, 2-clutch FWD hybrid system, new fuel cell stack
The new XTRONIC CVT features a sub planetary gear to enable a higher ratio coverage. Click to enlarge. At a technical briefing in Yokohama, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled its new generation XTRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) for 2.0 to 3.5-liter engine vehicles as well as a n...
Anyone who doesn't like Solyndra must be in an absolute tizzy about SLS, the Senate's $18 billion welfare program for aerospace contractors. That's not even a bet; it's a certainty that nothing useful will come of it, unless you believe that rewarding patronage is a good return on the public investment. Cue the righteous indignation.
DOE finalizes $105M loan guarantee for Project Liberty cellulosic bio-refinery in Iowa
The US Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a $105-million loan guarantee to support the development of one of the US’ first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants. (Earlier post.) Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET, will be built in Emmetsburg, Iowa and is expected to produce up to 25 milli...
Why stop smoking now? They'll have much better cancer cures in 20 years.
European Parliament calls for fast action to cut non-CO2 climate forcers
The European Parliament is calling for fast action to reduce non-CO2 climate forcers including black carbon soot, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), methane, and ground-level ozone, which together are responsible for nearly half of climate forcing. The Parliament’s call for action came in a Resolution p...
Belt drive and gears? Feh. License Toyota's HSD system instead.
smart ebike to go on sale in 2012
The smart ebike (from Daimler) is going into series production. A near-series version of the smart ebike will be on display at the Eurobike show in Friedrichshafen (31 August - 3 September 2011) and at the Frankfurt Motor Show (13 - 25 September 2011). The smart ebike is being developed and buil...
So you agree that we must give up fossil fuels, but only for the proper reasons? and only after we drown the world's coastal cities, destroy our existing agricultural regions, and create a billion refugees? Yes, that certainly does sound like a positive step forward for mankind. Thanks for sharing.
Researchers link massive atmospheric carbon injection to end-Triassic mass extinction
Researchers in the Netherlands have linked massive carbon injections in the atmosphere to the end-Triassic mass extinction (ETME, ~201.4 million years ago), which was marked by terrestrial ecosystem turnover and up to a ~50% loss in marine biodiversity. In a paper published in the journal Scien...
And whatever happened to superconductive energy storage? It looked promising even before perovskites.
NETL investigating researching chemistries for large-scale battery- and supercapacitor-based grid energy storage systems
The US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is conducting research on alternative options to reduce costs and make large-scale energy storage safer and more practical. This includes research on appropriate anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes for magnesium (Mg)-, sod...
For less than $0.20 per kW-h delivered we can be carbon free. That is a small price to pay.
New GE combined cycle power plant delivers both flexibility and efficiency; enables greater use of wind, solar and natural gas on grid
GE unveiled the FlexEfficiency 50 Combined Cycle Power Plant, engineered to deliver a combination of flexibility and efficiency in power generation. GE drew from the company’s jet engine expertise to engineer a single-shaft plant that will ramp up at a rate of more than 50 megawatts per minute, ...
Yes, the US has enough coal to meet 200 years worth of its current energy needs (1). Now we need the wisdom not to use it, because using it would do us irreparable harm.
(1) But who thinks that US energy needs will not grow? And of course the world as a whole has only about 100 years worth of coal even at current rates of energy consumption. Whoever develops non-fossil energy will do well, both by using it themselves and selling it to others.
US National Research Council reiterates need for action in US to limit magnitude of climate change; final volume in America’s Climate Choices
Illustration of the steps in an iterative risk management approach for addressing climate change. From: America’s Climate Choices. Click to enlarge. Warning that the risk of dangerous climate change impacts is growing with every ton of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, a US Natio...
If you're worried about costs, consider the trillions of dollars it would cost to abandon our coastal cities and lose the grain-growing regions of North America. The US and the world need to use less fossil fuel, not more, no matter how attractive the short-term benefits appear to be.
One way or another we're going to have $7 gasoline; it ought to be made from atmospheric CO2 using non-fossil energy sources. One example:
http://www.lanl.gov/news/index.php/fuseaction/home.story/story_id/12554
Bill requiring use of coal-derived fuels introduced in US House
US Congressman Mark S. Critz (PA-12) announced that the “Clean Coal-Derived Fuels for Energy Security Act of 2011” was introduced in the House of Representatives; Critz is a an original co-sponsor of the legislation. The legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). Th...
Is Optima a luxury model? A Prius gets 50 MPG and can easily cost less.
Kia Motors America pricing Optima hybrid with MSRP of $26,500
Kia Motors America is pricing the 2011 Optima Hybrid—its first hybrid in the US market—with an MSRP of $26,500. The Optima Hybrid employs a Kia-developed powertrain including advanced lithium polymer batteries from LG Chem to deliver up to 35 miles per gallon in city driving and 40 miles per gal...
Sarah who?
Sarah Palin on Katie Couric's CBS exit: 'I read that in a newspaper'
Katie Couric, you can rest assured: Sarah Palin is still reading newspapers! The former vice presidential candidate, and Fox News contributor, appeared Wednesday in a segment of "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren" and mockingly sent well wishes to the retiring evening news anchor. Couric a...
The water is recirculated in a closed system, so undoubtedly it is demineralized water.
Updating the Steam Engine: the Cyclone
An application of the Cyclone. Cyclone Technologies LLP, developer of the Cyclone external combustion engine, received an Automotive Engineering International (SAE’s publication) Tech Award at the SAE World Congress in Detroit. The Cyclone modifies the traditional Rankin cycle steam engin...
After five years it's good to finally see them in an application.
By the way: what is "Moden Fuel"? I would have thought that any monopropellant is also unavoidably an explosive under all conditions.
Raytheon orders multiple external combustion engines from Cyclone Power Technologies
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), a business of Raytheon Company, has placed an initial purchase order for multiple engines from Cyclone, developer of the Cyclone external combustion engine. (Earlier post.) This contract is valued at approximately $400,000. The work will be performed at...
Anne has nailed it. Long-term reliability of this thing does not look good.
GM develops prototype two-mode hybrid transmission with enhanced EV capability for plug-in hybrids
Plug-in hybrid operating modes with the 2MH4EV architecture. From Yang et al. Click to enlarge. GM has developed a prototype of its two-mode front-wheel drive (FWD) hybrid transmission (earlier post) with enhanced electric vehicle capability (2MH4EV) for application in a plug-in hybrid; GM pr...
More...
Subscribe to richard schumacher’s Recent Activity