Category: Sci/Tech

Recycling energy from thermal plants to save $660 mln

An energy recycling project developed for thermal power plants by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and the İstanbul-based Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) could save the country nearly TL 1 billion ($660 million) a year, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.

The project will use the energy emitted during the production of electricity at those plants to heat over 100,000 homes around Turkey, it said. The project will also provide those homes with warm water and reduce Turkey’s carbon dioxide and sulfur emissions, Anatolia added.

According to information received by the news agency from TÜBİTAK officials, whose names were not mentioned in the report, a huge amount of energy is emitted while the country’s 14 thermal power plants are producing electricity and this energy is heating the air. The joint research showed that 15 million megawatt hours (mWh) of this energy could be used for domestic heating and other purposes, the report said. The council and YTÜ have been working to recycle that much energy as part of the project for the last four years. The project was recently concluded and put in force at a thermal power plant in the western province of Kütahya’s Soma district. Only there, the recycled energy will be used to heat and provide warm water to 22,100 homes.

April 12, 2011
Nasa Left ‘Puzzled’ By Mystery Cosmic Blast

Nasa scientists are trying to solve one of the most puzzling cosmic blasts ever observed.

Swift’s X-ray telescope detected blast. Credit: NASA/Swift/Stefan Immler

Stunning images show flaring emission from an explosion which is thought to be the destruction of a massive star in a galaxy 3.8 billion light-years away.

Nasa will use the Hubble Space Telescope, Swift satellite and the Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the blast.

Astronomers say they have never seen anything this bright, long-lasting and variable before.

Usually gamma-ray bursts mark the end of a massive star and emission from these events never lasts more than a few hours.

But radiation from the blast continues to brighten and fade from the location a week after the explosion.

Andrew Fruchter, of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, labelled the event as truly extraordinary.

“We know of objects in our own galaxy that can produce repeated bursts, but they are thousands to millions of times less powerful than the bursts we are seeing now,” he said.

The fact that the explosion occurred in the centre of a galaxy tells us it is most likely associated with a massive black hole. This solves a key question about the mysterious event

Neil Gehrels, lead scientist for Swift.

Astronomers believe that the unique blast occurred when a star wandered too close to its galaxy’s central black hole.

The gravitational force of a black hole is so strong that it most likely tore the star apart, and the gases released are still streaming towards it.

Nasa believe the information suggests that the spinning black hole formed an out flowing jet of gas and a powerful blast of X- and gamma rays is seen when these jets are pointed towards earth.

Andrew Levan, from the University of Warwick, who led the Chandra observations said “the best explanation at the moment is that we happen to be looking down the barrel of this jet”.

Swift’s Burst Alert Telescope discovered the source in the constellation Draco, on March 28, when it erupted with the first in a series of X-ray blasts.

On April 4, the telescope pinpointed the position of the explosion at the centre of a distant galaxy near the Swift position.

Visible galaxy where blast was discovered Credit: NASA/ESA/A. Fruchter (STScI)

Astronomers then used Nasa’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to make a four-hour-long exposure of the puzzling source. The resulting image locates the object 10 times more precisely than the Swift telescope.

“The fact that the explosion occurred in the centre of a galaxy tells us it is most likely associated with a massive black hole. This solves a key question about the mysterious event,” said Neil Gehrels, the lead scientist for Swift at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre.

Astronomers have previously detected stars disrupted by super massive black holes, but none have shown the X-ray brightness and variability seen in this case.

Nasa says the source has brightened more than five times since April 3.

This brightness increase, which is called relativistic beaming, occurs when matter moving close to the speed of light is viewed nearly head on.

Astronomers plan additional Hubble observations to see if the galaxy’s core changes brightness.

April 9, 2011
Report: A Solar Transition is Possible

By Peter D. Schwartzman & David W. Schwartzman

Arguably no challenge is more serious for the world’s future than bringing about a rapid decarbonation of the energy infrastructure with the possibility of preventing the onset of catastrophic climate change. With a mathematical model we demonstrate that this transition is technically plausible using modest inputs of existing fossil fuel reserves in the creation of a global solar power infrastructure even with existing solar technologies such as wind turbines. In addition, this global power capacity can likewise provide energy consumption per person levels for all of humanity consistent with high human development requirements.

An energy infrastructure that depends largely on renewables appears inevitable as easily mined fossil fuels will be exhausted. Given the potential for catastrophic climate change and the inherently negative environmental externalities of non-renewable forms of energy production, we must find ways to transition to renewables as soon as possible. Studies of this potential transition have pointed to the possibility of a swift shift from fossil fuels to renewables, using existing technologies, while providing sufficient long-term energy needs for all humanity. Smil’s, Kramer and Haigh’s pessimism with respect to the timing of this change stems from a preoccupation in the history of major energy shifts but in our view fails to consider the power of exponential growth in R&D investments to usher in more rapid change. We submit that the massive economic investments to propel this switch are available if spending priorities are changed.

We model the conversion of our present global energy infrastructure to a fully renewable alternative, inputting properties of current state-of-the-art renewable technology, notably its EROI (energy return on energy invested) and lifetime. Energy investments come from the depletable (i.e., non-renewable) energy sources dominated by fossil fuels as well as the growing renewable infrastructure. We find that we can replace the entire existing energy infrastructure with renewables in 25 years or less, so long as EROI of the mixed renewable power infrastructure is maintained at 20 or higher, by using merely 1% of the present fossil fuel capacity and a reinvestment of 10% of the renewable capacity per year. Furthermore, in this time frame, for an annual contribution equal to 2% of the present energy fossil fuel capacity, the global power capacity can grow relative to the present level so as to provide energy consumption per person levels sufficient for every one on the planet to live at high human development requirements, while radically reducing carbon emissions. Even faster replacement times result from higher dedicated commitments of depletable energy and energy invested from the growing renewable capacity.

For more info please visit:

http://iprd.org.uk/wp-content/plugins/downloads-manager/upload/A%20Solar%20Transition%20is%20Possible.pdf

April 4, 2011
Google First Major Online Portal to Provide Search in Kurdish

Ahmad F Al-Shagra

Google Arabia announced earlier today the launch of local search portal for two new countries in Arabia, Iraq & Tunisia, through Google.iq & Google.tn.

The two portals were announced in a blog post by Google Arabia today putting the number of localized search portals Google provides at 184, with 15 of them in Arab countries.

As all of Google’s localized search portals, users should find results more locally relevant when using their country’s portal. Proving that point with an example users can try out for ‘Central Bank’.

What came as a surprise to many is the fact Google provided its Iraqi portal in the countries second official language, which is Kurdish, to offer a more accessible service to as many users as possible, making it the first major online company to provide its services in the Kurdish language which has already generated some buzz from Iraqi users on Facebook and Twitter.

thenextweb.com, 31 March 2011

April 1, 2011
ISLAMIC WORLD: Strong science in Iran, Tunisia, Turkey

Yojana Sharma and Wagdy Sawahel

30 March 2011

Iran, Tunisia and Turkey are among a number of countries beginning to challenge the dominance of established powerhouses of scientific research, according to major a new report that has identified rapidly emerging nations “not traditionally associated with a strong science base”.

Although traditional ‘scientific superpowers’ still lead the field, a report released this week by Britain’s Royal Society – roughly equivalent to the country’s Academy of Sciences – looked beyond the more commonly documented challengers to Western science domination such as China, India and Brazil.

It found that Iran has been expanding fastest in the number of scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals, growing from just 736 in 1996 to 13,238 in 2008.

Other up-and-coming countries include Tunisia and Turkey, according to the report Knowledge, Networks and Nations: Global scientific collaboration in the 21st century.

Turkey has improved its scientific performance “at a rate almost rivaling that of China”, after declaring research a public priority in the 1990s, the study said. Spending on R&D increased almost six-fold between 1995 and 2007 and now Turkey spends more annually than countries like Denmark, Finland or Norway. Four times as many papers with Turkish authors were published in 2008 as in 1996, the study said.

Tunisia has increased the percentage of its gross domestic product spent on research and development from 0.03% in 1996 to 1.25% in 2009, while restructuring its national R&D system to create 624 research units and 139 research laboratories.

James Wilsdon, head of policy at the Royal Society, said Tunisia had among the highest research investment in GDP terms in the region.

Wilsdon told University World News that countries like Iran, Turkey and Tunisia had an established research base in their universities. “They are not yet up there with the OECD [advanced industrialised] countries but there is a lot to build on. A lot more can be done if investment can be directed towards these countries,” he added.

“The scientific world is changing and new players are fast appearing,” said Chris Llewellyn Smith, chair of the study’s Advisory Group and Director of energy research at Oxford University “No historically dominant nation can afford to rest on its laurels if it wants to retain the competitive economic advantage that being a scientific leader brings.”

He was referring in particular to countries like China, Singapore and Brazil. But other countries may not be far behind.

Iran has already announced a 15-year comprehensive scientific plan to promote technological development and a knowledge-based economy. “Science must lead to self-actualisation,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last month, unveiling the plan to promote long-term sustainable growth in science.

Hadi Asadi Rahmani, a soil microbiologist at the Tehran-based Soil and Water Research Institute, told University World News another aim of the plan was to place Iran at the top of scientific knowledge production, innovation and technology in the Middle East.

The plan includes spending 4% of gross domestic product on R&D by 2030 – an ambitious target aimed at overtaking the US, which spends 2.8% of GDP on research and Japan which spends 3.4%. Currently Iran’s R&D spending is around 0.6% of GDP.

The plan focuses on science and technology in the higher education, defense, aerospace and nuclear sectors. The construction of nuclear power plants, nuclear fusion, building and manned missions to space are its main objectives.

Drawn up by the High Council of the Cultural Revolution and prepared by 2,000 experts from 800 science and research centers, the plan includes 224 scientific projects that must be implemented by 2025.

Ali Karami, an associate professor of molecular biology at Iran’s Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, told University World News: “The plan will help in coordinating scientific activities in the country.” It would also speed up scientific progress at the national, regional and international levels.

However, with unrest in North Africa and uncertainty in other countries, it is not clear how far these nations can keep up their advantage.

Iranian professor Muhammad Sahimi, a chemical engineer at the University of Southern California, told University World News. “Even if Iran has the best science plan, without the scientists, who are emigrating en masse, the plan does not have much of a chance of succeeding.”

via University World News – ISLAMIC WORLD: Strong science in Iran, Tunisia, Turkey.

March 31, 2011
Japan turns to bicycles as cars rendered all but useless

The world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, Giant, is taking emergency measures to increase the bicycle supply to Japan.

Japan is a world-renowned producer of cars, but people are turning to bicycles because petrol shortages and damaged roads have rendered cars all but useless in the area worst-affected by the tsunami.

Giant sells approximately 1 million bicycles to Japan a year, roughly one in ten of all cycles imported by the country and the company expects the current spike in demand to have a knock-on effect in other markets.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Bicycles provide a reliable and cheap means of transport, which continues to work inspite of impassable roads and chronic shortages of petrol.”

The low-tech (and petrol-free) road to improving lives

It is easy for cyclists in Europe spoilt by a choice of exotic frame materials, specialist tyre compounds and computerized accessories to forget that bicycles are for millions of people around the world a cheap and practically maintenance-free means of carrying as much as fits in the boot of a car.

Re-cycle your old bike…

The charity Re-cycle sends secondhand bikes from this country to Africa where they become a much-valued means of transport for children, who would otherwise walk up to 9 miles each way to school; medical personnel; mothers and farm workers amongst others.

www.eta.co.uk

March 20, 2011