Value of old Magnesium blocks just went up

[kach22i]

MAGIC engine
http://www.mitsubishi.com/mpac/e/monitor/back/0608/green.html

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have recently made a significant announcement—the completion of a first prototype CO2-free engine called the Magnesium Injection Cycle (MAGIC) engine. Although still at the experimental stage, this joint project, initiated in 2005, has developed a prototype that has successfully worked without the need for fossil fuels.
The Magnesium Injection Cycle engine is powered without using fossil fuels

Power is generated by the chemical reaction between magnesium and water, which produces high-power steam and hydrogen. The hydrogen is burned at the same time to produce more high-power steam, and the two steam sources power the engine. The new technology produces no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions and the only by-products from this reaction are water and magnesium oxide. The magnesium is separated from the oxide through a solar-powered laser process and is reused over and over again as fuel. This clean energy cycle, which is supported by solar power, has the potential to steer society away from its dependence on fossil fuels, and could bring about a paradigm shift in the way future energy needs are met.

The new MAGIC technology is very versatile, and has potential for use in cogeneration, automobiles, ships and many other areas. MC and the Tokyo Tech team believes it will take another three years of further research and experimentation before it is launched for commercial use.

[john70t]

Sad, but it probably won't see the light of day in this country for another 30 years.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by john70t

Sad, but it probably won't see the light of day in this country for another 30 years.

Just in time for the Europeans and Germans to have had it successfully implemented for the preceding 20 or so. That sounds about par for Detroit.

[sketchers356]

Is it really easier to store (powdered?) magnesium metal than say compressed hydrogen? The reason magnesium can be used as a fuel is that it is so volatile.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by sketchers356

Is it really easier to store (powdered?) magnesium metal than say compressed hydrogen? The reason magnesium can be used as a fuel is that it is so volatile.

The recycled stuff in the loop is already a powder suspended in a solution of some sorts, right?

To start the process maybe a Mag stick will be ultrasonically pulverized or ground off.

[sketchers356]

A solution of what? Oil?

Now we are back where we started.

[sketchers356]

Also, anyone have a CRC handy to look up how much energy is released by say a kilo of Mg versus a kilo of H (taking all processes discussed above of course)?

[sketchers356]

Also, how are they storing the MgOH that obviously needs to be recycled?

[sammyg2]

Magnesium? volatile? Reacts violently with water? Nope. Maybe steam. Someone is leaving out some significant details.

http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Mg/chem.html
Magnesium does not react with water to any significant extent. This is in contrast with calcium, immediately below magnesium in the periodic table, which does react slowly with cold water. Magnesium metal does however react with steam to give magnesium oxide (MgO) (or magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, with excess steam) and hydrogen gas (H2).


BTW magnesium is expensive and relatively rare.

[svandamme]

well, since magnesium is so abundant on earth, even more then aluminium,
i doubt this new use for it will drive up the price of our antique 911 blocks...

[onlycafe]

metallic sodium has a nice reactivity to water.
don't be too close though.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

BTW magnesium is expensive and relatively rare.

I was waiting for that. Not being a scientist, even I know that producing enough of the material just to be burned up is not going to see wide spread use. All these people seem to forget the amount of energy it takes to make energy. What's going to power the mines?

I see solar, wind and water movement as the best 3 approaches, even if they are only used to refine petroleum. But, they certainly can shift some of the use of petro fuels away from electrical generation and the like. We can't build more dams because of the rivers and water life? I'll bet we could if we studied the issue a bit more. Why do we have to stop up the whole damn river? Can't we "waste" a little water?

[tabs]

It ain't gona be 30 years for the world to change. When gasoline hits $10 a gallon there is gona be a howl like you never heard before.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by tabs

It ain't gona be 30 years for the world to change. When gasoline hits $10 a gallon there is gona be a howl like you never heard before.

you been practicing that howl in yer basement Tabs?

[HardDrive]

So that 10ft high pile of 2.7 blocks in John Walkers workshop is worth its weight in gold, eh?

[sammyg2]

LOL, that howl will be me, howling all the way to the bank

There are people who are working to tap the largest unspoiled energy source on the planet, the tides and currents of the oceans. If they can figure out an economic way to do that, it'll change the world. Until that happens nothing can touch nuclear energy for efficiency or cost on a large scale.

Yes, I said nuclear energy. I can hear the uniformed knee-jerk tree huggers running for the hills already.
Nothing we currently have can compete with nuclear energy when cost, supply, and pollution is factored in. It makes the most sense.
But what about the children? LOL

[many944s]

I wouldn't complain about more uses for nuclear energy...
At least then I could put my degree to use!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

And just think - we get more "depleted" uranium out of it too - more bullets and artillery shells to use against the next third-world country we want to invade!

Bonus!

Everybody wins!

[john70t]

A lot of that uranium is sourced from the desolute wasteland in the southwest.
Indian tribes happened to occupy those quite-undesireable lands because they were forced to relocate there (or die) centuries ago, so the US gub'ment quietly set up a violent mini-dictatorship to "represent the people". Read about "Dickie Wilson" and "Incident at Oglala".

Nuclear does have some environmental advantages, at least over combustables/fossil fuels, but not much. They've gotta figure a way to use every last drop of radiation energy from the source, and not toss the rods out at 70% (or whatever).

[many944s]

john... "close"
Sorry, being a nuke guy the "rods" are the control mechanism to make sure the "core" of the reactor doesn't go critical. The fuel or "enriched source" is what gets depleted from the reaction. This is the material that is depleted and later milled into Armor piercing rounds. And most "source material" is considered depleted at %65 yield.

Not busting you or anything, just making sure the semantics are correct.
Of course, all the beer right now doesn't help