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Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY,, JUNE 20, 1975 MHD, Promising New Method In USU Search For More Electricity If you take a pound of Utah coal, crush or powder it, mix it with 'fresh' Utah air and burn it it yields 13,000 BTU of energy. (A BTU is the energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of .water one degree Fah- renheit.) If the energy from the pound of coal is put to work in a steam turbine it will generate ' y electricity. Much of the used to light homes and run machinery today is produced in just that way. But the trouble is that only 40 percent of the energy in the elec-trict- pound of coal is effectively put to work in the conventional steam-turbin- e The generator. in other 60 percent is lost fact worse than lost; it is dispersed into the atmosphere through cooling towers and becomes thermal pollution. Howtever, if the steam-turbin- e generator is combined with a magneto-hydrodynam- control of the process has eluded developers because of the difficulty of measuring and characterizing the flow of the seeded gases. The question is how do you know when the conductivity is high enough for a given temp- erature that wont melt everything in sight, Getting the answer requires reliable measuremnts. - Spectroscopy and microwave diagnostics gas flow, survive the heat and give readings of what takes place. He has already taken measurements in high temperature gases at low pressure, but now is working on improvements to permit measurements in higher pressure. The accurate, trustworthy measurements he expects to achieve will help MHD generator builders know how to use the seed materials to get the gas to the proper level of conductivity but still cool enough to work with. yendells work this summer at Stanford in the MHD streams there will be under sponsorship of the Electric Power Research Institute, a consortium of 140 electric utilities. have ben used but are not precise methods. More accurate data with other conductivity probes have eluded researchers., because the heat has melted the instruments. The cheetah, though a true Vendell is adapting the Ros- cat, is shaped like a Great Dane sow probe to' do the work. His and his blunt claws are not fully sensitive instrument is housed in retractile. His speed has been a ceramic material clocked at an incredible 70 so it can be inserted into the miles an hour. heat-resista- nt Page Nine Morris E. Sorenson Given J. Gordon Award Morris E. Sorenson, Coordin- ator for the Utah Disability Determination Services Program, Utah State Board of Education, has been given the John Gordon Award physically accommodating highly qualified handicapped examiners. There was one instance in particular where he pioneered in obtaining a specially equipped telephone and a chair with automatic controls for a severely restricted examiner, Sorenson is a graduate of Snow College Brigham Young University and has obtained a Masters Degree from the University of Utah. He is also a member of the national scholastic honor society Phi Kappa Phi. For the past year, Sorenson has been President of NADE, Great Plains Region. He is a charter member of the national organization and has previously served as a National Board Member. He has served in his present position with the Office' of the Utah State Board of Education in recognition of outstanding and superior performance as a State Agency Program Superior. The award is named in honor of John Gordon, a charter member of the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), and prior to his demise Supervisor of the Alabama State Agency. The Award was presented to Sorenson at an Awards Banquet in the Hilton Hotel, Omaha, Nebraska, at the recent conference of the ten state Great Plains Region National Rehabilitation Association. The citation that nominated since 1960. Sorenson for the award says in part: One of his outstanding No man is a failure who enjoys achievements has been that of life. William Feather. (MHD) ic generator, an additional 15 percent of the coal's energy can be turned into useful electricity. MttD power generating is a promising new method, but some kinks. It requires high temperature combustion gases. And its development depends on the to measure accurately now readily the gases will conduct an .electric current. ity Keeping electric power in its place Utah State Universitys Dr. Edward W. Vendel is developing a sophisticated electrical con- ductivity instrument that can withstand 5,000 degree Fahrenheit temperatures and take the necesary readings. Success in the research will contribute to more efficient use of coal used for generating electricity and lessen the amount of energy from the coal that is lost to thermal pollution of the at- wwh mosphere. Vendell, associate professor of bechanical and manufacturing engineering at USU, is designing and constructing the instru- ment, known as a Rossow probe. Beginning in June he will spend a second summer at Stanford Universitys High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory testing his probes in hot combustion gases that can melt steel in a few seconds. The new power generating method, Vendell points out, might well use substantial quantities of Utah coal. . (Electrical manufacturing companies are moving ahead now on the technology to build the MHD generators to combine with conventional steam turbines. The first engineering demonstration facility will be completed around 1985 in Butte, " . Mont.) In a conventional generator an electrical voltage is produced by rotating copper wires, wound on an armature, through the poles of a magnet. In an MHD generator the cop per wires are in essence replaced by an electrically conducting gas. But the means of creating such a gas economically is to heat it to an extremely high temperature. Thats what the coal would be used for. Difficulty arises because temperatures high enough to produce the needed level of conductivity wil.also melt the materials used toe hannel the gas through the magnet poles. An alternative is to decrease the temperature while increas ing the conductivity by injecting seed materials into the gas to act as a catalyst. Complete understanding and Sailing on our inland lakes and reservoirs takes a great deal of skill especially to do it safely. And, while most weekend sailors take the necessary precautions for water safety, they often- overlook one hazard: electric power lines. Accidents with sail boats and power lines, both in and out of the water, occur when a careless sailor1 forgets to look up. An aluminum mast or metal ge electricity guy wires act as efficient conductors between the line and the water or ground. Even wooden masts with metal guy wires can become conductors. The result: man-ma- de lightning! only after the boats in the water never transport a boat with the mast up, even for short distances. - Remember to launch your craft only in prescribed launching areas. Always look up when approaching shore or any docking installations. high-volta- To avoid the danger, Utah Power suggests that you raise the mast At Utah Power, we do everything we can to make electricity safe for you. And if youre a sailor, be aware of power lines to be sure youre safe. utah power C light co. |