Whales teach flying lessons, Duplicity Delight, Energy Star WaterHeaters, Brazil Cleanest in Energy
Stafford Williamson
March 30, 2009
If only sharks and whales could talk like they do in the cartoons! What lessons we could learn. It took us a very long time to realize that sharks are one of the most drag efficient shapes on earth. But apparently we got that half wrong anyway.
You may have recognized, or had somebody point out to you, that car designers have been trying to adapt lessons from the streamlined shape of sharks for many years now. Car bodies now narrow at the nose in much the same way that shark noses do. But, it turns out that the "smoothness" of shark skin is NOT the reason they glide so readily through the fluid resistance of water. It is actually the roughness that enables that slipperiness. So-called "sharkskin" suits are very smooth indeed, but if you ever felt actual sharkskin (sometimes used for cowboy boots) you would probably have felt the tiny barbs that cover the surface (unless the bootmaker put it through some process to make it feel smooth).
Well, it seems like the whales have been more observant than their land-based mammalian cousins [us]. Apparently whales, at least Humpback whales in particular, have similar advanced efficiency features on their fins. Not the same, but similarly helpful. You see they have kind of worn out/worn down saw tooth shape to the leading edge of their flippers. Wind tunnel tests have shown that a fluid flowing over this kind of leading edge creates more lift, and has a steeper angle of "stall" (the point at which the "uplift"effect of reduced pressure becomes so scrambled and disorganized that a wing is no longer providing "lift"). It seems that because the fluid (in this case air in the wind tunnel but as fluids go it is similar enough to water that it will do) kind of rolls behind the bumpy features on the leading edge of the fin in a way that creates more "lift", albeit sideways in the whaleīs case, than it would if the leading edge were smooth. That is because with a smooth leading edge causes the more uniform pressure differential to break up into a chaotic flow far faster than the swirling flow behind the bumpy leading edge. Obviously illustrations would be helpful and fortunately Adam Summers of the biology department at University of California at Irvine has provided some, along with a brief article describing how all this works.
Now you might not think that this is the very latest in green energy news, but it is. It is mentioned in a note from the editor of North American Clean Energy magazine and website, Michelle Froese in their latest issue. And the reason is that this insight has inspired a new design in wind turbine blades from a Canadian company called Whalepower. The company claims the blades are at least as strong as those they would replace. The "stall angle" is increased by as much as 40% the makers claim. In their "real world" tests they say that power is dramatically increased in low wind speeds, the blades are quieter than previous types, and with no stalling at the tip, tip chatter has been eliminated. " Performance in real world conditions appears to be more stable and responsive than any turbine in history. When a gust blows through, they accelerate, virtually instantaneously with no noise or other signs of instability." It could be very interesting to see if this affects aircraft wing design in the future as well.
An artistic note: Prince appeared on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno recently to play a song from his new album "Lotusflower". The number, called "Dreamer" was heavily derivative of Jimi Hendrix, but was performed with such skill and ease that it was a delight to see that "the artist formerly known as Prince" is back to his old Prince self, and back in the groove of his roots. Very well done, sir. And by the way, the link above is to Princeīs own website the entrance to which is rather like a "driveby" of a "Son of Dark Side of the Moon", or something similarly evocative of the kind of grand artistry this immensely talented man can deliver on a good day.
I have to confess that it tickles me more than a little to discover that I have placed myself on the cutting edge without even trying. Of course, I have been on the "cutting edge" so long and so often that the phrase "leading edge" (especially of technology) has become better known in my life as the "bleeding edge". That is to say that the leading edge is so is so cutting that it is likely to cause damage to those skating it. However, in this case, it was a happy accident and a pleasant surprise.
That is not to say it happened without incident, but the "bleeding" in this case was on the part of my supplier, not me personally for a change. You see, it was only January 1st, 2009 that the "Energy Star" program started to apply to water heaters. For more information visit the Energy Star website. This link points specifically to the water heaters section. I said it was a happy accident that put me on that leading edge of having an Energy Star logo on my water heater, because it just so happened that after years of Maggie, my wife, warning that the day cold water came out of the hot water tap during her morning shower is no time to start thinking about replacing the aging water heater, we finally bit the bullet and bought a new one. (I was going to say "monthly shower", just to try to put her in her place, but I find that you just canīt keep a good woman down. No one is perfect, but she comes annoyingly close, annoyingly often.)
Ah, but thatīs when the trouble started, because although we spent way too much (well, too much by my standards because we also included a hot water re-circulating pump that saves water, even though it "spends" heat to do it [but only at fixed periods during the day]) it turned out that when Maggie the Magnificent visited the local gas company web site that she discovered the supposedly "high efficiency" water heater we purchased was of a model number not eligible for the gas companyīs high efficiency rebate of US$75. Before the steam emitted from her ears cooked some of my favorite parts of my own anatomy, I was on the phone to the plumbing company to find out why. Turns out that although they had the correct model in a 50 gallon capacity, their supplier had not got around to delivering the slower moving 40 gallon versions, so it was, indeed not a 0.63 energy factor model, but merely a EF of 0.59 and therefore NOT eligible for the rebate. Well, we have been dealing with the same plumbing company for 12 years or more and they always treat us right. Beebe Plumbing deserve the credit for always standing behind their work, and two weeks later we got the right model installed when the distributor finally got around to supplying them with the models that had been mandated by local legislation to being the only level allowed to be installed after January 1st, 2009.
I am not ready to "give up" on our own Department of Energy, but the reports from the Dow Jones News service from Brazil are downright impressive on the accomplishments of the biodiesel industry there. Mandatory blending of biodiesel into petroleum diesel took place last year dictating 2% blends starting in January 2008, and then a mere six months later to 3% in July. Unquestionably that is in itself fairly impressive. But somehow the biodiesel industry is looking like it is "on steroids" or some other growth hormone because although the country has another mandated increase to a minimum of B5 blends (5% biodiesel) by 2013, production capacity for biodiesel in Brazil has already risen to a level of 3 billion gallons which already exceeds the projected demand for the 2013 target, so they are considering moving the transition to mandatory 5% biodiesel up to 2010 instead. This past year, heightened biodiesel output reduced petroleum imports by about 1.1 billion gallons. Brazilian Ambassador to Malaysia, Sergio Arruda, speaking in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday said that Brazil has 45% of its energy needs from bio-derived resources making it the "cleanest" and greenest energy consuming country in the world.
Although Ghana has been prominent in my own discussions this past week, I also had a very interesting discussion with a gentleman in Brazil. He had a couple of really interesting things to say. He sees his main "oil" crop as entirely a mixed bag of various types from jatropha, to castor beans, to sunflowers and the traditional soy plants as well. I have long been conscious of the disruptive effects of massive "monoculture" crops, and I was very pleased to hear that. But that was only the second most interesting thing he had to say.
Tops on the list was that he has arranged for a sort of "bond" issue in Europe that will provide him US$100,000,000.00 to develop his Brazilian operations if he can come up with US$1 MM to finance the issue. Now it is not one of those too-good-to-be-true scams (as far as I know) in which some huckster promises 100-to-1 returns on your money and you never have to pay it back. Nor is it a case of the demand for biodiesel has already been met in Brazil so it would be a poor idea to produce more there. Sensibly, Brazil wants to be a net exporter of biodiesel, and with the way feedstock vegetable source oils have been exceeding the value of the biodiesel, if they can manage to make it at reasonable costs, it will indeed be a boon to the world.
President Obama made a mistake during his online town hall meeting. He derided and dismissed the most popular question from online viewers which was why are we criminalizing otherwise innocent people for using marijuana. Wouldn't we all save tremendously by stopping the stupid "war on drugs" (saving tens of billions a year in US drug enforcement alone). Legalize marijuana and tax it. That revenue alone could almost solve our budget deficit. Christopher Hitchens on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher also had a very interesting suggestion. He said that we are paying people in the country of Turkey to grow opium for the base ingredients in opiate pain medicines. Why don't we contract with the Afghani farmers who grow opium for the Taliban and al Qaeda to grow it for our legitimate drug companies instead? Why is it that we have so demonized "drugs" that we can't see or hear reasonable suggestions when they are put forth?
For my second foray into the world of entertainment this week, there is an excellent movie just released called Duplicity which stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen and co-starring Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti. The twists and turns of the plot keep you guessing, and even the flashbacks that reveal events from the past have an intriguing layering effect on the mystery as much as illuminating the plot. Fine acting all around. Taut directing and writing by Tony Gilroy it has a tone and dash that is reminiscent of Stanley Donenīs Arabesque that starred Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren, which was, itself, a close rival in my mind at least with the classic Charade also helmed by Stanley Donen and starring the incomparable Gary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
To end on a happy note this week, I have another doctorīs appointment tomorrow. That may not seem like the brightest of news but it does represent an improvement because this past week the cardiologist told me that the nuclear stress test they put me through indicated that the prior EKG was a false alarm, there was no evidence of prior heart attacks and, in fact, he expected me to live to be 120 years old. Since thatīs about 7 years longer than I was planning on myself, I definitely consider that GOOD NEWS!
Love and warm wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com
You may have recognized, or had somebody point out to you, that car designers have been trying to adapt lessons from the streamlined shape of sharks for many years now. Car bodies now narrow at the nose in much the same way that shark noses do. But, it turns out that the "smoothness" of shark skin is NOT the reason they glide so readily through the fluid resistance of water. It is actually the roughness that enables that slipperiness. So-called "sharkskin" suits are very smooth indeed, but if you ever felt actual sharkskin (sometimes used for cowboy boots) you would probably have felt the tiny barbs that cover the surface (unless the bootmaker put it through some process to make it feel smooth).
Well, it seems like the whales have been more observant than their land-based mammalian cousins [us]. Apparently whales, at least Humpback whales in particular, have similar advanced efficiency features on their fins. Not the same, but similarly helpful. You see they have kind of worn out/worn down saw tooth shape to the leading edge of their flippers. Wind tunnel tests have shown that a fluid flowing over this kind of leading edge creates more lift, and has a steeper angle of "stall" (the point at which the "uplift"effect of reduced pressure becomes so scrambled and disorganized that a wing is no longer providing "lift"). It seems that because the fluid (in this case air in the wind tunnel but as fluids go it is similar enough to water that it will do) kind of rolls behind the bumpy features on the leading edge of the fin in a way that creates more "lift", albeit sideways in the whaleīs case, than it would if the leading edge were smooth. That is because with a smooth leading edge causes the more uniform pressure differential to break up into a chaotic flow far faster than the swirling flow behind the bumpy leading edge. Obviously illustrations would be helpful and fortunately Adam Summers of the biology department at University of California at Irvine has provided some, along with a brief article describing how all this works.
Now you might not think that this is the very latest in green energy news, but it is. It is mentioned in a note from the editor of North American Clean Energy magazine and website, Michelle Froese in their latest issue. And the reason is that this insight has inspired a new design in wind turbine blades from a Canadian company called Whalepower. The company claims the blades are at least as strong as those they would replace. The "stall angle" is increased by as much as 40% the makers claim. In their "real world" tests they say that power is dramatically increased in low wind speeds, the blades are quieter than previous types, and with no stalling at the tip, tip chatter has been eliminated. " Performance in real world conditions appears to be more stable and responsive than any turbine in history. When a gust blows through, they accelerate, virtually instantaneously with no noise or other signs of instability." It could be very interesting to see if this affects aircraft wing design in the future as well.
An artistic note: Prince appeared on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno recently to play a song from his new album "Lotusflower". The number, called "Dreamer" was heavily derivative of Jimi Hendrix, but was performed with such skill and ease that it was a delight to see that "the artist formerly known as Prince" is back to his old Prince self, and back in the groove of his roots. Very well done, sir. And by the way, the link above is to Princeīs own website the entrance to which is rather like a "driveby" of a "Son of Dark Side of the Moon", or something similarly evocative of the kind of grand artistry this immensely talented man can deliver on a good day.
I have to confess that it tickles me more than a little to discover that I have placed myself on the cutting edge without even trying. Of course, I have been on the "cutting edge" so long and so often that the phrase "leading edge" (especially of technology) has become better known in my life as the "bleeding edge". That is to say that the leading edge is so is so cutting that it is likely to cause damage to those skating it. However, in this case, it was a happy accident and a pleasant surprise.
That is not to say it happened without incident, but the "bleeding" in this case was on the part of my supplier, not me personally for a change. You see, it was only January 1st, 2009 that the "Energy Star" program started to apply to water heaters. For more information visit the Energy Star website. This link points specifically to the water heaters section. I said it was a happy accident that put me on that leading edge of having an Energy Star logo on my water heater, because it just so happened that after years of Maggie, my wife, warning that the day cold water came out of the hot water tap during her morning shower is no time to start thinking about replacing the aging water heater, we finally bit the bullet and bought a new one. (I was going to say "monthly shower", just to try to put her in her place, but I find that you just canīt keep a good woman down. No one is perfect, but she comes annoyingly close, annoyingly often.)
Ah, but thatīs when the trouble started, because although we spent way too much (well, too much by my standards because we also included a hot water re-circulating pump that saves water, even though it "spends" heat to do it [but only at fixed periods during the day]) it turned out that when Maggie the Magnificent visited the local gas company web site that she discovered the supposedly "high efficiency" water heater we purchased was of a model number not eligible for the gas companyīs high efficiency rebate of US$75. Before the steam emitted from her ears cooked some of my favorite parts of my own anatomy, I was on the phone to the plumbing company to find out why. Turns out that although they had the correct model in a 50 gallon capacity, their supplier had not got around to delivering the slower moving 40 gallon versions, so it was, indeed not a 0.63 energy factor model, but merely a EF of 0.59 and therefore NOT eligible for the rebate. Well, we have been dealing with the same plumbing company for 12 years or more and they always treat us right. Beebe Plumbing deserve the credit for always standing behind their work, and two weeks later we got the right model installed when the distributor finally got around to supplying them with the models that had been mandated by local legislation to being the only level allowed to be installed after January 1st, 2009.
I am not ready to "give up" on our own Department of Energy, but the reports from the Dow Jones News service from Brazil are downright impressive on the accomplishments of the biodiesel industry there. Mandatory blending of biodiesel into petroleum diesel took place last year dictating 2% blends starting in January 2008, and then a mere six months later to 3% in July. Unquestionably that is in itself fairly impressive. But somehow the biodiesel industry is looking like it is "on steroids" or some other growth hormone because although the country has another mandated increase to a minimum of B5 blends (5% biodiesel) by 2013, production capacity for biodiesel in Brazil has already risen to a level of 3 billion gallons which already exceeds the projected demand for the 2013 target, so they are considering moving the transition to mandatory 5% biodiesel up to 2010 instead. This past year, heightened biodiesel output reduced petroleum imports by about 1.1 billion gallons. Brazilian Ambassador to Malaysia, Sergio Arruda, speaking in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday said that Brazil has 45% of its energy needs from bio-derived resources making it the "cleanest" and greenest energy consuming country in the world.
Although Ghana has been prominent in my own discussions this past week, I also had a very interesting discussion with a gentleman in Brazil. He had a couple of really interesting things to say. He sees his main "oil" crop as entirely a mixed bag of various types from jatropha, to castor beans, to sunflowers and the traditional soy plants as well. I have long been conscious of the disruptive effects of massive "monoculture" crops, and I was very pleased to hear that. But that was only the second most interesting thing he had to say.
Tops on the list was that he has arranged for a sort of "bond" issue in Europe that will provide him US$100,000,000.00 to develop his Brazilian operations if he can come up with US$1 MM to finance the issue. Now it is not one of those too-good-to-be-true scams (as far as I know) in which some huckster promises 100-to-1 returns on your money and you never have to pay it back. Nor is it a case of the demand for biodiesel has already been met in Brazil so it would be a poor idea to produce more there. Sensibly, Brazil wants to be a net exporter of biodiesel, and with the way feedstock vegetable source oils have been exceeding the value of the biodiesel, if they can manage to make it at reasonable costs, it will indeed be a boon to the world.
President Obama made a mistake during his online town hall meeting. He derided and dismissed the most popular question from online viewers which was why are we criminalizing otherwise innocent people for using marijuana. Wouldn't we all save tremendously by stopping the stupid "war on drugs" (saving tens of billions a year in US drug enforcement alone). Legalize marijuana and tax it. That revenue alone could almost solve our budget deficit. Christopher Hitchens on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher also had a very interesting suggestion. He said that we are paying people in the country of Turkey to grow opium for the base ingredients in opiate pain medicines. Why don't we contract with the Afghani farmers who grow opium for the Taliban and al Qaeda to grow it for our legitimate drug companies instead? Why is it that we have so demonized "drugs" that we can't see or hear reasonable suggestions when they are put forth?
For my second foray into the world of entertainment this week, there is an excellent movie just released called Duplicity which stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen and co-starring Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti. The twists and turns of the plot keep you guessing, and even the flashbacks that reveal events from the past have an intriguing layering effect on the mystery as much as illuminating the plot. Fine acting all around. Taut directing and writing by Tony Gilroy it has a tone and dash that is reminiscent of Stanley Donenīs Arabesque that starred Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren, which was, itself, a close rival in my mind at least with the classic Charade also helmed by Stanley Donen and starring the incomparable Gary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
To end on a happy note this week, I have another doctorīs appointment tomorrow. That may not seem like the brightest of news but it does represent an improvement because this past week the cardiologist told me that the nuclear stress test they put me through indicated that the prior EKG was a false alarm, there was no evidence of prior heart attacks and, in fact, he expected me to live to be 120 years old. Since thatīs about 7 years longer than I was planning on myself, I definitely consider that GOOD NEWS!
Love and warm wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com
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