Solar cooling becomes a new air-conditioning system

Solar cooling becomes a new air-conditioning system

Published on Jul 14, 2008 - 6:31:04 AM

By: Universidad Carlos III of Madrid

July 14, 2008 - Scientists from the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) have developed an environmentally friendly cooling technology that does not harm the ozone layer. This is achieved by using solar energy and therefore reducing the use of greenhouse gases.

A research team has designed and built an absorption chiller capable of using solar and residual heat as an energy source to drive the cooling system. The technology used in this machine, which looks like an ordinary air-conditioning system, minimises its environmental impact by combining the use of a lithium bromide solution, which does not damage the ozone layer or increase the greenhouse effect, with a reduction in the use of water by the machine.

Website:

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/630/description#description

The team, managed by Professor Marcelo Izquierdo from the Department of Thermal Engineering and Fluid Mechanics of the UC3M, who is also a researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construccion Eduardo Torroja (IETCC) of the CSIC, is building a solar cooling system that unlike the existing machines on the market, uses an improved absorption mechanism capable of producing cold water at a range of temperatures from 7 C to 18 C when the exterior temperature ranges from 33 C to 43 C.

Residential use:

Professor Marcelo Izquierdo states that the conclusions reached by a study with a commercial air condensed absorption machine prove that given an outside temperature ranging from 28 C and 34 C, the machine can produce cold water at a range of 12 to 16 C, with a source temperature at the generator between 80 C to 95 C. Under these conditions, the cold water produced can be used for climate control applications in houses by combining it with a water-to-air heat exchanger (fan coil).

Quoting Raquel Lizarte, a researcher at the Department of Thermal Engineering and Fluid Mechanics of the UC3M, "There are few absorption machines at a commercial level that are adapted for residential use", and since it is very hard to go without climate control, it is important to find a cooling technology that has minimal environmental impact. "The machine that we're studying produces enough cold water to cool down a room of 40 m2 of floor area and with a volume of 120 m3", she states.

In 2007, 191 countries were involved in the Montreal protocol; a signed agreement to avoid the use of ozone depleting substances such as the HCFC refrigerants used in the air-conditioning industry as well as to set a limit such that by the year 2010 the energy consumption should be just 25% of the level that was allowed in 1996. Also, by the year 2020 all the HCFC refrigerants used in developed countries will have to be replaced with substitutes. This protocol makes research into this kind of technology extremely important for the near future.

The study has been published in the current edition of the magazine Applied Thermal Engineering under the title: 'Air conditioning using an air-cooled single effect lithium bromide absorption chiller: Results of a trial conducted in Madrid in August 2005'. In this investigation scientists from the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid and Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia have collaborated under the coordination of the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construccion Eduardo Torroja-CSIC.

Handless Man Uses Feet to Repair Tires

Handless Man Uses Feet to Repair Tires

In China, you have to make the best of any situation. There is little help available and no matter what happens, you have to put food on the table.

Not having proper use of his hands, this very talented man uses his feet to repair flat bicycle tires and seems to be very skilled at doing so.

Date set for Mars sample mission

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7500723.stm
NOTE:Video has no sound

Space officials have set a date of 2018 for launching an unmanned international mission designed to return samples of Martian rock and soil to Earth.

Mars Sample Return is billed as the most complex and costliest exploration of Mars ever conceived.

Once samples are on Earth, laboratories will be able to extract more data than by remote control using, for example, a robotic rover on the Martian surface.

A working group has come up with a mission profile and flight design.

The panel has released its preliminary report, in which it also warns that the mission faces many hurdles ahead.

"2018 will start the era of Mars Sample Return," Doug McCuistion, director of Nasa's Mars Exploration Programme, told a press conference in Paris.

The report's authors said that, regardless of the start date, it would take five years for the precious 500g (1.1lb) sample to be returned to Earth, and the world's major space powers had to pool resources to achieve the extraordinary goal.

Flight design

Stephane Janichewski, deputy director of France's National Centre for Space Studies (Cnes), said "at least a transatlantic cooperation" was needed between Europe and the US to fulfil this "very challenging" project.

"It's a sort of (Holy) Grail we are looking for," said Mr Janichewski, referring to the project's scope.

In the most optimistic scenario, a US Atlas A 551 rocket would lift off in 2018 carrying a mobile rover - or stationary lander - that would be dropped down to the Martian surface to collect samples selected to give the broadest picture possible of the planet's geological past.

The payload would include a Mars Ascent Vehicle which would later blast off with the sample onboard.

In 2019, an Ariane 5 ECA heavy rocket would take off, sending an orbiter to Mars. The Mars Ascent Vehicle would leave the Red Planet with the sample container and drop it off in Martian orbit, where it would be captured by the orbiter.

The spacecraft would then start the long haul back to Earth, eventually dropping off the sample in an "Earth Entry Vehicle" designed to survive the fiery descent through the atmosphere.

It would then be retrieved and analysed.

"Of the various places of interest for evaluating whether or not life exists or has existed elsewhere in the Universe, Mars is by far the most accessible," the preliminary planning report noted.

The document said the cost would roughly range from $4.5bn to $8bn (3bn to 5.3bn euros) "depending on the final requirements and international cooperative structure".

MARS SAMPLE RETURN 1) In 2018, an US Atlas A 551 rocket lifts off from Earth carrying a mobile rover or stationary lander 2) The rover or lander is dropped down to Mars to pick up samples of rock and soil. Included with this payload is a small rocket - a Mars Ascent Vehicle 3) In 2019, a European 5 ECA heavy rocket takes off from Earth, sending an orbiter to Mars 4) The Mars Ascent Vehicle blasts off from the Red Planet with the sample container and drops it off in Martian orbit, where it is captured by the spacecraft 5) The orbiter journeys back to Earth, eventually dropping off the sample in a vehicle designed to survive the fiery plunge through our atmosphere

Pictured: Escaped bull gatecrashes neighbour's pool party

By Catriona Stewart
Last updated at 6:03 PM on 13th July 2008

To celebrate the completion of his new swimming pool, businessman Jamie Stewart invited a few friends and family over for a dip.

But the last thing the bemused host expected was to be disturbed by a gatecrasher - in the shape of a half-ton bull.

The massive animal had escaped from a nearby field and was being chased by farm-hands when he crashed into Mr Stewart's garden - and dived headlong into the water.

The escaped bull swimming in Jamie Stewart brand new swimming pool

And since such a large beast could hardly use the step-ladder to climb out, he was forced to tread water for the next three hours until firemen could drain away the water and hoist him back onto dry land.

Last night Mr Stewart described his astonishment at the unexpected visitor who had taken the first swim in his new pool.

The 41-year-old said: "I absolutely couldn't believe my eyes. There was a bull swimming in our new pool.
"I think he had perfected his front crawl by the time he was rescued."

The dramatic pool-party took place on Friday. Work had just been completed on the luxury outdoor heated swimming pool Mr Stewart had ordered for his home.

Workmen had spent the day pumping in ten thousand gallons of water and Mr Stewart's guests started to arrive in the late afternoon for the inaugural swim.

However celebrations took a surprise turn when a two-year-old bull from a neighbouring farm jumped a fence and escaped from his pasture.

The young animal, whose full show-name is Broombrae Tramp, was apparently intent on making closer acquaintance with a herd of cows in another field.

But when his owner, farmer Alexander Jack, gave chase, the bull changed course and instead crashed into Mr Stewart's garden.

The bull changed course and ended up in the pool after after its owner Alexander Jack gave chase

The pool was covered at the time so the animal was unable to see the potential hazard, but immediately burst through the canvas and began to splash about in the four-foot deep water.

While neighbours, friends and family crowded round to watch the drama unfold, six firemen from the Fife brigade joined a local vet to help rescue the hapless party animal.

Mr Stewart, a company director, added: "My family and I stood back and let the emergency services do all the work.

"I don't think they were terribly pleased with us - we stood in the garden with glasses of wine and shouted unhelpful suggestions."

Mr Stewart's children Samantha, 12, Lucy, 10, and Finbar, 7, were delighted with their unusual party guest.

He added: "The kids thought it was great. They were a bit disappointed that they didn't get to have the swim they were planning but they ended up with a much better story to tell their friends."

Mr Stewart's partner Gillian runs Acorn nursery from the Kinaldy farmhouse, near St Andrews, but evacuated the children as a precaution.

A three hour rescue attempt saw a vet fire two tranquilliser bullets into the bull - nicknamed Pedro by firemen - before the pool was drained and the rescue crew used a digger to lift him out.

Broombrae Tramp is now recovering from his ordeal in a secure field.

The outdoor heated pool, designed by Alba Pools, will need minor repairs and to be refilled.

Firefighters attached a sling to hoist the animal out of the swimming pool as the bemused family looked on

A spokeswoman for Fife Fire and Rescue said: "It was a very unusual call out but we sometimes deal with rescuing different animals.

"Our crews are comprehensively trained so they're used to dealing with surprise situations but in this case they did take all their directions from the vet who was called to the scene."

Farmer Mr Jack, from Lahill Craig Farm in Upper Largo, added: "The bull is only two years old and is full of the joys of life. You know what young men are when they get beside a crowd of attractive women.

"Broombrae Tramp was bored being in our field and decided he'd join our neighbour's cows.

"Before we knew what had happened, he had jumped the fence and was headed for Jamie's swimming pool.

"We tried to catch him but our attempts to trap him in the next field went a bit askew.

"He's normally a very placid animal but he just wasn't willing to go home on Friday without a fight.

"Seeing the maiden cows got him a bit heated."

The farmer can only hope Broombrae Tramp's unexpected dip has cooled his passion.

Sodium - Periodic Table of Videos

Famously reactive, but for one scientist sodium is "motherly" element? Videos about all the elements at http://www.periodicvideos.com/

Why dying is forbidden in the Arctic

By Duncan Bartlett BBC, Norway

Residents of Norway's Svalbard Islands are used to dealing with the dangers of polar bears but, for one remote settlement, wild animals are not the only worry.

It is forbidden to die in the Arctic town of Longyearbyen.

Should you have the misfortune to fall gravely ill, you can expect to be despatched by aeroplane or ship to another part of Norway to end your days.

And if you are terminally unlucky and succumb to misfortune or disease, no-one will bury you here.

The town's small graveyard stopped accepting newcomers 70 years ago, after it was discovered that the bodies were failing to decompose.

Corpses preserved by permafrost have since become objects of morbid curiosity. Scientists recently removed tissue from a man who did die here. They found traces of the influenza virus which carried him and many others away in an epidemic in 1917.

Longyearbyen is in the land of the polar bear, an animal which causes real dread among its residents

Longyearbyen's "no death" policy stems as much from its remote location as from its harsh climate.

At 78 degrees north, it lies on the archipelago of Svalbard, a group of islands between Norway's northern coast and the North Pole.

About 1,500 people inhabit small wooden houses which are partly sheltered from the Arctic winds by the settlement's location in a mountain valley.

Global warming

Kristin Grotting is a physiotherapist, who moved here 12 years ago.

The children's heavy clothes can leave them with mobility problems

Her naturally light complexion has been reddened by the constant summer sunlight.

The Arctic day lasts from March until October but it never gets very warm and, on the day we met, Kristin kept her thick coat zipped tight.

Looking out towards Longyearbyen bay, she explained that the Icefjord - as it is known - has stopped being icy.

Even in midwinter, the water no longer freezes and the glaciers around it are receding.

"We used to be able to take our snowmobiles right across that fjord," she told me. "Now we can't do that any more and we have to go the long way around."

Global warming is not her only concern. She also worries about what she will do when she retires, as this community has no facilities to care for the old or frail, hence perhaps its entrenched fear of death.

But although there is no old people's home, there is a kindergarten.

In winter - when the darkness lasts for months on end - the children make images of the sun with yellow paint and tissue paper and stick them to the windows.

Kristin has met some of the children at her physiotherapy clinic.

She says they have developed mobility problems because of their heavy winter clothes and must be trained to stretch their limbs in the warmth.

Polar bears

Hunting for polar bears is strictly forbidden and, if you do shoot one in self defence, you must inform Svalbard's governor

Trips outside the kindergarten's walls carry a more immediate danger for the children and, for this reason, the teacher carries a gun.

Longyearbyen is in the land of the polar bear, an animal which causes real dread among its residents.

Every student at the university spends their first day learning how to shoot bears.

Aim toward the chest, runs the advice, rather than the head which is easy to miss.

If you are unarmed when you encounter a bear, toss your mittens on the snow in the hope of distracting it.

But if you see it snap its teeth with a smacking sound, it is readying for a kill.

At which point, I suppose, you could try reminding the bear that it is forbidden to die in Longyearbyen and hope it shows respect for local law.

Hunting for polar bears is strictly forbidden and, if you do shoot one in self-defence, you must inform Svalbard's governor, Per Sefland.

He has a large stuffed one in his office, which he assured me he did not shoot himself.

Wildlife

In fact, it is the governor's enthusiasm for wildlife that led him to take this remote posting, after working for the state prosecutor's office as a lawyer in Oslo.

He also has an interest in graphic design and showed me a special road sign designed to emphasise the polar bear threat.

Like other hazard signs, its red triangle signals potential danger. But the inside has been shaded black so that the image of a large white predator can be easily seen by passing motorists.

The governor drove me past the sign in his 4x4 to see the town's huskies.

When not working with a sled team, the dogs live in large cages overlooking the fjord. They eat seal meat provided by local fishermen.

A colony of Eider ducks has made its home between the husky kennels, about 100 pairs in all. Mr Sefland told me the birds chose that spot because Arctic foxes, which prey on young ducks and eggs, are scared of huskies and will not intrude.

Seeing the duck feathers on the frosty ground made me think of eiderdown and I imagined how cosy it must feel to snuggle beneath a quilt to escape the polar cold when the season turns to winter.

Perhaps even with a cuddly toy - although not, I think, a white teddy bear, which could provoke bad dreams throughout an Arctic night which never seems to end.

Cyclists test their legs — and stomachs — at annual Tour de Donut

The Telegraph/JIM BOWLING

Steve Stryker of Edwardsville chomps down on a stack of doughnuts at the Worden stop during the 20th Annual Tour de Donut Saturday morning.

Click to Enlarge

The Telegraph/JIM BOWLING

Alan Griggs of Kirkwood, Mo., opens wide for a sandwich of compressed doughnuts at the Worden stop.

Click to Enlarge

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Cyclists compete in Tour de Donut About 1,000 people participated in the 20th annual Tour de Donut in the Staunton area Saturday. Cyclists compete against one another's gastronomic and athletic capabilities, to see who can achieve the fastest time and down the most doughnuts.

Staunton event in 20th year

July 12, 2008 - 4:51PM

By AMBER RUSSELL

For The Telegraph

STAUNTON - Bicycling can be a great way to spend a warm, sunny summer day, but throw in dozens upon dozens of doughnuts and you have the Tour de Donut.

The Tour de Donut, a spoof of the Tour de France bicycle race, celebrated its 20th annual race from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Staunton City Park.

Prizes were awarded to those who finished with the fastest time, the fastest adjusted time (depending on number of doghnuts eaten) and for most doughnuts eaten.

For every donut eaten, five minutes is taken off a cyclist's time. Pit stop volunteers were scrambling to mark those who had eaten doughnuts so cyclists could hop back on their bikes and pedal away.

Almost 1,000 cyclists participated in the tour, many from the St. Louis area.

Many participants were trying to eat as many doughnuts as possible, while others were skittish about eating too many and biking along the hilly trail.

Eduardo Nieuwenhuyzen of St. Louis said he wasn't concerned about the race or the doughnuts.

"I just like wearing tight clothes," Nieuwenhuyzen said, joking about his spandex outfit.

Mike Tillman of Godfrey said his goal was "to finish and not barf."

"This event is very well-organized and all the volunteers have been great," Tillman said.

Staunton residents lined the streets to show support for the cyclists - handing out water and giving encouragement and loud cheers. One little boy had a lemonade stand set out for the racers.

The tour started in Staunton and progressed to Prairietown for the first stop. The first few droves of cyclists rode past the doughnut stop because they were concerned about making good time. But many stayed and chowed down on the doughy baked goods.

The second stop was at American Legion Post No. 564 in Worden. Hundreds of cyclists stopped there to refresh and refuel before finishing the last 14-mile leg of the race back to Staunton. The race was a total of 32 miles, mimicking the Tour de France.

American Legion Post member David Vers said the post has set up the stop for cyclists since 1988, when the tour first began.

"It is a great thing, and the people really seem to have a good time," Vers said. "It's a healthy activity, even with the doughnuts, because the biking burns off those calories anyway."

Steve Striker of Edwardsville planned to eat at least 24 doughnuts. He was working on 20 doughnuts when he reached the Worden pit stop.

"I don't think I'll make my goal. It's tough to hold it back now," Striker said as he was shoving five doughnuts into his mouth.

First-time participant Blake Stevens of Edwardsville said the ride was fun.

"I got to see some guy puke after eating 25 doughnuts, so that was interesting," Stevens said.

Bill Schmaltz of St. Louis joked about the cyclists from Illinois lagging behind the rest. He said his goal is to eat seven doughnuts and finish the race under one hour and 35 minutes.

"This is fun, in a gluttonous kind of way," Schmaltz said.

At noon, the cyclists were invited to join Staunton residents at their third annual Rib Cook-Off and Block Party in the park.

Jerry and Stephanie Kapp of Edwardsville decided to make it a family event and brought their daughter Laura along for the race.

"There is a really good mixture of people here, with all races of bikes," Jerry Kapp said. "The support from the locals was really great, we had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs out there, too."

Kapp said he almost skipped the race because of the smell of barbecue floating through the air, but he went ahead and completed the tour first.

Tour prizes were first-, second- and third-place medals in each category, two new Trek Bikes and a golden helmet was awarded to the participant who traveled farthest to compete in the race. Cash prizes were given to the men and women who ate the most doughnuts, and attendance prizes were given to all who participated.

Tour de Donut is presented by Boeing Employees Bicycle Club and is held each year in Staunton. For information, visit http://www.bikereg.com/.