Jonathan wrote:Trevie, maybe you're thinking of those old clocks that glowed in the dark because of radium? That would work easily for a little reactor. I can't imagine that it'd be more practical than making a little windmill though.
the word I was thinking of was radium but couldn't remember.
Radium paint used to be used to illuminate clock hands and dials until the carcinogenic effects of radium were discovered.
Radium-containing clocks were last sold in the United States in 1978. In fact, it has been estimated that as many as 2.5 million clocks containing Ra-226 were sold by a Florida firm from 1976 to 1978. The total number of such clocks that have been sold in the US is probably over 100 million.
Why don't we go back to horse and buggies. we could use the horse manure to make methane. The methane could fuel boilers to produce electricity. The electricity would lead to rechargeable batteries to power the wagons. Then we could eliminate the horses which in turn eliminates the source of methane, and then we could start all over again.
This is a parable of possibilities when we run out of oil.
Hydrogen is probably the most powerful fuel one can use. The only problem I see with it is if a storage tank of it starts leaking an creates a rich hydrogen / air mixture inside one's sealed garage. Then, in the morning when someone tries to start the hydrogen powered vehicle, a random spark detonates the hydrogen / air mixture and demolishes the entire garage...ouch!
However, I think this nasty little problem can be resolved...we'll just install hydrogen detectors in our garages that will sound an alert if the hydrogen concentration in the air starts to approach a dangerous level. If so, then an explosion-proof fan would begin ventilating the garage.
The big headache with handling compressed gases is trying to ensure that the valves and hoses involved do no start leaking. A VERY small leak is probably okay, but, occasionally, one gets a catastrophic leak. I've heard of cases where those flexible brass gas line connectors that go to gas clothes dryers crack apart from metal fatigue and flood one's basement with gas. At a certain concentration, some pilot light ignites the mixture and... BOOM...no more house!
ken
On 7/6/06, I found, in any overbalanced gravity wheel with rotation rate, ω, axle to CG distance d, and CG dip angle φ, the average vertical velocity of its drive weights is downward and given by:
