Slashdot Mirror
Domain: ovonics.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to ovonics.com.
Comments · 10
-
Re:WORM: write once, read many
...analogous to CD-R (recordable) as opposed to CD-RW (rewritable). How will common file systems and OS designs have to change to accommodate WORM media? Or is this not intended to displace hard disk drives?
Interesting analogy considering the state of the industry at the moment. Intel is working on a replacement for flash that utilizes chalcogenide - the material used in rewritable disks like CDRW and DVDRW.
The idea is the same as what we have here except, instead of the "blown fuse" technique, the chalcogenide material stores data as a level of resistance (which can be set/reset trillions of times). Intel believes that this is a successor to flash, which is expected to hit the scalable wall at 45nm (2007-8ish). Because the chalcogenide material can be "programmed" to hundreds of unique levels of resistance, it is expected that Intel will get as much as 8 bits per cell, which will put density into or above that of conventional hard drives.
So there you have it - DRAM and hard drive replacement in one.
If you are looking for an investment that leverages this technology, consider Energy Conversion Devices out of Rochester, Michigan. The CEO is Stanford Ovshinsky of "Ovshinsky Effect" fame. They invented this technology back in the 60s and Gordon Moore even wrote a paper on it in 1970, I believe. But material technology is only just now beginning to develop to the point that this can become feasible.
Disclaimer - I am an investor in this company and I consider it EXTREMELY high-risk. The company is currently teetering on the edge of solvency. -
Re:SpheralSolarThis company is also making good progress toward affordable solar energy. They have a roll-to-roll process that starts with a roll of raw stock at one end and at the other end you get a roll of amorphous thin film solar cell stock.
-
So much hype
The problem they have solved "Using electron beam lithography to remove misaligned clusters" is not a viable production solution.
Electron beam epitaxy has been around for years promising very fine detail etching, but unless something wonderful has happened in the last couple of years its still a lab-only technique, or one that can be used for one-off wafer runs.
Personally I'd put my money with (Ovonyx - see also Ovonics the parent company) who've been working with Intel for at least two years to productionize their technology - also offering non-volatile, nano-second read/write access and potentially high density memories.
-
Re:Continuing the hydrogen is highly flammable deb
For a detailed exposition on why the Hindenburg burned (not exploded), look here. I find it amusing that the term "Hindenburg effect" is used to describe the mindset that people have about hydrogen being dangerous.
Also, the fact that the canisters are using Metal Hydride storage is rather nice, too. Lower pressure, but heavy, and much safer. Some of the newer metal hydride materials can store the same volume of hydrogen (in low-pressure, gaseous form chemically bound to metal powder) as liquid hydrogen (without needing to mess with cryogenic materials). Ovonics recently announced a material which could store more than 7% hydrogen by weight; this means that a liter container of their metal hydride could contains about 72-73 grams of hydrogen (a liter of liquid hydrogen contains about 71 grams).
Roger Billings (currently with the International Academy of Science) who drove a hydrogen powered Cadillac in President Carter's inaugural parade (gives you an idea of WHEN), did some research on safety and metal hydride. He took some metal hydride containers, fully charged with hydrogen, to a US Army test range and had them shoot the containers with incendiary bullets. They punctured the container, and they got a "pilot light"-type flame which burned for a couple hours, but there was never a "burst" or anything remotely resembling a fireball or explosion. Safer than a tankfull of gasoline. -
Re:Fuel Cells: Metal Hydrides!!
Yes, storing Hydrogen in a compressed form is risky and inefficient.
So store it in a metal hydride. It can store more Hydrogen per volume than liquid Hydrogen. (Yes, it's true. Check it out for yourself.) And can be re-fueled in about the same time as filling up a gasoline tank, can be filled up when only half-empty, is filled at low pressure, would not release all the hydrogen instantaneously in a crash, and would not take up any more volume than an equivalent gasoline tank.
It is, IMHO, THE ANSWER. It can be used to feed fuel cells or hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines. And by distributing the energy as pure hydrogen, the SOURCE of the hydrogen could be from any one of hydrocarbon fuels, electrolysis of water, algae pools, or whatever. It would allow different regions to create hydrogen in the best way FOR THAT REGION, and would ensure that no ONE source has a monopoly on hydrogen.
Here's a couple links to places using this technology NOW!!
Ovonics/ Energy Conversion Devices or Hydrogen Components' Solid Hydrogen -
MODERATORS ON CRACK
How exactly did this troll get marked "Insightful"?
Gas-electric hybrid cars surpassed pure IC cars for mpg efficiency about ten years ago. At this point, the ratio is probably around 5:1 in favor of g/e hybrids, even in the overweight commerical vehicles (the best are home built).
Head on over to Unique Mobility and look at the 4-wheel drive gas-electric Humvee they built for the military (not the consumer model, look at the pricy custom military job - tres cool!). You'll need a pdf reader.
It took 25 seconds to find these links:
Alternative Energy Engineering
Electro Automotive
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
Home Power Magazine
innEVations
Jerry Halstead's Car
Low Rolling Resistance Tires
Phoenix EAA
Unique Mobility
Wilde EVolutions catalog
-
Re:I'd do it
You wrote: "We need a way to show the oil companies that we're fed up of lining their pockets with cash" which is kind of funny since there are so many ways, and so many organisations doing so.
Rule #1: Buy NO unneccessary plastic items. I make an exception, personally, for my kids' legos. But I don't buy a new case for my computer just because the ATX form came out, I hacksaw the old one. Plastics are essentially a waste product of the petroleum industry.
Rule #2: Buy NOTHING from Exxon. Because we need to convince the Oil Barons that there are some things that don't blow over - and Exxon's had the most egregious crimes as well as being the last vestigal trace of the original Petroleum Trust (Standard Oil = S.O. = Esso = Exxon, you can confirm this easily).
Rule #3: Stop whining and do something. I am converting my truck to gas/electric hybrid ASAP. My bud Pete runs used fryer oil in his (unmodified) Mercedes diesel.
Alternative Energy Engineering
Ballard Fuel Cells
Electro Automotive
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
Greenpeace International Homepage
Home Power Magazine
Hydrogen Web (English/German)
innEVations
Jerry Halstead's Car
Low Rolling Resistance Tires
Phoenix EAA
Roofing Systems
Unique Mobility
Veggie Van (BioDiesel)
Wilde EVolutions catalog
United Solar Systems Home Page
--Charlie -
Re:I'd do it
You wrote: "We need a way to show the oil companies that we're fed up of lining their pockets with cash" which is kind of funny since there are so many ways, and so many organisations doing so.
Rule #1: Buy NO unneccessary plastic items. I make an exception, personally, for my kids' legos. But I don't buy a new case for my computer just because the ATX form came out, I hacksaw the old one. Plastics are essentially a waste product of the petroleum industry.
Rule #2: Buy NOTHING from Exxon. Because we need to convince the Oil Barons that there are some things that don't blow over - and Exxon's had the most egregious crimes as well as being the last vestigal trace of the original Petroleum Trust (Standard Oil = S.O. = Esso = Exxon, you can confirm this easily).
Rule #3: Stop whining and do something. I am converting my truck to gas/electric hybrid ASAP. My bud Pete runs used fryer oil in his (unmodified) Mercedes diesel.
Alternative Energy Engineering
Ballard Fuel Cells
Electro Automotive
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
Greenpeace International Homepage
Home Power Magazine
Hydrogen Web (English/German)
innEVations
Jerry Halstead's Car
Low Rolling Resistance Tires
Phoenix EAA
Roofing Systems
Unique Mobility
Veggie Van (BioDiesel)
Wilde EVolutions catalog
United Solar Systems Home Page
--Charlie -
Re:Electric cars
Sticks and Stones may break my bones but FUD will never concern me.
Well, you and most of the others commenting on this issue are sure willing to spread the FUD around....
1) Car battery disposal is not a major pollution problem (manufacture being another issue). Those little ever-readies that you're tossing blithely into the trash are one of the most pressing ecological issues of our time, but people driving electric cars recycle ALL their batteries (the spent cores are quite valuable) and most gas vehicle batteries are also recycled.
2) Point source pollution (i.e. power plants) is easier to control/prevent than distributed pollution (cf. privately operated internal combustion engines). Gas lawn mowers are one of the principal causes of air pollution in the US, incidentally.
3) Many people are supplied power from hydro, wind, or photovoltaic sources. If you actually become a part of the electric vehicle underground you will find that many people are generating their own power, or use power from commercial "green" providers.
Your statement "yes the energy does come from some coal or oil burning plant" is thus incorrect through overgeneralization, which makes it relatively accurate compared to most of what's being posted here. Your comments on ethanol and car prices are similarly FUDular.
The gas-electric hybrid car is what everyone who is not a hopeless idiot should be driving. That accounts for about 2% of the population, unfortunately.Alternative Energy Engineering
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
--Charlie -
Re:Electric cars
Sticks and Stones may break my bones but FUD will never concern me.
Well, you and most of the others commenting on this issue are sure willing to spread the FUD around....
1) Car battery disposal is not a major pollution problem (manufacture being another issue). Those little ever-readies that you're tossing blithely into the trash are one of the most pressing ecological issues of our time, but people driving electric cars recycle ALL their batteries (the spent cores are quite valuable) and most gas vehicle batteries are also recycled.
2) Point source pollution (i.e. power plants) is easier to control/prevent than distributed pollution (cf. privately operated internal combustion engines). Gas lawn mowers are one of the principal causes of air pollution in the US, incidentally.
3) Many people are supplied power from hydro, wind, or photovoltaic sources. If you actually become a part of the electric vehicle underground you will find that many people are generating their own power, or use power from commercial "green" providers.
Your statement "yes the energy does come from some coal or oil burning plant" is thus incorrect through overgeneralization, which makes it relatively accurate compared to most of what's being posted here. Your comments on ethanol and car prices are similarly FUDular.
The gas-electric hybrid car is what everyone who is not a hopeless idiot should be driving. That accounts for about 2% of the population, unfortunately.Alternative Energy Engineering
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
--Charlie