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POWERING THE WORLD WITH ENERGY FROM MECHANICAL OSCILLATIONS |
Category: Sustainable Technology |
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Prahlad Menon
NITK Surathkal
Bangalore, IN
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Page Views: 441
Votes: 11
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Entered: 07/18/2008
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My
sustainable
energy
idea
is
a
cheap,
effective
and
versatile
method
for
harnessing
energy
for
household
and
utility-scale
applications
using
a
stand-alone
system.
According
to
the
1st
law
of
thermodynamics,
no
thermodynamic
system
can
run
with
a
single
source
and
no
sink
(energy
reservoirs).
But
if
the
heat
source
is
an
infinite
one,
the
heat
lost
is
not
really
lost
as
it
has
actually
come
from
an
infinite
reservoir.
In-fact
an
infinite
source,
if
truly
infinite,
would
never
get
depleted.
Vibrations
are
present
all
around
us,
and
could
therefore
be
considered
as
such
an
‘infinite
source’.
A
remarkable
invention
of
lore
called
the
‘Dippy-Bird’
uses
the
principles
of
thermodynamics
in
a
near
carnot
cycle
that
would
produce
oscillations
consistently
and
constantly,
in
spite
of
running
on
a
real
thermodynamic
cycle.
The
oscillations
of
the
dippy
bird
can
be
transmitted
by
means
of
a
lever
to
a
flywheel
with
a
ratcheting
mechanism
like
in
the
freewheel
of
a
bicycle
wheel.
The
nature
of
oscillations
of
the
lever
may
be
defined
as
a
mechanically
amplified
version
of
the
oscillations
produced
by
the
dippy
bird.
This
phenomenon,
called
Secondary
Oscillations
Mechanical
Amplification,
was
first
predicted
by
Veljko
Milkovic’s,
who
claimed
that:
the
amount
of
energy
derived
in
the
lever
can
be
many
times
more
than
the
amount
of
energy
required
to
keep
the
primary
pendulum
swinging.
Consider
a
Dippy
bird
in
hot
and
dry
climatic
conditions
with
a
time
period
of
oscillation
of
about
10
seconds,
which
does
the
net
work
of
lifting
40g
of
fluid
(Freon-11)
for
a
height
of
30cms.
The
work
done
in
doing
this
=
0.12
J
Let
us
say
that
0.12
J
would
be
equivalent
to
0.12
N.m
of
torque.
Since
we
are
using
secondary
oscillation
mechanical
amplification
(SOMA)
with
a
lever
arm
of
length
say
‘L’
(refer
fig
i),
the
mechanical
oscillation
amplitude
magnification
factor
as
estimated
through
Milkovich’s
experiment
is
about
12
times.
Torque
(T)
?
d2?/
dt2
Hence,
if
?SOMA
=
12
x
?dippy_bird
Hence,
torque
available
to
the
axle
of
the
flywheel
is:
TSOMA
=
0.12
x
12
=
1.44
N.m
If
this
torque
is
made
available
at
a
wheel
of
radius
of
gyration
greater
than
the
source
(the
dippy
bird
in
this
case),
the
net
energy
stored
in
the
flywheel
would
be:
W
=
1.44
x
IFlywheel
/
IDippy_bird
If
we
use
2
flywheels
on
the
same
axle,
each
of
the
same
radius
of
gyration
of
the
dippy
bird,
we
will
be
able
to
make
IFlywheel
=
2
x
IDippy_bird
Hence
: W
=
1.44
x
2
=
2.88
N.m
If
a
flywheel
speed(N)
of
150
RPM
is
achieved
(when
the
angular
acceleration
of
the
flywheel
is
a
maximum)
then,
the
power
(P)
available
for
harnessing
at
the
flywheel
axle
is
=
2?NW/60
Watts.
This
power
is
=
30
W
@
just
150
RPM
and
2.88
N.m
This
power
alone
is
enough
to
power
2
CFL
13W
bulbs
equivalent
to
2
x
60W
filament
bulbs.
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Meet the Entrant, Prahlad Menon
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Contact Email: prahlad.menon@gmail.com |
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Association: NITK Surathkal |
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Profession: Student |
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Number of times entering contest previously: 1
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Design Tools:
Pencil and Paper
Physical models
Image rendering software
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What role does Prahlad believe product design plays in creating a better future?
My product design is a sustainable energy technology. It is a cheap, effective and versatile method to harness energy for household and utility-scale applications using a stand-alone system. This would allow remote regions (especially in India) to enjoy the benefits of electrification, in spite of constraints like accessibility by road, availability of hard wiring to power grids and other encumbrances of connectivity that rural dwellers face.
The highlight of my idea is the novel method of harvesting energy from feeble mechanical oscillations. Since the proposed energy solution has been designed considering the basic needs of a single household alone, the system is portable and rugged.
I have designed this system with the intension of helping rural dwellers to create a better future for themselves, with the blessing of electricity.
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Hardware used for design:
Dell
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