Liquid Batteries Doubling As Stability Control for Weight and Balance, and Ballast

By Lance Winslow

image: depositphotos

If you look at a hybrid car, or a fully electric automobile, then you will note that they have quite a few Batteries. Those batteries have liquid inside, and that liquid does move around. Yes, often they have membranes, baffles, or even a webbing which also doubles as a component of the battery to help it charge faster, or hold the charge longer. However, as long as they have liquid inside, we might be able to turn that challenge into an opportunity.

Okay so, let's talk about all this for second if we might.

There was a brilliant article on Physorg (dot) com recently titled; "Liquid batteries could level the load," posted on February 14, 2012 by David L. Chandler. Interestingly enough, the title of that article reminded me of an old engineering concept that I had long ago about a UAV or unmanned vehicle which would eat itself as it flew, as the wing spar would be wrapped in fuel and as it used up the fuel the wing would decrease its camber, and not needing that extra weight after climb-out it would increase its speed. Anyway you get the point.

Now then, taking this article title in Physorg (dot) com and dismissing what the article was really about, which was distributing the level of electric output - and then considering my engineering design, think about liquid batteries and how they might assist in the stability of aircraft, vessels, motorcycles, cars, rail, submarines, or other transportation devices when it really matters. What if the batteries were not box shaped, but layered on top of each other?

Time to Redesign Our Wind Energy Future

By Lance Winslow

image: depositphotos

From an engineering stand point, I'd say all these very large modern wind turbine designs are rather cumbersome and less-than-optimal. No, I am not taking anything away from the brilliant engineering designers using high-tech materials to make all this work, truly it's an amazing feat. We now have carbon-composite blades with special aerodynamic tricks, one design even uses the organic evolutionary design from the leading edge on the fin of a hump back well, and to that I say; Bravo, and Well Done!

Still I'd like to talk about this for a moment, because I was having a recent discussion with a graduate engineering student from the University of Maryland Baltimore County who has spent considerable time researching wind turbines. It seems that we really need to take all this to the next level, the next step, and do a complete re-design on the current modern day wind turbines. Today, they are top heavy, dangerous in high-winds, and the ROI is not anywhere near what's been purported, thus, it isn't the answer for inexpensive energy generation.

Many months ago, we were having a similar discussion on all this at our Think Tank considering all the challenges which have inadvertently been created with these wind turbine designs currently in use. Okay so, let's talk about this for a moment shall we?