Week 2 (27.10-2.11.2014) Nuclear fusion as a future source of energy

Energy consumption has doubled worldwide since 1970 and it is believed that it will continue to grow. Most popular sources of energy on earth are not renewable and have very damaging influence on our environment. While alternative sources of energy are becoming quite popular, those are not sufficient to supply current energy needs of civilization. On the other hand, nuclear fission has a bad reputation due to some accidents (mainly Chernobyl and Fukushima) and our lack of ability to recycle nuclear waste. Many people believe that achieving stable, net-positive nuclear fusion will solve this problem. But how do we know it works ?

Mass-energy equivalence

E = mc^2 is probably the most famous equation of 20^th century that emerges from Einstein’s special theory of relativity. It basically states that an object standing still in a reference frame, possesses a huge amount of energy. We can calculate that one gram of mass has energy equivalent to  25.0 million kilowatt-hours. If you could use 10% of this energy to power your computer, it would run for about 285 years (considering it uses 1kW of power). Theoretically it looks amazing, ability to change mass to energy would solve all energy problems we can think of. But how can we release this energy ? The simplest way to do this is nuclear fission: uranium-235 nucleus after being hit by a neutron with sufficient energy decays into cesium and rubidium and  releases energy;  neutrons that will hit other atoms and start fission in them. Released energy heats water and assuming we can control this reaction it is possible to connect a turbine and gather power. While the process itself is quite safe (a nuclear reactor cannot explode like a fission bomb, a different construction is necessary), we still have to deal with toxic waste and meltdowns caused by natural disasters (Fukushima) or a human mistake (Chernobyl).

(Cherenkov radiation)

Creating sun on earth

            Another nuclear process, fusion, is the holy grail of energy industry. It is the same process that occurs within stars, heating our planet and providing light for plants to grow. It is like fission watched backwards. Lighter nuclei crash together with high speed and bound together to form a nucleus of a heavier element. The mass of the heavier element is lesser than sum of lighter elements, the missing part is emitted as radiation. This process occurs only in extreme temperatures, comparable to those on the Sun. While it seems impossible to achieve such conditions on the Earth, recent developments in the National Ignition Facility yielded positive results. A small portion of hydrogen isotopes was heated using powerful laser impulses starting short fusion reaction that delivered more energy than an amount required to start it. While those results are promising, this is just the first step to build a hot fusion reactor.

(NIF Fusion Chamber)

Cold fusion

            While hot fusion reactors are out of reach for our current technology, several groups have claimed that they possess working cold fusion reactors. In theory Low Energy Nuclear Reactions that are claimed to be the base of current prototypes, would solve all problems with nuclear energy. The fuel would be nickel, there would be no toxic waste (only copper created from nickel). If estimations are true, 1% of current nickel production would satisfy worldwide energy needs. But there is a catch. Many scientists believe that those devices are a scam. There is no proof that any of these devices work.

Sources & articles worth reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission
http://www.nature.com/news/laser-fusion-experiment-extracts-net-energy-from-fuel-1.14710
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/864/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption

Week 2 (27.10-2.11.2014) Nürburgring – Green Hell

About

Nürburgring is a 150,000-capacity motorsports complex around the village of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located about 70 km (43 mi) south of Cologne, and 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Frankfurt. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old "North loop" track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The north loop is 20.8 km (12.9 mi) long and has more than 300 metres (1,000 feet) of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. Jackie Stewart nicknamed the old track "The Green Hell," and it is widely considered to be the most demanding and difficult purpose-built racing circuit in the world. (Wikipedia)

http://www.nuerburgring.de/en/home.html

Facts

Official start of construction:	27 September 1925
Official opening:	18 /19 June 1927
Costs:	about 15 million Reichsmark, Employment of up to  3,000 workers for two years
Length:	20.832 km
Turns:	73 (33 left, 40 right)
Gradients:	max. 17 percent
Slopes:	max. 11 percent
Highest point:	Hohe Acht, 616.80 above sea level
Lowest point:	Breidscheid, 320 m above sea level
Total difference in altitude:	approx. 300 m
First event:	18 June 1927 – Eifelrace for motorcycles
Original track length:	22.8 km Nordschleife + 7.7 km Südschleife = 28 km,  (89 left turns - 84 right turns)
Length Endurance Championship:	24.433 km (Sprintstrecke, with Mercedes-Arena,  Motorrad-Schikane and Nordschleife)

Track

Photo 1 Plan of the track (http://germanlife.com/) 

The most notable part of the track - “Nordschleife”

Whenever big car manufacturers present their new GT, GTO, GTI, OPC and so on versions, they test it on the North Loop. To name some of them, Pagani (Zonda F 7:24.44), Ferrari (Enzo 7:25.7), Nissan (GTR 7:24.22), Lamborghini (Murcielago LP 640 7:40), Porsche (911 GT3 RS 7:33), McLaren and Mercedes (Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 7:40). The fastest production car is Radical SR8 LM with time 6:48. Radical Sportscar is a Biritish manufacturer from Peterborough.

Current record is held by Stefan Bellof in Porsche 956 with time : 6:25.91. This is a special version of Porsche. It’s not approved to drive it outside tracks. The 956 is made of an aluminium and it weighs  around 800 kg. The Porsche engine has six cylinders arranged horizontally and is called a boxer engine. This particular car had around 635 hp and 5 gear manual gearbox.

Photo 2 Porsche 965 (Brian Snelson)

Public access

You can take your own car and race on the track. There are several restrictions of course, for example, you can’t drive convertible cars. You need a helmet and it’s highly desirable to have a helmet and a proper fire proximity suit. The Track is open on fixed dates only and a ticket costs around 115 €. All  tickets have a limited lap count.

If you don’t have fast enough car to race on the track there is an option for you as well. Car rentals, I’ve seen around 5 different car rental companies near the track. Of course the most comfortable way to rent a car is to take one of them directly from the Nürburgring. Prices vary based on the car you want. From 99€ you can get Suzuki Swift Sport and for around 439 € Porsche 997 Carrera S. There are certain limitations, you need a valid driving license and you must be at least 21 years old to drive Suzuki and 30 to drive Porsche.

If you have BMW you can always try BMW Ring school.

http://www.bmwccaringschool.com/

Car rentals:

http://www.rent4ring.de/en/ (with BMW RS-M3 starting from 649 €)

Accidents

The track is quite safe, but each year there are many accidents and several deaths. To prevent potential income loss, track management decided not to publish any official figures.

Fail compilations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIFcB05yj5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORA-oB-qbOI

Short summary

If you’re petrolhead like me, trust me it’s worth the money. Why should you  listen to me? Because I’ve already test-driven some of those supercars on the track. Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, BMW M3 and Subaru Impreza WRX STI to name some of them. I’m passionate about driving with high-speeds on a real track. If you want to experience the thrill, hold on tight as you speed around the track. It’s the best way to put yourself behind the wheel and try it. It’s like administering yourself a big dose of pure adrenaline.

Drive safely and unleash your speed on the track J

Photo 3 Remember, they have fast cars as well :) (Copyright to Me)

Week 2 (27.10-2.11.2014) Hello moto! :)

Introduction

I would like to tell you something about my newest passion. I mean motorbikes and my whole (really short) adventure related with this topic. I am not a typical motorcyclist because my first time on a motorbike was during a driving course. I had never ridden on any two wheels with a motor (even a scooter) before these lessons. That is why, when the first day of my course came, I was pretty excited and, to be honest, I am still excited every time I ride on my machine. Oh, but maybe I should explain why I started so late… When I was a little younger I thought that I was too silly for that, and definitely I would do something irresponsible so I decided to wait till I would be a little more responsible. Fortunately, when I turned 25 I realized that moment would never come, therefore I decide to start my journey now. :)

What does it look like?

My course lasted one month and after that I lost another one month to pass the exams (unfortunately I had to take it twice). I have had my driving license since September 5th. Since then my kilometres’ score is about 2000 km and it is still rising. But for me that whole course and exams weren’t the most difficult part… Definitely it was shopping. What motorbike would be the best? Should a uniform be made of leather or textile? Helmets -> wow such many options… Last but not least: why is it so expensive? Finally, after reading many articles I decided to buy a leather jacket and textile trousers. Also I bought an integral helmet by Shoei and that treasure:

(Yamaha FZ6 600ccm 72kW@76kW, akrapovic exhaust… Yes, I am proud:) )

Is it safe?

I had heard this question many times and I didn’t know the good answer to it so I had to find it out. I decided to check the statistical data and here you have some facts:

·         Over one million motorbikes are registered in Poland

·         2210 accidents

·         2 075 wounded and 253 killed

·         In 967 cases motorcyclists were offenders

To compare those data I have checked the global statistics of accidents in Poland. There we have nearly 25 million vehicles with an engine (motorbikes are included) which have taken part in 36000 accidents with 3357 killed and 44059 wounded. The probability (the number of accidents/the number of all vehicles) of an accident is 0,00144, which is a little lower than the probability of a motorbike accident (0,00221). Also the probability to be killed in an accident is a little higher when you use a motorbike (0,09325 for all machines and 0,12192 for motorcycles). Hmm so it doesn’t look so bad.  Of course it is only the statistics…

Causes of accidents

As you can see less than 50% of accidents were caused by motorcyclists. We have two main factors which are responsible for the majority of accidents:

·         The speed

·         Forcing the right of way by cars

Personally I agree with these reasons. I have had four similar situations since I received my driving license. Every time the other driver wasn’t focused on the road and, what is more, his or her moves were in a rush. As a result,  they forced me to rapid breaking. In my opinion this kind of behaviour is really dangerous because it gives us short time for a reaction. Also we should remember the police who unofficially highlights the fact that in many cases motorcyclists drive definitely with too high speed. So maybe this is an answer to a question why the society has such a bad opinion about bikers? What do you think about safety on motorbikes? Do you have any experience related with it? Oh, one more thing if you want to feel these emotions in real, check this video out. Of course it is a little exaggerated.

Want more data ?

More about motorbike accidents in 2013

Accidents in Poland - statistical data

Week 1 (13-19 October 2014)

Read an article of your interest at http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle  and present it here. Comment on the articles presented by other students as well.

Week 1 (13-19 October 2014)

Look at the diagram Tomorrow’s world: A guide to the next 150 years presented at http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130102-tomorrows-world and comment on/discuss it.

Week 1 (13-19 October 2014)

BBC Future spoke to Jessica Lindl, general manager of GlassLab, at the Silicon Valley-based gaming company, EA (Electronic Arts) about how games could prepare children for jobs. Watch the talk at http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20131107-could-video-games-replace-exams and comment on/discuss it.  Do lecturers use games evaluating your knowledge and skills? Would you include them in the examination scheme?

List of Blog Moderators

All of you will moderate the blog for a week. Therefore, put your name on the list (choose the week when you would like to do it). Remember, this is an obligatory part of the course.  

What are you to do as a moderator? Choose some theme for your week. Put there links to interesting articles, films, presentations, etc. Comment on them and make others discuss them with you and other course participants.   

Remember to send me your presentations at least 5 days before their publication. 

You moderate your presentations from Monday until Sunday. 

The dates of our work on the blog:
1. 13.10-19.10.14
2. 27.10-02.11.14 Mateusz P., Tomasz K.,  Sylwester Koncewicz
3. 10.11-16.11.14 Michał R., Sebastian Gałązka
4. 24.11-30.11.14 Dawid P. , Mateusz W., Katarzyna Harabin
5. 08.12-14.12.14 Przemek W., Marek M., Piotr K. , Mikołaj Zdunek
6. 05.01-11.01.15 Jan D. , Jakub M., Serhiy Sokurenko, Maciej Wojtkiewicz
7. 19.01-25.01.15 Grzegorz R., Ania S., Jarosław Wasilewski, Magda Gawęcka