Monday, April 27, 2009

Those Israeli Kids

It’s such a relief to see a new invention with such simplicity and potential. Forget those wind turbines that spoil Tedddy Kennedy’s view and the solar panels that only work when the sun’s out. They will go the way of the buggy whip.

When we get real innovation in any area, it will look like this one: simple and with wide applications.

And no doubt it will be done by another Israeli teenager, or an Indian, or any citizen of a country that gives its citizens free rein to think and dream.


Socialists of the world, untie.

Hat tip: Yid with Lid, who has lots more detail on this story, and Vlad Tepes.

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13 comments:

mace said...

This is an April 1st story.

Zenster said...

I would expect that this young chap is utilizing a form of catalytic technology, much like the exhaust converters on present day automobiles.

Possible approaches could include recongregating extant carbon atoms from arriving CO2 and thereby increasing the population of available O2 (oxygen) for combustion. Another avenue might be converting CO2 into N2O (nitrous oxide). NO2 injection being a famous power boosting technique derived from wartime aircraft technology.

Catalysis remains one of the most mysterious and promising technologies at present. Using laser and electron beam processing, novel exotic materials and alloys can be created that do not normally occur in nature. These compounds can be customized to create tailored molecular reaction sites that promote conversion of very specific compounds with amazing effeciancy.

Techniques like sintering can create metal "foams" with astonishing internal surface areas. Consider molybdenum, a relatively common metal that weighs 10.2 grams per cubic centimeter (cc). Sintered foams of molybdenum can attain internal surface areas of some 50 square meters per gram of metal. That is an increase of almost 10,000 times in surface area.

Combine such fine-structure mechanics with micro-assay control of incorporated chemical compounds and behavioral properties, site reaction specificity along with many other characteristics can be controlled to a high degree.

X said...

Mace, it was posted on youtube on the 9th of March.

I'm having a little trouble believing it. Without a better understanding of what it does I can't really say whether it's real or not.

Unknown said...

oh thats a bit unfair to the arabs.
they have been making their cars go like a bomb for years.

heroyalwhyness said...

Z5 website$208 in his pocket takes a % out of the Saudi's pocket. Think of it as a counter-jihad/counter-dawa pro-intellectual & green investment.

davidhamilton said...

The video does not give any hint about the nature of the device or how it works. Absent this information, it's not convincing.

Henrik R Clausen said...

It sure fits the April 1st description.

I know enough of combustion and engineering, as well as thermodynamics, to know that this is rubbish.

Sorry. Would be sweet :)

Zenster said...

In the absence of atmospheric compresstion technology (turbocharger or Roots blower-based supercharger), this chap will need to provide some sort of "reverse-gettering" effect that liberates oxygen from the usual gaseous atmospheric compounds. That is why I speculate about catalytic conversion of some sort.

Since he does not mention periodic replacement, I doubt that his technology relies upon oxygen sequestration. Besides, the high liberation temperatures of sequestration chemistries would promote pre-ignition of the fuel-air mixture and defeat the entire concept.

Without further knowledge and some more specific information from the inventor, any more speculation is pointless and, yes, the whole thing starts to sound like a scam.

laine said...

If this turns out to be true, it's still depressing how many times the junk science of global warming is re-affirmed both by the "brilliant" kid and the newscast.

The leftist skill at planting permanent memes in the public's consciousness ineradicable by facts or logic is unparalleled. They do it by bold lies (as recommended by Goebbels and Stalin), endless repetition through seemingly different sources but all controlled by them, invasion of the classroom, monopoly of the MSM and firebombing the reputation of anyone contradicting them.

No one has been able to disrupt their formula.

xoggoth said...

Change the composition of the air using a special alloy? Sounds like nonsense to me too.

Unless it is referring to regulating the humidity, that does work a bit but it's an old idea. Car Mechanics did it circa 1970.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Zenster, the idea of extracting O2 from CO2 is rubbish. First, CO2 comprises a minuscle (< 0.04 %) fraction of the atmosphere (O2 is roughly 21 %). There's more to gain from water vapor (average 1 %).

The theorethically obtainable amount of O2 has no relation to the figures quoted.

But even if his shiny brass thingy was able to do that on the fly, it would require an energy input at least (this is theory) equivalent to the output. There is no energy to be gained here, whatsoever.

Compression techniques are well known and used in truck engines, sports cars etc. They provide more horsepower but no significant increase in mileage. It still requires an increase in fuel in the engine to obtain the extra power.

Further, there are theoretical limits to how much mechanical energy can be obtained in a combustion engine, no matter how fancy the technology. It depends on the combustion temperature, which is the main reason diesel engines are more effective than gasoline ones. The theoretical limit for a gasoline engine at normal ambient temperature is around 73 %, but this is in an ideal, friction-less engine. Real life engines hover around 25 %.

Fuel cells are not affacted by this limit because the're not heat-based.

The shiny device in the film clip does nothing to push these limits.

It's a hoax. Deal with it.

Zenster said...

Henrik: It's a hoax. Deal with it.

What part of:

Without further knowledge and some more specific information from the inventor, any more speculation is pointless and, yes, the whole thing starts to sound like a scam.

... don't you understand? I was having some fun speculating on exactly what sort of technologies this chap might use to boost available oxygen (as he claims), for the combustion cycle.

Scavenging of oxygen from CO2 was just an example - albeit a poor one - as I, too, examined the relatively low CO2 content in ambient atmosphere and concluded it was not a likely prospect.

Still, it never hurts to review common technological paths for inspirational leads. The internal combustion engine's design is so archaic that there are undoubtly more than a few simple methods of improving its operational efficiency.

Unfortunately, intake atmospheric conditioning systems do not benefit from the elevated temperature - and therefore increased energy - that an exhaust catalysis methods enjoy. As xoggoth noted, altering humidity content doesn't seem to promise the significant boost that the inventor cites. My major point was that materials technology is providing entirely new levels of highly specific and fine-tuned chemical control to rather ordinary applications.

The inventor's extra oxygen has to come from somewhere and I was merely examining a few possible approaches.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Zenster, I did note your comment. My elaboration is more intended for those less bright who might still get confused by your speculations.