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Alcohol-powered laptops ahead
BBC News ^ | 15 March, 2003 | Mark Ward

Posted on 03/15/2003 10:51:51 AM PST by Rebelbase

Toshiba has unveiled a prototype fuel cell it hopes will become the power source for laptops in the future.

The fuel cell breaks down methanol to generate power and, Toshiba claims, will provide enough juice to run a laptop for about five hours.

To get the cell working, the alcohol fuel is provided in small 50cc cartridges.

Toshiba hopes to put the fuel cell on sale in early 2004.

Green energy

Fuel cells which use chemistry to generate electrical power by breaking down substances such as hydrogen are already being touted as a green power source for the future, especially for cars and other light vehicles.

Fuel cells for cars typically use hydrogen but, said Toshiba spokesman Yoichi Akashi, the company will be using methanol in its portable power source.

"Compared to hydrogen, methanol is much safer," he said.

Fuel cells for cars typically have a large tank that holds the fuel in the best concentration to generate power, said Mr Akashi.

Bolting a large tank on the side of a laptop was impractical so Toshiba developed a way to re-use the by-products of the fuel conversion process to maintain its fuel source in the right concentration.

When methanol is broken down it generates carbon dioxide and water. The water is used to dilute the concentrated methanol held in the fuel cell's cartridige and keep it at the right concentration.

This means that the laptop fuel cell requires a cartridge with a capacity of only 50cc, approximately one-tenth of the size it would need if it only stored methanol in the required 3-6% concentration.

The methanol cartridges are about the size of a computer mouse and the prototype of the fuel cell is larger - about the size of a house brick.

Refillable cartridges

Toshiba has developed a new material to shrink the stacks where the methanol is physically broken down. It has also developed sensors to monitor methanol concentration and liquid level as well as tiny liquid and air pumps to keep the fuel souce circulating.

Average power output is 12W and maximum is 20W. Unused energy is stored in the fuel cell.

The methanol cartridges will also be refillable, just like those used in gas cigarette lighters.

Mr Akashi said the commercial versions will be slightly larger than existing lithium-ion batteries and use the same power interfaces so they should work with older laptops.

Existing laptops should get about five hours of work time out of a fuel cell, said Mr Akashi. Laptops that use Intel's Centrino chipset that minimise power use should get up to 20% more time.

Future versions of the fuel cell should be able to power a laptop for about 10 hours. Toshiba is also working on fuel cells for PDAs and cellphones.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News
KEYWORDS: energylist; techindex
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To: Rebelbase
Excellent news, except that I don't cotton to the idea of having to compete with a machine for my libations.
21 posted on 03/15/2003 11:41:43 AM PST by Cyber Liberty (© 2003, Ravin' Lunatic since 4/98)
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To: Reeses
Ted Kennedy can get a intravenous power cord to keep it on.

Please don't make me spit Coke all over my computer screen again. ;-)

MM

22 posted on 03/15/2003 11:44:22 AM PST by MississippiMan
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To: Reeses
Ted Kennedy can get a intravenous power cord to keep it on.

-LOL

23 posted on 03/15/2003 11:46:44 AM PST by LurkedLongEnough
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To: Rebelbase
No one (almost) seems to recognize the difference between Methanol and Ethanol.

To state it simply:
Drink ethanol in any quantity and you get drunk and have a hangover
Drink Methanol in any quantity and you die and have a funeral.

24 posted on 03/15/2003 11:47:37 AM PST by templar
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To: ken5050
Methanol (wood alcohol) is chemicly different from ethanol (grain alcohol). You cannot safely drink methanol.

On the upside, methanol can be produced from coal, so by building a bunch of nukes for our basic power needs, and making our cars run on methanol, we can tell OPEC to kiss off

25 posted on 03/15/2003 11:49:28 AM PST by SauronOfMordor (Heavily armed, easily bored, and off my medication)
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To: Rebelbase
"When methanol is broken down it generates carbon dioxide and water."

Um, what happens to the CO2? If CO2 is created, how is this "green energy"? I thought that CO2 was supposed to be the bad guy?
26 posted on 03/15/2003 12:18:46 PM PST by TheMightyQuinn
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To: templar; All
Interesting idea. Just recently got into a brawl elsewhere regarding hydrogen fuel cells for cars (...not just water welders!!) Did some research, found the following fascinating usenet posts from a brilliant scientist ( a chemist) regarding mass consumption of energy via hydrogen fuel cells. Not really on topic, sort of a tangent really, but very informative reading nevertheless for those interested in the problem(s). Presented for your consideration:
Here. And here. And here. And here.

Yo, y'all.
LS
27 posted on 03/15/2003 12:32:55 PM PST by ladysusan
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To: mhking
"HMBAWT" alert
28 posted on 03/15/2003 1:04:15 PM PST by demosthenes the elder (scum will never cease to be scum - why must that be explained to anyone?)
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To: Rebelbase
This reminds me of my Dad. When we would pile into our kayaks and canoes on a lake, he would periodically ask my Mom for another "fuel cell", meaning another beer to keep him paddling!
29 posted on 03/15/2003 1:04:23 PM PST by BushMeister
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To: Rebelbase
I think they will be adding a "Straw Portal Connector" if this comes to pass. A funnel and a bottle of Jim Beam will keep the hardware and the wetware running indefinitely.
30 posted on 03/15/2003 1:07:53 PM PST by Movemout
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To: Willie Green
Interesting.
31 posted on 03/15/2003 1:18:01 PM PST by MainFrame65
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To: Rebelbase
Gives a new meaning to "fully loaded."
32 posted on 03/15/2003 1:22:38 PM PST by Junior (Computers make very fast, very accurate mistakes.)
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To: Rebelbase
Fuel cells which use chemistry to generate electrical power by breaking down substances such as hydrogen are already being touted as a green power source for the future, especially for cars and other light vehicles."

Gee, I wonder what the hydrogen breaks down into?
33 posted on 03/15/2003 1:48:52 PM PST by Colinsky
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To: Rebelbase
20 Watts eh? Pretty impressive for 50cc's of alcohol.

Also completely useless, as I bet they won't allow it on a plane.

34 posted on 03/15/2003 2:00:08 PM PST by Jhoffa_ (Yes, there is sexual tension between Sammy & Frodo.)
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To: TheMightyQuinn

Shhhh! Don't bring logic into this now.. Just applaud the new "green" power and be thankful it doesn't burn evil petrol for power. As that's a hate crime against mother earth.

35 posted on 03/15/2003 2:02:32 PM PST by Jhoffa_ (Yes, there is sexual tension between Sammy & Frodo.)
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To: bwteim
OK, send over a case of the alcohol cartridges. And while you're at it ....

'splain to me why all these new multi-hundred thousand euro (or dollar) supercars look like old Barracudas, or inexplicably like Datsun 2-doors. Of course, cup-holder technology has advanced remarkably since the '60s,and thanks to Fuel Injection and computers, the cars run very, very clean, even if they are un-diagnosable if problems develop, (talk to a BMW owner)

36 posted on 03/15/2003 2:22:11 PM PST by Kenny Bunk
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To: bwteim
OK, send over a case of the alcohol cartridges. And while you're at it ....

'splain to me why all these new multi-hundred thousand euro (or dollar) supercars look like old Barracudas, or inexplicably like Datsun 2-doors. Of course, cup-holder technology has advanced remarkably since the '60s,and thanks to Fuel Injection and computers, the cars run very, very clean, even if they are un-diagnosable if problems develop, (talk to a BMW owner)

37 posted on 03/15/2003 2:22:39 PM PST by Kenny Bunk
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To: Rebelbase
Sheesh, what a waste of a good drink!
38 posted on 03/15/2003 2:26:44 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Someone left the cake out in the rain I dont think that I can take it coz it took so long to bake it)
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To: Jhoffa_
PS: With that kind of output, this has amateur robotics applications.

No more batteries, just pour in some methane and go... You don't need a house with an outlet, you don't need a cigarette lighter jack or a generator. Little jug of methane and you're all set.

This is going to be cool when they start showing up used on EBAY or in the digikey catalog.

39 posted on 03/15/2003 2:44:26 PM PST by Jhoffa_ (Yes, there is sexual tension between Sammy & Frodo.)
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To: Jhoffa_
It's all a comspiracy to shut us down. They force us to buy these alcoholic laptops, then ban them because of the CO2 content. </sarcasm?>
40 posted on 03/15/2003 3:00:01 PM PST by steveegg (Clinton and Blair didn't get UN authorization to launch Operation Desert (Kill Impeachment) Fox)
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