Carl Lowenstein wrote:
On 5/21/07, Ralph Shumaker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Bob La Quey wrote:
> On 5/17/07, Stewart Stremler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> begin quoting Gus Wirth as of Thu, May 17, 2007 at 05:43:16PM -0700:
>> [snip]
>> > Depending on your situation, you might be able to use an
>> Uninterruptible
>> > Power Supply (UPS) and if the power fails on one side you can
>> unplug it
>> > and move it to the other. There are also automatic switches that
>> can do
>> > that for you.
>>
>> Build a large and heavy flywheel, and keep it spinning with two or
more
>> motors, one per circuit; use the flywheel to drive an alternator...
>
>
> Flywheel UPS's exist. See
> http://www.genpropower.com/powerware_pf2_flywheel.htm
>
> But they need horses not hampsters :)
Wow, a mere 150 seconds to recharge and 20 year lifespan. With a few
good solar panels and wind generators, who would need the utility
companies?
It would be nice if they could effectively replace the batteries in
electic cars. Unfortunately, the additional weight may short-circuit
any gain.
If you read some more of the fine print, the unit that charges in 150
seconds will supply its rated output for 120 seconds. No free lunch.
But plenty of time to get the diesel backup generator fired up.
Also, these are rather large, in the hundreds of kilowatt range. Not
the thing for the average home computer.
carl
I seem to recall (many many moons ago) a unit that had disks made of
kevlar whose "bearings" were magnets. Basically it rotated on a
magnetic field. It had the advantage of being able to take a charge
quickly or slowly, and give it back equally quickly or slowly.
Apparently the sticking point was the kevlar unraveling or somesuch.
I guess I just thought that (given low friction in the bearings) like
the kevlar units, it would give back power however quickly it was
needed. Hence, low demand would give longer times. That was, I think,
the claim to fame of the kevlar disk that rode on a magnetic field.
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