GE has been putting hundreds of millions of dollars into Super Conducting generator research. The problem isn't just temperature. Once you start flowing more than a small amount of current, the super conductor looses the super conducting properties.

If the power density issue could be fixed, we'd have liquid nitrogen generators. Hell, most of the generators above about 100 MW are Hydrogen cooled to reduce windage losses. Liquid nitrogen would in some ways be easier.

Well, I won't have to buy a lift for the car.

Much like the gererator, they need to figure out how to get more out of it than they have to put into it.

Until that happens it's just a really neat lab trick.

Seriously, could you imagine how easy that would make working on a car? Oil changes would take 10 minutes - you could position the car at a comfortable height, and angle it exactly where you can easily access the drain plug, then tip the car back once it's open to drain. Or you could tip it upside down and shake it to get all the crap out from under the seats. :)

Sometimes I think I was born 50 or 100 years too early!

Locked in space....................cool.

How come his fingers don't freeze to the puck?

Association of Science-Technology Centers

An old post of mine from back in 2005.

HTS - The Future of Navy Motors - high temperature superconductor
HTS - The Future of Navy Motors - high temperature superconductor - Boat Design Forums

Yeah, all you'd have to do is dip it in liquid nitrogen first. :rolleyes:

U.F.O.! Wait, I guess if you knew what it was it would be an I.F.O.

Hell no. Float it on a few insulated LN pucks.

This would be REALLY useful for moving objects around in space, where there is minimal gravity.

Why not just run liquid N2 through the bottommost portion? Wouldn't that work and support whatever's above it?

Holy Crap that's cool.

how much energy does it take to compress and cool N2 until it becomes liquid?

As pointed out, some of them are (GE, for example). But the reality is that while the concept of a room temperature superconductor is probably something that can eventually created, nobody knows how long it will take, or how much money. Give $M to researchers every year in hopes of making the breakthrough, or put it to use doing something with statistically better odds of success? (shrug) Science is business too.

Dan

Party pooper !!;)

Quote:
Originally Posted by sammyg2 View Post
how much energy does it take to compress and cool N2 until it becomes liquid?

you get energy as you remove heat
we need to use not lose the energy of the heat
think systems not bits of the total

Literally... :cool:

Liquid Nitrogen is cheaper than milk.

I talked with one of my buddies about the superconducting generators. Apparently the costs did not match the increased efficiency. With a Hydrogen cooled generator, you are already up to 98.9-99.2% efficiency.

So Liquid Hydrogen is cheaper than LN2? Then what is all the fuss about the availability of H2 for fuel cell or hydrogen combustion cars?

Who said anything about liquid hydrogen? In a generator it is extremely pure and a gas.

The problem with Hydrogen as a motor fuel is the extremely wide range of flammabilit. 5% hydrogen - 95% air will burn. 95% Hydrogen and 5% air will burn! Methane will burn from about 12.5% Methane to 87.5% air all the way to 4.5% Methan and 95.5% Air. Outside that range it will not burn. It is very easy to ignite hydrogen and the fuel air range is extreme. Not safe.

We have hydrogen purity meters making sure air isn't getting into the generator. You do not want the generator exploding.

chill out, dude