Article

2006-06-10 Science & Technology

Super Battery - A nano-tech enhanced capacitor with the storage of a battery

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Posted by 3dc 2006-06-10 09:58|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

Surface of the nanotube-enhanced capacitor electrode sheet.

Posted by 3dc 2006-06-10 10:07|| 2006-06-10 10:07|| Front Page Top

#2 The devil is in the details. What you can do with such devices is based on what discharge curves they can produce.

As an analogy, think of flashlight batteries. They give off just enough current over time to run a flashlight. But you can't force them to give up all of their energy at once, in a single burst of power lasting say, just one second. They can only discharge at flashlight speeds.

For this reason, you may not be able to use such capacitors for high current uses, like an electric car. The current required might burn up the capacitor.

Another problem is current regulation. Many applications need constant, not fluctuating current to operate properly. Again, comparing with the battery, the current provided is almost straight line until the battery is exhausted.

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-06-10 11:18|| 2006-06-10 11:18|| Front Page Top

#3 Anonymoose, Current and voltage regulators in front of them should take care of these problems. Imbedding some temp sensors inside with smarts in the regulator should solve heat failure just like the sensors do in your laptop. A $1 or less controller microprocessor should do the deed. That puts the problems you talked about into the software realm.

These would be great for lasers, railguns and maybe stuff like UAV's too.

If Ford's angle works for autos we could have quick charge electric stations (maybe even with small PBRs in remote ones) to quickly charge an auto as fast (or faster) then you currently fill it with gas... (imagine an electrified slot car track zip on it for a few feet without slowing down and you are re-charged!)
At that point dumpping the oil based and mid-east linked current system looks real promising!

Oh and that distructive discharge if it was too quick... some folks here could make ideal "dial a yield" small bombs out of it with an emf punch!

Posted by 3dc 2006-06-10 11:34|| 2006-06-10 11:34|| Front Page Top

#4 I hope Harris and Harris (TINY) gets in on this....

I'm in that fund for the loooong haul.

Posted by anonymous2u 2006-06-10 13:46|| 2006-06-10 13:46|| Front Page Top

#5 Sniff, Sniff, and to think it only took 20 years to re-discover it - Yoo-hoo, Perfeser, do I get the "A" grade now???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2006-06-10 20:47|| 2006-06-10 20:47|| Front Page Top

#6 I once saw the damage a 25,000 volt capacitor made when it discharged all at once. I don't think the light table jockey that spilled his soft drink onto it will EVER drink a soda at work again. At least he survived with no major physical damage.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2006-06-10 21:56|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2006-06-10 21:56|| Front Page Top

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