Sending troops into foreign lands with superior technology gives them an edge against hostile aggressors and terrorists. However, the latest pieces of technology—laser range finders, global positioning systems, and imaging displays—are worthless if they run out of electrical power. Bigger batteries are not the solution: The bigger the batteries, the heavier the soldier's pack becomes. That's why Ed Baker, a project manager at Pacific Northwest National Labs, is helping develop a new power generator that weighs approximately one-tenth of what lithium batteries would weigh if required to produce the same amount of electrical power. "Our system produces the hydrogen that fuel cells need to create power," says Baker. The power generator's fuel processor consists of a combustor, vaporizer, primary conversions reactor, and a gas clean-up device. A proprietary catalyst produces hydrogen from hydro-carbon fuels. Reactions take place in a catalytic converter. For more information, send e-mails to inquiry@pnl.com.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Designing and filling a new type of water bottle might take less engineering work, but the description will help kids understand how science, math, and engineering influence their lives even through things that seem mundane.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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