From: everything-list@googlegroups.com
[mailto:everything-list@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of John Clark
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 12:23 PM
To: everything-list@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: The situation at Fukushima appears to be deteriorating
On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 12:45 AM, Chris de Morsella <cdemorse...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
>>Well if you can store 61 times more energy, that just means there's room
for improvement in the existing batteries... Good news, if nature was able
to do it so can we I hope.
>Zinc-air batteries, [...] offers about twice the gravimetric density
>>Who cares about gravimetric density?
Evidently you don't; that much is clear. The automobile companies that are
moving towards electric vehicles care - and care a lot. Just because you
don't give a fig does not mean that your opinion is universally shared.
Increasing the storage potential per unit of mass - say as wh/kg for example
- is critical in order to extend the range of electric vehicles.
(Wh/kg) and three times the volumetric density (Wh/L) of Li-ion technology.
And per weight that's about one thirtieth as much energy as gasoline can
store, and they tend to stop working after about 3 years.
Internal combustion (ICE) motors are only between 15% to 25% efficient - so
only a small fraction of the potential energy stored in the gasoline is
transmitted to the wheel as useful work. Electric motors are around 80%
efficient. So to compare the energy in the battery with the potential energy
in the gasoline is an unfair comparison - which I am sure you are aware of
(would hope so at least); but you do it, in any case, because it suits the
point you are arguing.
> Lithium air has a theoretical specific energy of 11,140 wh/kg (lithium
metal is around 45 Mj/kg)
That's about the same as gasoline, and although no machine ever operates at
its theoretical maximum if and when Lithium air batteries ever become
practical and move out of the laboratory it will change the world. But there
are huge technological challenges that must be overcome before that can
happen, larger than what it would take to put a LFTR online although
probably not as large as what it would take to put a fusion reactor online.
The advanced battery field is moving very fast and the problems are being
solved - often in parallel. Lithium air batteries would store more usable
"work" per unit of mass than gasoline because of the inefficiency of
combustion engines - even modern gas turbines are around 50% efficient.
It may surprise you but I wish the US would start up an LFTR program. in
fact, I wish the 8+ billion dollar loan guarantee now earmarked to fund
those nuclear white elephants in Georgia was instead - much more wisely IMO
- being used to kick start an LFTR program.
Chris
John K Clark
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