Wood heat

[The Daring Dufas]

Hey, if the Helium increases we would all start sounding like Smurfs and die laughing which would clear up a lot of problems.

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

I wish there was a way to turn stupidity into electrical energy. "Dumb Ass Power", what a concept. The human race is plagued by stupidity and a way to it into electricity would be quite beneficial.

TDD

[Phil Again]

Ok, I agree with you. I so totally agree with you. So are you, or anyone, ready to start building the 1st commercial fusion power plant? Well, are you? (Yes, I know, trick sarcastic question; don't take it personally.)

Back in 1979 I had a part time work-study job in college with a research effort into how to produce controlled fusion reaction heat to make steam which would have been useful in generating electrical power. (I was a employed as an unlicensed electrician and circuit board assembler.)

By my count 30 years have passed and not even a demo fusion power plant is on line with 6 months continuous operation. No question: lots and lots of scientific papers and PhD thesis have been written and published on fusion energy to power electrical generation, but no demo power plant.

IIRC, the length of time a sustained controlled fusion reaction has been sustained is less than a few seconds.

Call us when that sustained reaction reaches, oh let's say about the time it takes to drink a mug of coffee. Then we can put controlled fusion reaction back on the table; it is after all the future energy source. Future, not today or next year, or my life-time.

[Ralph Mowery]

Forgot the link.

[James Sweet]

Heh on at least one occasion, someone has convinced quite a few people to sign a petition to ban the stuff :)

[terry]

Living in an area of Canada which with a population of about a half million where 90%+ of electrcity is generated by water power. Also somewhat unique in that a significant portion of our territory is not presently connected to the North American grid system; although it will be one day by undersea cables. Also within the territory is the existing Churchill Falls and the proposed Lower Churchill project. Both of these either currently do or will export relatively nonpolluting power via other Canadian provinces to US states such as New York, Michigan etc. Despite the small population we are blessed with relatively reasonable electricity rates. Home heating here, especially since the increase in in oil costs, is mainly by electricity; with some heat pump installations. An average daily consumption for this almost 40 year old, stick built, all electric four bedroom house (in a fairly windy and cold location near the North Atlantic) is about 50 to 75 k.watt hours per day. Very few people need or install AC.

[Steve Barker DLT]

such a far fetched example..... please list 6 more items that will burn and not produce CO.

jeeeeze...........

s

[James Sweet]

I could rattle them off, but why? I was simply illustrating a point that the statement that burning anything produces CO is incorrect.

[Zootal]

There are many things that "burn" that are not a combustion reaction involving carbon and hydrogen to form water and CO2 (and possibly CO). Covalent compounds that don't contain hydrogen or carbon will burn without forming CO. Likewise with organic salts. There are also several metals that will burn without forming CO in addition to magnesium. And of course hydrogen and oxygen will "burn" and form water. I don't think that any of these are viable sources of energy except hydrogen/oxygen. Considering the cost of producing hydrogen, I would not consider that a viable source of energy either.

Fossil fuels work good because the energy they release came from the sun millions of years ago. We don't have to add energy to get energy out. Likewise nuclear power - the energy we extract probably came from the big bang bazillions of years ago.

[James Sweet]

I'm starting to think so...

*plonk*

[SteveB]

Gee, Mr. Wizard(s).

Since we're into all this mental masturbabion, could you please define the degrees of death? I mean, we have discussed so many nitpicking points here about chemical composition, and chemical reaction, but no one has mentioned so far the degrees of death.

Does being dead from breathing CO differ from the complex gases given off in combustion of petroleum distillate products such as plastics, styrenes, and other nasty stuff? I'm sure that some do not give off ANY measurable CO whatsoever.

Tell me, Mr. Wizard(s).

[SteveB]

Would my admiration for you qualify?

Steve ;-)

[SteveB]

And we'd be too stoopid to understand. Just like we are about most of your information.

Steve

[SteveB]

Ta ta for now, Sweet Baby James. I won't plonk you because I think you are hilarious. My mental image of someone who is educated beyond their capacity.

Steve

[Ed Pawlowski]

Today, yes. tomorrow, who knows? There was a time that aluminum cost more than gold. The Washington Monument is tipped with solid aluminum and at the time it was a very expensive metal.

We just have to learn how to extract the energy better.