The Vectrix hybrid of battery and Fuel-cell, and the possible synergy of the two, brings up interesting connections alluded to in past posts.
We all know some of the infamous lore of the "battery boosters" (double entendre intended) - those like Newman, Bedini, Tilley, etc.etc. who claim to use circuitry to boost the life and/or output of batteries beyond all expectations... or else they claim it is the circuitry which is OU but only works with batteries and not caps! Hey, knowledge is limited but stupidity is infinite, as they say. I bring these old efforts up (a little too often perhaps) but the farther back one can look, the farther forward one is likely to see, a wise many once said. I'm pretty sure they all stumbled on some grain of truth, but what is the common denominator that points to the identity of that truth? Despite lack of clear proof of real long term benefit to these battery schemes, there are more and more inventors and companies coming onto the battery boosting scene (more sophisticated than the gangstas we hear about in South Central), and some of it is even beginning to look legitimate: http://www.pulsepower.com/technica.htm Mark Goldes recounted his experience with Newman, and then with the Ray-O-Vac engineers, to vortex some time ago. Very often these inventors are manipulating the *known* battery chemistry, and the benefits which accrue are real, but either temporary, risky, or destructive of the battery. Moreover, most of this manipulation is said to fall within a "normal" range of battery behavior. After all, it was not published before, because it is NOT in the best interest of the battery manufacturer to provide information on greatly extending battery life if there is any risk at all - as it counter-productive to their effort to sell more batteries (to be a bit cynical). Surface chemistry on the battery plates, esp. with sulfur and oxygen compounds and the re-absorption of sulfate crystals or replating of the active material on the positive plate, are all issues which addressed by using pulsed power, or back EMF. But there could be more to the story, and it is not impossible that in some cases where hydrogen containing electrolytes are involved (lead acid & NiMH), OU can "arguably" derive from the electrochemistry of the hydrogen atom, just as in the case of LENR, the hydrino, and even the Langmuir torch phenomena. Then, there is this question of "radiant energy". Is that a crock - or is it real? Then, there is the seldom discussed issue of complementary charge carriers. The Bat/Cap has been mentioned before, and its surprising characteristics, but it doesn't appear that anyone has gone to the trouble to actually see if batteries, which have ionic charge carriers, and capacitors and/or large coils (Newman) which have electron charge carriers, offer any synergy when used together to power identical loads. That is just a simple side-by-side test, which should be adequate, but there is scant good information on this. The Vectrix example of a 500 watt FC being able to double the range of a large battery pack over the 'battery only 'unit offers another tantalizing suggestion. There are at least four variables which are possible to manipulate though merely taking the time to provide exhaustive *testing* in order to find the best combination 1) Pulsing vs DC (in either the charging or the discharging cycle, or both) 2) Manipulating the various combinations of device which use all three types of charge carriers: electrons, positive ions and negative ions. 3) Adding a "radiant" source or device: arc or glow discharge, radioactive emitter or other photon source. There are old reports of microwatt radiation providing kilowatt battery boosting. Once again, here are questions which are unsolved and potentially valid, but will receive no "official" funding for the needed Edisonian approach, and that is largely because of the notoriety (and dishonesty) of some of the prior personalities in the field. I am just thankful that one particular voice of unreason is now absent from this forum... as otherwise I would be surely well-souffled over these comments from an expert in the field of battery manipulation. Jones "An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes that can possibly be made in a very narrow field" --Neils Bohr
