Todd Alvey
April 29 09
English 121
Fire and Renewable Energy
The fire trickles: smoothly, flowing, deeply, cutting, into the terrain like a laser honed to precision. The fire engulfs the landscape with ravenous hunger. Dry pine boughs ignite furiously turning the ground into molten cinder. Swirls of wind provide strength to the monster. Heat from the fire breathed into the forest. Defiance and vigor persist.
Fire is the oldest and most common element on earth. Live is significantly altered by the existence of fire. Fire has many roles in nature, society, past, present, and future. Has fire changed course over time? What role will fire play in the future; especially with regard to renewable energy?
According to Introduction to Fire Prevention written by Robert Klinoff, “Fire is unique.” “What is fire? Fire is rapid, self-sustaining oxidation process accompanied by the evolution of heat and light in varying intensities. Combustion is described as a chemical reaction that releases energy as heat and usually, light. When a substance is undergoing combustion it is on fire. Fire properties, are related to that of rust. Rust is an oxidation process, like fire.”
“Fire was originally believed to be based on three elements being present: fuel, air, heat. Scientists have determined that a fourth component, called the chemical chain reaction, is present in the combustion process. The chain reaction occurs when the chain is broken down by heat. When paper burns, the molecules in the paper (fuel) are broken down by heat, producing chemically reactive species called free radicals, which then combine with the oxidizer. As long as there are fuel oxidizer, and energy, in the appropriate amounts, fire is created.” What does fire mean on a smaller level? How did this affect early people? This extreme science of fire must have bewildered early humans.
To the early human mind, not much was known about fire. Early cave men knew fire to be scary and wild. Fire is a distinct element. The first fire must have been seen in the form of molten lava, or lightening. This new element must have been terrifying. Upon first contact, direct flame burned. Flames inherently cast heat. Who was the first human to harness fire? Regardless; humans adapted and cultivated the use of fire. Early fires purpose, was used primarily for cooking and heating purposes. Over time, fires use was not changed until the development of the internal combustion engine.
The internal combustion engine was an ingenious leap in technology. According to About.com: inventors, in 1680, a Dutch physicist, Christian Huygens designed (but never built) an internal combustion engine that was to be fueled with gunpowder. Over time this idea was used to significantly change the modern world. An internal combustion engine is any engine that uses the explosive combustion of fuel to push a piston within a cylinder - the piston’s movement turns a crankshaft that then turns the car wheels via a chain or a drive shaft. The different types of fuel commonly used for car combustion engines are gasoline (or petrol), diesel, and kerosene. These fuels are used as a propellant. Today’s engine turns over with momentum. Fuel is vaporized via combustion from a spark plug.
This technology revolutionized modern living. The production and techniques used in farming were greatly increased. Virgo, supply exceeds demand. This great use of technology comes at a cost however.Co2 a carbon emission, is expelled in the common tail pipe. Recent studies have shown that Co2 is a contributor to the depletion of the ozone. According to Earth Observatory.nasa.gov, “One in a new generation of computer climate models that include the effects of Earth’s carbon cycle indicates there are limits to the planet’s ability to absorb increased emissions of carbon dioxide.”
“If current production of carbon from fossil fuels continues unabated, by the end of the century the land and oceans will be less able to take up carbon than they are today, the model indicates.”
“If we maintain our current course of fossil fuel emissions or accelerate our emissions, the land and oceans will not be able to slow the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the way they’re doing now,” said Inez Y. Fung at the University of California, Berkeley, who is director of the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center, co-director of the new Berkeley Institute of the Environment, and professor of earth and planetary science and of environmental science, policy and management. “It’s all about rates. If the rate of fossil fuel emissions is too high, the carbon storage capacity of the land and oceans decreases and climate warming accelerates.”
What does this mean? We as humans, have to create of find a new alternative fuel sources. The new replacement technology must be more earth friendly. Will fire be used in this new technology? What is this new technology? How will this new technology be used? I believe this new technology will not include the use of fire. The new technology will be powered by wind, hydrogen, battery, and solar powered devices. How do these devices work?
According to How stuff Works .com, an electric car is a car powered by an electric motor rather than a gasoline engine. From the outside, you would probably have no idea that a car is electric. In most cases, electric cars are created by converting a gasoline-powered car, and in that case it is impossible to tell. When you drive an electric car, often the only thing that clues you in to its true nature is the fact that it is nearly silent. Under the hood, there are a lot of differences between gasoline and electric cars. The electric motor gets its power from a controller. The controller gets its power from an array of rechargeable batteries. This system is pretty reliable, and very simple. Very different from how hydro gen works.
Hydrogen cars are very complex. Hydrogen systems work off a system of fuel cells. In lament terms, electricity is used to turn H2o, water into hydrogen. Hydrogen is a fuel. Exhaust emissions is the common element water. This is a real earth friendly product. No carbon dioxide emissions, which are primarily responsible for atmospheric pollution. According to www.newcarpark.com there will be no more reliance on scarce and depleting fossil fuels. No more cold-weather trouble. Hydrogen-powered cars are compatible to cold weather. Hydrogen-powered cars are similar to normal cars. They are low on noise as well as vibrations. What’s not great about hydrogen power? Hydrogen-powered cars are here to stay. Other earth friendly products include wind-power.
How does wind power work? Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity. So how do wind turbines make electricity? Simply stated, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. Wind turbines are very simple however; they are not cost effective. Eventually we will be able to harness more power from them. Current technology does not allow for very much electricity production. With progression, we must work hard to overcome.
In the future, I believe there will be wind turbines as far as the eye can see. Hydrogen and battery powered cars will line the streets. Human kind will acknowledge, and treat our earth respectably. For now the few and the proud; will have to make strides towards a green earth. One person at a time will make a difference. Just like fire, human beings must adapt and evolve.
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