World Watch
LATITUDE
IF YOU SPARE THE FLARE YOU HELP THE PLANET
Chemical engineers at Washington State University may have found a way to harness a source of energy that currently lights up the planet in a big way. Those who flare gas today may be able to affordably convert it tomorrow — on site and into useable energy. The engineers’ small reactor would break water and methane into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the two major ingredients of synthetic gas. That output could be used, therefore, to make gasoline. Or the reactor could be attached to fuel cells to generate electricity. It’s been estimated that flaring is responsible for as much greenhouse gas each year as one million cars, the university says. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a frequent byproduct of drilling for oil. Piping it away is expensive, so energy companies sometimes burn it. UP IN FLAMES NO MORE? Flaring has traditionally been a financial necessity that, though regulated, goes hand-in-hand with drilling for oil. But there may be an affordable alternative on the horizon.
OUT TO SEA, OUT OF MIND They seem cool and weirdly beautiful, in that alien land- scape kind of way. But the more ubiquitous wind turbines have become, the less public acceptance they seem to have enjoyed. Some authorities, it turns out, are looking at ways to keep them from cluttering up ocean views — by putting their turbines on floating platforms, far from shore. The Wind Energy Institute of Tokyo reports progress on experimental floating platforms about 20 kilometres from shore. The University of Maine and partners , mean- while, have successfully tested a floating turbine proto- type called VolturnUS 1:8. Two full-sized, six-megawatt turbines will be installed in the Gulf of Maine in 2019. Placing a platform on water deeper than 50 metres demands a flexible tethering system to support high towers in strong winds. Recent developments in semi- submersible platforms include large water entrapment plates to reduce rocking, along with instruments that keep close tabs on ocean currents. Of course, all of this also requires that you have a nearby ocean in the first place.
NO NEEDLE, NO RISK, NO PAIN — WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE? People with diabetes could someday benefit from a little Down Under innovation. Xiaoke Yi, of the University of Sydney’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering, has created a needle- free, risk-free, and pain-free device for measuring ketones — the chemicals produced in the liver when glucose and other forms of energy are not available. Monitoring and maintaining blood sugar levels is a critical daily necessity for people managing diabetes. Dr. Yi says that her technology is fast and accurate, and that other monitoring methods are inefficient, inconvenient, and more invasive, The current prototype consists of an air sampling bag, a sensor head, and a signal processing unit. Dr. Yi plans to put these three components together in a compact form to make a device that’s like an alcohol tester.
36 | PEG FALL 2017
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