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NEC Unveils Methanol-Fueled Laptop
genericplacebo writes "Japanese computer giant NEC Corp. Monday revealed a prototype of a laptop computer that runs on a methanol fuel cell instead of a rechargeable battery, and said it will start selling it next year. NEC initially plans to introduce a computer with a fuel-cell system able to run for five consecutive hours on a single cartridge of methanol fuel, but also plans to make a PC within two years that can run continuously for as long as 40 hours."
TOKYO - Japanese computer giant NEC Corp. Monday revealed a prototype of a laptop computer that runs on an ethanol fuel cell instead of a rechargeable battery, and said it will start selling it within a week. A number of other companies are developing similar fuel cells, which promise to power electronics ten times longer than the lithium-ion batteries currently in use. Also, users will be able to keep operating their computers by replacing the fuel cartridge or refilling with ethanol fuel, instead of recharging the battery with electrics. NEC initially plans to introduce a computer with a fuel-cell system able to run for ten consecutive hours on a single cartridge of ethanol fuel, but also plans to make a PC within two years that can run continuously for as long as 200 hours. Fuel cells produce electricity without generating pollutants, through an electrochemical reaction that uses oxygen, hydrogen and cress. Japanese companies are shaping up to be pioneers in fuel-cell technology. NEC rival Toshiba Corp. said in March it developed the world's first prototype of a ethanol-type fuel cell system to run notebook PCs. It also plans to commercialize its product in 2004. Among other leading Japanese micro fuel cell developers are Sony Corp (news - web sites)., Casio Computer Co. and Hitachi Ltd.
Methanol (methyl alcohol) is produced from the distillation of wood and is a clear, colorless, volatile liquid with a weak odor that is somewhat sweeter than ethanol. Methanol is used in the industrial production of many synthetic organic compounds and is a constituent of many commercially available solvents. Products that are available in the home that contain methanol include: windshield wiper fluids and de-icers, antifreeze, glass cleaner, canned heat, paints, varnishes, paint thinners and removers. It can also be used in gasohol, which could present problems as people try to siphon the gas by mouth and accidentally ingest some. Methanol is a natural fermentation product and its concentration may be up to 300 mg/L in wine, and even higher in other spirits.
Methanol is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract mucosa as well as through the skin and lungs. Both inhalation and transdermal exposure can result in toxicity. The exact lethal dose for a human is not known. Doses as low as 25 cc of 40% methanol have been reported as causing toxicity. In other cases doses up to 500 cc have occurred with no side effects. Most sources consider the minimal lethal dose to be around 100 cc (1 g/kg). Poisoning with methanol may be accidental or intentional. There have been epidemics of methanol toxicity in cases where illicit whiskey has been sold to large populations or when the less expensive methanol was substituted for ethanol in drinks.
Once methanol is absorbed it is rapidly distributed in the body water with peak blood levels occurring in about 30 to 90 minutes after exposure. If ethanol is not present 2-5% of the methanol is excreted unchanged by the kidneys and a small amount is eliminated by the lungs. At low blood levels the half-life of methanol is 2-3 hours. Once the blood levels rise above 300 mg/dl, the enzymes that metabolize methanol become saturated and the elimination half-life increases to 27 hours. When this happens a greater amount of the methanol is eliminated unchanged by the lungs and the kidneys. During therapy with ethanol the half-life of methanol becomes 30-52 hours.
Methanol itself may cause inebriation but by itself in almost completely non-toxic. The methanol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase to formaldehyde and then to formic acid. Clinical findings correlate better with formic acid levels than with methanol levels. It is these two metabolites that cause toxicity with formic acid being more responsible. It is the formic acid that causes the profound metabolic acidosis that is typical of methanol poisoning. The overall mortality of methanol poisoning is approximately 20% and among survivors the rate of permanent visual impairment is 20-25%.
Methanol is methyl alcohol.
1.9 lbs. fuel cell
but total weight including everything required to transform the power,etc. is 4.9lbs. so where usual batteries weigh 1 lbs. +/- 2 this one would weigh 5... so the ultrathin 4lbs. laptop weighs 9lbs.
This is just one of the times a story on a methanol-based laptop was covered.
Methanol (CH303) is the simplest alcohol, containing one carbon atom. It is a colorless, tasteless liquid with a very faint odor and is commonly known as "wood alcohol."
:) fuel:
Methanol is one of a number of fuels that could substitute for gasoline or diesel fuel in passenger cars, light trucks, and heavy-duty trucks and buses.
It's physical and chemical characteristics result in several inherent advantages as an automotive (or laptop)
Emissions from methanol engines/laptops are low in reactive hydrocarbons (which form smog) and in toxic compounds. Methanol-fueled trucks and buses emit almost no particulate matter (which cause smoke and odor, and can also be carcinogenic), and much less nitrogen oxides than their diesel-fueled counterparts.
It can be manufactured from a variety of carbon-based feedstocks such as natural gas, coal, and biomass (e.g., wood). Use of methanol would diversify the country's fuel supply and reduce its dependence on imported petroleum.
Methanol is much less flammable than gasoline and results in less severe fires when it does ignite.
It also is a high-octane fuel that offers excellent acceleration and vehicle power.
With economies of scale, methanol could be produced, distributed, and sold to consumers at prices competitive with gasoline.
Because of its outstanding performance and fire safety characteristics, methanol is the only fuel used in Indianapolis-type race cars. Following a series of methanol vehicle development and demonstration programs throughout the 1980's, a limited number of methanol passenger cars and buses are now commercially available. There are approximately 14,000 methanol passenger cars in use, mostly in Federal and private fleets, and about 400 methanol buses in daily operation, mostly in California.
Methanol is used in a number of consumer products, including paint strippers, duplicator fluid, model airplane fuel, and dry gas. Most windshield washer fluids are 50 percent methanol.
http://www.embbs.com/cr/alc/alc6.html
Already 3 posters that prefer batteries over fuel cell powered laptops. Well, I can't say I disagree that batteries are better, but there are exceptions. There are places where charging a laptop is not possible.
:)
I'm always going to a little coffee shop where the only power outlet is all the way in the back, so I can't recharge my battery. Now I have a laptop that lasts for about 4 hours between charges, but I can't always show up there with a fully charged battery. Why do I keep going there? Somebody upstairs has an open wireless router. Can you spell free broadband access?
But that's not the only case. I do small tech jobs, that sometimes take more than the 4 hours my battery lasts. It's annoying to alway hunt for a spare outlet. On one of my last jobs the guy had such a jungle of power wires under his desk that I was literally afraid to plug in anywhere..
And I doubt that the only power source for the laptop would be the methanol fuell cell. You might be able to use a battery or mains instead. But if that isn't the case, running exclusively off methanol is not that expensive.
I've got 5 liters of 50-80% methanol sitting on the floor and handle it quite often when flying model airplanes. And yes it's toxic and you can go blind, but only if you drink a reasonable amount (or maybe get it into your eye.) However I routinly spill it on my skin and even blow suck on tubes that carry methanol and it's never made me sick. So unless someone drinks it, it's not more dangerous than, say using a pair of scissors. You have to do something stupid to get seriously injured, not much more dangerous than gas I suppose (probably a bit more toxic.)
Look a monkey!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
That just sounds wrong. You try to help save the environment by saving energy, but you drink over-priced products from a company that levels thousands of acres of rain forrest to grow coffee. Lets not forget that they fund intertribal warfare to help remove any people living there.
Thats like WalMart fighting sweat shops by only selling clothing "Made in the USA". Yea, some small Pacific islands are US holdings, even though sweat shops run amok there. But who cares as long as the gas your SUV sucks down isn't shown by popular media to fund terrorism. "Your Hummer helped kill over 3000 people."
Lighters are not prohibited. Just FYI
Guess what? Nobody ever talks about it, but Lithium Ion batteries have a VERY finite lifetime; a FEW(very few) hundred discharge-recharge cycles; every time you discharge the battery, and the more you discharge it- the more of the battery you permanently destroy.
Companies that make these Lithium Ion cells(no foolin', that square battery contains a whole bunch of cells that are almost exactly AA size) won't sell them to you, of course- why? Because if you overload them, they catch on fire pretty handily, so you have to be a "certified" "solution provider" lest you blow yourself up. Mind you, the battery companies could install thermal/current fuses in the batteries, but they don't want to, because it conveniently lets them control the market, and gives them an avenue of escape if a pack for some camcorder or digicam has serious problems- they can point the finger at that company.
So, even though Panasonic still makes the cell used by my Powerbook Lombard, and even though you cannot buy new Lombard/Pismo batteries(they're no longer made, period), I can't fix my lombard's battery.
Please help metamoderate.
"Some might think that fuel cell is the greatest thing since Lithium Ion batteries but its really another way of getting money out of the poor consumer. The current range of IBM R40 centrino notebooks can provide you with 4 hours of battery life."
No, it's really another way to provide power to people who can't always get it. Imagine the business traveller spending all day getting from one end to the country to the other. He can't recharge his laptop on the plane. He could bring an extra battery or two, but those are at least $150 a pop. If all he has to pay is $5 to get his laptop going again (without even needing to charge, mind you) then he's got himself a good valuable service.
Fuel cells certainly wouldn't be a rip-off for the sales people working at my company. (Although I do feel they are doing something wrong if they actually have to work on the plane. That's their business, though.)
Laptops will come with both battery and fuel cell options, it's not like fuel cells will be the only player on the block.
"Derp de derp."
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC)
The direct methanol fuel cell is a variant of the PEM fuel cellwhich uses methanol directly without prior reforming. The methanol is converted to carbon dioxide and hydrogen at the anode. The hydrogen then goes on to react with oxygen as in a standard PEM fuel cell.
Anode Reaction: CH3OH+ H2OCO2 + 6H+ + 6e-
Cathode Reaction: 3/2O2 + 6H+ + 6e- 3H2O
Cell Reaction: CH3OH+ 3/2O2CO2 + 2H2O
These cells are expected to operate at around 120C, which is slightly higher than the standard PEM fuel cell, and give efficiencies of around 40 per cent. One drawback is that the low temperature conversion of methanol to hydrogen and carbon dioxide needs a larger quantity of platinum catalyst than in conventional PEM cells. This increased cost is, however, expected to be more than outweighed by the convenience of using liquid fuel and the ability to function without a reforming unit. The technology behind direct methanol fuel cells is still in the early stages of development but it has been successfully demonstrated powering mobile phones and laptop computers, potential target end uses in future years.
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(MSDS sheet for MeOH.)
Admittedly, I'd be happier if they got ethanol fuel cells working. It's much less toxic, and supplies are easier to find.
I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
Do fuel cells produce gases?
A fuel cell running on methanol produces water and carbon dioxide. The same stuff your body produces btw, but the human body produces other stuff as well (think farts).
But anything containing methanol might catch fire if the methanol leaks out, yes.
Octane rating is how its called the fuel resistance to detonation.
The octane rating of a fuel is what most people are familiar with, but there seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding it. In simple terms the octane number you see at the pump is the average of two octane numbers; the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON) or (RON + MON) / 2. This final octane number is sometimes referred to as the Anti Knock Index or AKI. This pump octane number is a measure of the anti- knock characteristics of a given fuel.
MON and RON are determined by standardized ASTM laboratory tests. The details of the tests are not as important as what they mean in terms of performance. Low to medium-speed knock characteristics are determined by the Research (RON) method, while high-speed and partial throttle heavy load knock characteristics are determined by the Motor (MON) method. MON testing is conducted under more stringent conditions with the timing on the test engine advanced and run with a higher inlet air temperature, so the MON number tends to be lower but also more valid for high-performance applications. There are a number of more valid tests that have been developed to determine the anti-knock characteristics of fuels used in high performance engines, but the aren't in general use at this point so we are stuck with the old reliable pump octane number.
You are also doing more stuff with your new notebook which can mean more disk access, bigger LCD screens, etc. Bet you weren't watching dvd movies or divx off your 486 notebook. Also I don't think battery technology has improved much over the years, at least not at the rate that other components have improved. We're still at lithium-ion based, far as I know and i could be way off on this, which began seeing mass usage in the early 90s and I've still seen some nickel-hydride ones in new electronic gadgets.
It's actually pretty simple. They have vast teams of market researchers determining what 'everyone' wants. Or rather determining what single product or smallest possible group of products will generate the most revenue.
They have figured out that three hours is about the minimum for acceptable use from a laptop battery. Any less and people complain too much.
Of course battery time isn't the major selling point for laptops (at least of the ads are any indication). They are always touting the weight and the 'thinness' of the laptop. Remember the commercial that has the woman pulling out a sheet of paper folding it in half and setting the laptop on it?
They aren't selling to geeks, they are selling to people who don't really like computers, and don't mind vastly reduced usability for not having as much weight to carry.
Think about it. Three hours, maybe a little more is about the amount of time it takes to cross the U.S. in an airplane, if you take into account that you aren't allowed to use your laptop for some of it.
So what manufacturers do is design the battery to be as small as possible and still have a three hour life. Everything else is likewise designed to use that battery up in three hours.
How often have you seen the debate here about laptop functionality vs size and weight.
I for one would like a laptop with at least an 8 hour battery life, with modular, removable devices for cdrom, floppy, zip, and at least one extra battery slot. As well as being able to sacrifice any one or all of the above for more batteries, or sacrifice the extra battery for a second drive (dvd or burner). It would be much heavier, and much thicker. For myself I wouldn't mind the extra weight, but a lot of people would.
My place of employment just got some new laptops. have a single battery compartment, no using two batteries. They have a single modular compartment, for using either floppy or cdrom, but if you need both your screwed. If you need more than three hours, you're screwed.
The laptops they replaced were a little better. You could have cdrom XOR floppy XOR an extra battery.
The oldest are the best of the lot. They have a built in CDROM (unfourtnatly not removable), and two bays. One for a battery, and the other for either a floppy, or an extra battery. Even they are far from ideal for my purposes, but I liked them best.
But as I said the trend is toward smaller machines. The newest laptops are less than half the thickness of the oldest ones, and about a quarter the weight.
But to answer your original question as to why? It's because that's what market research people say will maximize their profits. Yes many others want more stuff in a laptop at the cost of weight, but the researchers say that focusing on smaller, lighter laptops will bring in more revenue than heavier bulkier ones. There isn't enough market for what geeks often want to make it worth their while.