Abstract-The Hydro-Mobile. The Hydro-Mobile is a salt-water, solar energy, and wind energy powered car. It uses a radio

Transcription

1 Abstract-The Hydro-Mobile The Hydro-Mobile is a salt-water, solar energy, and wind energy powered car. It uses a radio wave generator to ignite saltwater. The heat produced by the reaction will power an engine. In addition, photovoltaic paint, and a revolutionary placement and design for a wind turbine on the vehicle eliminate the need for hydrocarbons. It would transform the way the cars are powered; it would also improve the world by eliminating greenhouse gases.

2 The Hydro-Mobile Present Technology The burning of fossil fuels leads to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, which traps in heat to keep the Earth warm. These gases are important because without them Earth would be much less hospitable. However because humans have been burning so much fossil fuel in order to power cars, planes, boats etc. the amount of carbon dioxide has increased and global warming is becoming a major problem in modern society. A car which runs on water, air, and sun would be extremely beneficial and the technology exists so that it is plausible. The main source of fuel for the car will be generated using water. Water consists of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. When Hydrogen comes into contact with Oxygen it explodes. Therefore if you split the atoms of Hydrogen and Oxygen in water then put them both back together energy will be created which can move a piston engine. The method of dividing Oxygen and Hydrogen is called Electrolysis. This works by exploiting the polarity of water. Water is formed by oxygen and Hydrogen sharing their electrons. Because the Oxygen has a stronger hold on the electrons the Oxygen becomes negatively charged. For the same reason the Hydrogen becomes positively charged. If you put the water into an area that has a positive electrical charge and a negative charge the atoms in the molecule will divide, the Oxygen being attracted to the positively charged side, and the Hydrogen to the negatively charged side. When the two are put back together they explode which can be used to power an engine. Another method of using hydrogen and oxygen to power a vehicle is the fuel cell. This does essentially the opposite of electrolysis. Rather than dividing the two elements, fuel cells work by combining the two

3 elements and using the electricity generated to power a car. Salt water could also be used to power a car. When salt water is placed under a certain radio wave it releases the Hydrogen and Oxygen in salt water creating a very intense flame. This could be used to power an engine also. In order to power electrolysis or a radio wave generator, there must be some external source of electricity. Solar panels on the roof of the car could produce the energy to power the engines. Solar power works by combining Silicon with an element such as Phosphorus on one plate and with another element Boron on the other. All elements try to have 8 electrons on their outer layer. Elements often combine with other elements in order to reach 8. Silicon has four outer electrons, Phosphorus has five, and Boron has three. When silicon is combined with Phosphorus there is one extra electron, which sticks to the Phosphorus making the plate negatively charged. Similarly the Silicon and Boron plate will be positively charged because there are only seven electrons. When the negatively charged plate is hit with photons from sunlight the extra electron is knocked off and moves to the other plate generating electricity. This can be used to power a battery which in turn will power electrolysis or a radio wave generator. Wind power could also be used to power the car. When the car drives it could power wind turbines. Wind turbines work by using the energy of the wind in order to turn a shaft which is connected to a generator generating electricity. While the car is driving the air moving against the car could power the turbine. This could be used as a backup for when there is little or no sunlight. History Over the course of time, many people and civilizations have also tried to create inventions that work using nature and its byproducts. First off, there was the use of stone water

4 wheels by the Greeks to grind wheat into flower more than 2,000 years ago. Much later on the in 16 th and 17 th century, many of the upper class citizens in Florence and other major European cities treasured water-powered devices. One of the most impressive was an organ then was played when rushing water moved air out of the holes in an organ, which created the sound. Years later in 1776 Horace de Saussure invented the first solar collector using mirrors, and opened the door to many more scientists researching the energetic properties of light. In the 19 th century, many scientists such as Auguste Mouchout, who created the first solar steam engine, were experimenting with the potential that solar energy had. This wave of experimenting lead to the creation of the first, yet largely inefficient, solar cells to be created in the 1880 s. Then, it wasn t until 1882 when, in Appleton Wisconsin, the first hydroelectric plant was put into service. The plant was efficient enough to create an output of over 12.5 kilowatts, and by 1886 there were 46 plants in the US and Canada, but by 1889 there were over 200 working hydroelectric plants in the US alone. Meanwhile, in 1887 Professor James Blythe at Anderson College had created the first mechanical windmill made for electrical production. He had created nearly three different working windmill designs, one of which was said to have powered his home for over 25 years. Then, in 1931, Frenchman George Darrieus invented one of the modern wind turbines still used around the world today. It was called the Darrieus Rotor, but was quickly nicknamed the Egg-Beater turbine for its striking resemblance to the common kitchen appliance. It was, and still is, very efficient and is used all over the world. Future Technology For the Hydro-Mobile to work there are many technologies that have to be invented first. The one main technology is the salt-water engine. In order for the engine to operate the car will need a radio frequency generator the job of the generator would be to constantly bombard

5 the engine with radio waves. When the Radio Frequency generator aims radio- waves, at the right frequency, towards a container of water it causes the water to become flammable. The reason the water turns flammable is because the radio- waves disrupt the balance of the hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules, releasing the hydrogen atoms which burn very well. The water burns at very high temperatures, about 1500 centigrade, and could definitely be used to power an engine. Another technology necessary for the Hydro-Mobile to work is the advent of photovoltaic paint. Photovoltaic paint is paint which uses dye-sensitized solar cells. These solar cells consist of a light- sensitive anode which is connected to an electrolyte. When the solar cells receive sunlight, they energize electrons, which then go into a collecting circuit which generates electricity. The use of photovoltaic paint would be advantageous to the car, because they can generate electricity regardless of the angle to the light. In a typical solar panel, the amount of electricity generated relies heavily on the angle to the sun. Another major aspect of the Hydro-Mobile is its wind turbine, which allows the car to collect energy from wind as it drives. When the car drives it creates a wind which could be used to power a small wind turbine. Wind turbines generate electricity by using the kinetic energy of the wind and spinning a shaft which spins in an electrical generator. The generator creates electricity-using magnetism. When a magnet spins in a generator it pushes electrons into a circuit, where the electricity can be used to power the engine or the various appliances of the car. The turbine will have to be made of very lightweight, yet durable and sturdy materials, such as fiberglass. It should also be coated with bullet proof or shatterproof material, so that rocks or ice cannot break the turbine. The turbine will be located in the center of a medium sized wind tunnel cut out of the center of the car.

6 Breakthroughs One of the major breakthroughs that must happen in order for the Hydro-Mobile to be invented will be the miniaturized radio wave generator. In order for the salt water engine to work the salt water must bombarded with radio waves exciting the water molecules, and therefore causing the hydrogen and oxygen to separate. Because both hydrogen and oxygen are highly flammable, the engine would then use them as the fuel source, instead of gasoline. The hydrogen and oxygen would then be used in the traditional combustion engine, functioning the same way as regular cars. Conventional radio wave generators are much too large to be practical in an engine. So, in order for the car to work, we must find a way to miniaturize a radio wave generator, but it must still be able to function over long periods of time. It would have to be roughly 6 inches long, 4 inches tall and 5 inches wide. Otherwise, it would take up too much space and may weigh down the car too much. Another major breakthrough that must occur before the invention of the Hydro-Mobile would have to be the Photovoltaic Paint. Photovoltaic Paint is a substance that consists of a mixture of regular paint, miniaturized solar cells. As the paint is applied to the body of the Hydro-Mobile, it will also become covered in small solar energy collecting cells. In other words it will be covered in tiny solar panels. Solar panels work by applying the Rule of Octet. The Rule of Octet states that all atoms will try to gain or lose electrons in order to achieve eight outer electrons. Solar Panels use this rule by combining three different elements such as Phosphorus, Silicon, and Boron. Phosphorus has five outer electrons, Silicon has four, and Boron has three. Silicon is combined with phosphorus on one end, and born on the other; the two ends of the panel are connected. When phosphorus and silicon are combined they have nine outer electrons, when silicon is bonded together with boron there are seven. The extra electron on the

7 silicon-boron plate will naturally want to break away, and the silicon- boron plate will always try to gain an electron. Light is important because light makes the electron move from the siliconphosphorus plate, to the silicon- boron plate. Light can be viewed as a wavelength but it can also be seen as consisting of particles of energy called photons. The photons are the catalyst, in the solar panel. The photons from sunlight knock off the electron from the silicon-phosphorus plate and the electron moves to the silicon-boron plate creating energy as it moves. If solar panels can be miniaturized and applied to paint they will generate much more energy than if the car were covered in solar plates, because they will be able to cover the entire car and therefore much more energy will be generated. Another necessary breakthrough that must occur in order for the Hydro-Mobile to work is a design which can utilize a small wind turbine. In order for the wind turbine to work, the car must have a directed airflow in order to turn the fan and generate electricity. When the car is moving it will create an airflow which can turn a fan. In order to direct the wind so that the energy of the wind is directed solely at the turbine, there will be a small tunnel under the car. The turbine will be inside the tunnel where the wind will turn it in order to create energy. The tunnel must be built so that the car does not become too large and the car must also be stable. In conclusion the necessary breakthroughs for the invention to work are a miniaturized radio-wave generator, a solar power generating paint, and a small tunnel with a wind turbine. Design Process In order to get a more visual sense of the Hydro-Mobile, we have constructed a smallscale model of the Hydro-Mobile. To construct the model, we used Kinex, cardboard boxes, and

8 metal rods. The main three parts of the model are, the salt-water container, the wind turbine, and the Photovoltaic Paint, which were colored gray/silver, green, and orange, respectively. The first major component of the Hydro-Mobile is the Photovoltaic paint. To make it sound catchier, we have come up with a few possible nicknames for the paint. They are; Super Sun Paint and Solaris. In a few words, the photovoltaic paint collects sunlight and solar energy from and then, using a transducer, converts it into electrical energy that can be used by the car. Sadly, we have had to leave some idea behind, in order to get the current version of the Hydro-Mobile. One such idea was to originally use large solar panels on the roof of the car, but it had to be scrapped, because the panels would rely too much on the roofs angle to the sun, where as the paint gets every possible angle on the car. Another major component of the Hydro-Mobile it s the salt-water engine. Some of its possible nicknames are; the Brine Engine, Super Salt-Water Engine, and S.W.O.W. (Salt Water Operated Engine). In a few words, the salt-water engine uses salt-water that is being constantly bombarded by radio waves, which allows for the hydrogen and oxygen in the saltwater to burn and be used as fuel for the car. Unfortunately, we also had to scrap an idea which was almost used in the Hydro-Mobile s final design. That idea was using the process of electrolysis to get electrical energy for the car, but at the moment electrolysis is far too inefficient and had to be removed from the design. The final, yet very important component of the Hydro-Mobile is the miniature wind turbine located within a hollow cutout from the body of the car. Some of its potential nicknames are; Aero-Fan, Sky-Turbine, and Typhoon. In a brief summary, the wind turbine will be turned by the wind and air rushing through the hollow tube in the body of the car, creating even

9 more electrical energy for the Hydro-Mobile to use. In the designing of the final layout of the car, we realized that we ad to drastically change an aspect of the turbine. WEehad to change its positioning from the roof of the car to a cutout in the body; otherwise, the fan could have been knocked off by low-clearance underpasses, or worse, could have created lift and cause the car to leave the ground. Consequences There are many possible positive and negative effects that the Hydro Mobile might have on society. One positive effect would be the fact that the Hydro Mobile would be the most efficient way to drive, seeing as how it uses no fossil fuels and creates no greenhouse gasses. Another positive influence is that the Hydro Mobile would be able to charge overnight using the photovoltaic paint, lessening the amount of time the car owner would have to recharge the car s battery. Overall, car owners could save lots of money in the long run, because they would be buys a readily available resource for fuel, not one that is hard to find and is only purchasable from certain locations in the world. There are, unfortunately, some negative effects that the Hydro Mobile might have on society. One of which is the danger of have spinning fan blades on cars, and how animals or even children may be harmed by them. Another negative possibility is the release of potentially harmful gasses that may result from the burning of salt.

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11 The radio wave generator bombards the salt water tank, so that the hydrogen and oxygen can be separated and used as fuel.

12 The body of the car would then be painted in photovoltaic paint, which is a paint that contains tiny solar cells in it.

13 The turbine located inside the body of the car will have to be made of very light weight, yet durable, material such as fiberglass.

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