Best car version of the New York Auto Show 2012

Volkswagen Up! won 2012 World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, which takes place today until 15 April. Up! beat 34 other models as well as the two finalists, the BMW 3 Series and the Porsche 911.

Porsche 911 despite not winning a major award, but still was asked to become the World Performance Car of the Year, beat the Lamborghini LP 700-4 Aventador and McLaren MP4-12C.

Meanwhile, eco-friendly category, honors awarded to Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENT. Despite its fuel consumption is not very economical, only 17.43 kpl, but it can beat the Ford Focus and Peugeot 3008 Electric Hybrid.

Tips On Detailing A Car - Interior

Tips on detailing a car can help you preserve the value of your car. Because a vehicle is a large investment for most people, it makes good sense to take good care of it.

Your car is a reflection on who you are and keeping your car clean leaves the impression that you care about yourself and your possessions. Most of us want to drive around in a clean, shiny car; it gives us a sense of pride.

These tips on detailing a car will cover how you can care for the interior or living room if you will, of your vehicle.

Interior
When using your car, the interior is what you see the most of. Keeping it clean on the inside makes a more pleasurable drive.

Tips On Detailing A Car - Exterior

Tips on detailing a car can help you protect your investment and keep it looking like new. After a house, purchasing a vehicle is most people's second largest purchase. It only makes sense that you would want to care for and protect your investment.

And, thoroughly detailing your car, truck or SUV a few times a year will help you do just that.

Follow these basic tips on detailing a car to keep it sparkling like new and hold its value.

Exterior
Begin by parking the car somewhere out of the direct heat and sunlight. Find a nice, cool, shady spot to prevent baking any car cleaning products into the paints surface. Baked on soaps and waxes can be hard to remove and could cause permanent damage to your car's paint job.

Next, wash the car. Start by simply rinsing the car with the garden hose. Avoid using a nozzle that forces the water from the hose. A slow, steady rinse will gently remove unwanted dust, dirt and debris from the car's surface.

Visibility on a Scooter - Z-Motion, X-Motion, and Why Cars Pull Out in Front of Us

Anybody who has ridden a scooter or motorcycle for any appreciable amount of time knows the all-too-familiar feeling that we seem to be invisible on the road.

When the umpteenth person pulls across our path or pushes us out of our lane, it's tempting (and quite natural) to get very annoyed at the distracted and inattentive driver.

In this article, I hope to provide an insight into the psychology of visibility, and offer some tips which can help.

Z-Motion

Significant Features of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

The Chevrolet Malibu is probably one of the most successful Chevrolet models for the past decade. This is because the Malibu offers a wide range of exciting features that buyers would surely enjoy. In addition to this, the Malibu is considered as one of the best in its segment in terms of physical appearance, fuel economy, and performance.

But despite of this positive image, General Motors is not yet satisfied with what the Malibu has accomplished so far since most of closest competitors such as the Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Camry are currently improving their features. In fact, Hyundai and Toyota have been using hybrid technologies for such models to boost their fuel economies. To handle the stiffer competition posed by the Sonata and Camry Hybrid, General Motors started the production of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco with a number of significant features to offer such as the following.

The Best Fuel Efficient Used Cars

Used automobiles are becoming more and more of a popular choice among drivers who do not require new and shiny vehicles to get them from one destination to another. More often than not, these owners are usually conscious about their financial decisions, and therefore would love to further save money on fuel consumption by purchasing second-hand cars that are also fuel efficient. To help you find that perfect ride, here are three of the best ones available in the market.

Although it was manufactured nearly twenty years ago, there is no denying the reliability and practicality the 1994 Mazda 323 brings to its owner. A child of one of the biggest Japanese powerhouses in the automotive market, the 323 is famed for its exceptional performance on road-handling. Its great handling allows the driver to get great maneuverability out of the vehicle, and thus getting a smooth and satisfying driving experience. Viewing the 323 from the outside, drivers would be lead to believe that with its small build, the car would be quite cramped on the inside, but taking a look in, they will see that it actually houses a spacious front passenger area. This Mazda currently sells at about $900.

Southwestern Mobile Auto Detailing and Car Washing - Case Study

Weather is such a big issue and mobile detailing and mobile car washing, that it almost pays to start the business in an area that has decent weather most all year-round. Now then, let's say you wanted to choose a city to do this type of business, which city would you choose? Well, I would suggest that you choose a city in the Southwest. Perhaps, a city in New Mexico or Arizona for instance - okay so, let's talk about running a mobile car wash business in Tucson Arizona, as a case study.

Now then, before you set up your mobile car wash business you have to take a look at the area and do a little bit of marketing, a little bit of scouting around to see what kind of competition you have, what kind of prices you can charge, and if there is the proper clientele to maintain a solid cash flow, and a busy route for your schedule.

Electric Car Conversion DIY

Home Brew Electric Vehicle Conversions
The process of turning a gasoline power vehicle into a vehicle that runs off of only electricity is called an electric vehicle conversion. If you're not aware, there is a big movement going on across the country in which people are doing "home brew" electric vehicles in order to initially beat the ever-growing gas prices across the nation and to end up ultimately end up making money by saving money in the end. After all, it was Benjamin Franklin that said the famous quote, "A penny saved is a penny earned." In the case of electric car conversions, this quote is not only true, but it is also a life style.

Electric Vehicle Conversion Motors
In order to do your own electric vehicle conversion you have got to be confident that you are knowledgeable in the field of electricity, mechanics, and automobiles in general. If you're not, individuals can always hire a mechanic in order to operate on your electric vehicle conversion motors.

DC Electric Car Motors
If you are confident working on electric motors, then this article is for you. Electric motors come in AC or DC versions. DC motors are usually motors that have a wide range in voltage. Electric car conversion motors can range anywhere between 96 and 192 volts. In fact, almost all electric vehicle conversion motors come from the forklift industry. Many lower power fork lifts are electrically powered motors in order to do their lifting where as the heavy duty for lifts generally use propane gas tanks which ride on the back of the fork lift.

AC Electric Car Motors
If the electric car conversion motor is of the AC variety it is most likely three-phase running at 240 volts. Generally the 240-volt electric vehicle conversion motor is accompanied by a 300-volt battery pack. AC installations allow the individuals handling the electric car conversion motors the use of almost any industrial motor. AC electric car conversion motors are actually much easier to find in any size, shape, or power rating.

Regardless of if you're the type of person that prefers one of the electric car conversion motors over the other, it should be known that if you are going to undertake the process of doing an electric car conversion to your motor then you should be thanked and praised for doing something that not only saves you money but also saves the environment at the same time. For that, we salute you.

How to Prepare Your Used Porsche or Audi for Winter

Many sports car drivers take no measures to winterize their vehicles. If you ask a Porsche service pro, he or she will tell you that winterizing your car is essential to keeping it in top condition. With that said, you can preserve your car's Porsche or Audi parts this winter by taking the following steps to winterize your car. These methods will work with just about any car or truck.

1. Get an oil change. If you've been putting off that oil change for your used Porsche, pay a visit to your Porsche service dealer and get it done. Cold temps make oil work less efficiently, so it's especially important to make sure your oil is replaced as soon as possible. You may also want to consider switching to a thinner oil mixture for the winter.

2. Battery check. Even the more durable and high-quality batteries work poorly in cold weather which means your used Audi and Audi parts have to work overtime during the winter. Have a professional Audi or Porsche service expert test your battery and do a full check to ensure that all coils and connectors are in proper condition.

Detailing Your Car At Home The Right Way

Have you ever taken your car to be detailed? A detailed car is thoroughly clean on the inside; every little nook and cranny has been scrubbed, polished, vacuumed, and washed. Even the oldest vehicle can be made to look almost new again after a good detailing. In fact, a great way to prepare for a road trip or other extended period of driving is to take your vehicle in for a detailing session before you leave. Even though having a car detailed is a great thing, the cost can really add up. For some people, this is a luxury that can only be afforded once or twice a year. To make things a little easier on your wallet without sacrificing the experience of a freshly cleaned car, you should consider doing the work yourself. Detailing doesn't have to take very long and you can save a lot of money by doing the job at home.

There are a couple different ways you can go about detailing the inside of your vehicle. You can do it all at once or you can stretch the process out over several days. Each option has its pros and cons, so decide which you are going to do before you begin any work. Planning your detailing session will help you use your time more wisely since you'll have scheduled your time with the task in mind. If your car is especially dirty, consider working in stages instead of trying to do everything in a single afternoon.

Tips To Buy Various Machines for Mobile Car Wash

Starting a mobile car wash and detailing business requires versatile and effective equipment. For efficient cleaning, many experienced professionals recommend using multiple cleaning machines. Ideally, one must use a soft surface carpet and upholstery cleaner for cleaning the interior of vehicles and a hard surface pressure washer for cleaning the exteriors of vehicles.

An Overview of Mobile Car Wash Systems
Before going deep into the types of cleaning machines available for the job, it is better to understand the task. What does the mobile car wash process try to achieve? The major goals are fairly obvious. The dirt and dust accumulated on the vehicle must be removed. The exterior and interior surfaces must look good and look as new as possible.

This Year's Must-Have Accessories for Your Modified Car

The most in-style accessories for a car are often the most unique ones, as car enthusiasts are continually looking for new ways to impress. Finding something that matches your personality will make you stand out from the crowd, so it's always a good idea to look for accessories that nobody seems to have. This year, certain car modifications and accessories are set to be popular, so get ahead of the trend and lead the pack rather than follow it.

The 1980s are back in fashion, big time, and the style with cars is no exception. There is not a more iconic 1980s car than the DeLorean from the classic 80s film 'Back to the Future'. Although it is not yet possible to modify your car to travel in time, the wing doors from the DeLorean are making a major comeback. Of course, you will need some specialist knowledge to install these and you'll need to make at least one trip to the spray painter; but the end result is well worth the time and effort. Amazingly, wing doors make your car look both retro and futuristic at the same time, and they're also a perfect way to show off your car's sleek interior.

A 'natural' solution for transportation

Argonne National Laboratory
Feb 2, 2012

Researchers at Argonne have begun to investigate adding one more contender to the list of possible energy sources for light-duty cars and trucks: compressed natural gas (CNG). Image courtesy of Mercedes Benz

As the United States transitions away from a primarily petroleum-based transportation industry, a number of different alternative fuel sources—ethanol, biodiesel, electricity and hydrogen—have each shown their own promise. Hoping to expand the pool even further, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have begun to investigate adding one more contender to the list of possible energy sources for light-duty cars and trucks: compressed natural gas (CNG).

Compressed natural gas is composed primarily of methane, which when compressed occupies less than one percent of the volume it occupies at standard pressure. CNG is typically stored in cylindrical tanks that would be carried onboard the vehicles it fuels.

Because the domestic production of natural gas has increased dramatically over the past ten years, making a large number of the cars and light trucks currently on the road CNG-compatible would help to improve U.S. energy security. "As a country, we don't lack for natural gas deposits," said Argonne mechanical engineer Thomas Wallner. "There are fewer obvious challenges with direct supply than with most other fuels."

Natural gas currently comes primarily from deep underground rock structures, including shale. Recent improvements with hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a controversial process that some critics claim can hurt the environment, have made it economical for natural gas companies to extract a greater supply of natural gas from unconventional sources.

Like gasoline, both the production and combustion of CNG release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To be able to make an accurate comparison to gasoline, scientists and engineers will need to look at each stage of the fuel's production and use, said Argonne environmental scientist Andrew Burnham.
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Mitsubishi Electric Announces New Ultra-High-Speed Elevator Technologies

Engineerblogger
Feb 3, 2012

Shanghai Tower will represent China's dynamic 'future

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today its new suite of technologies that enable ultra-high-speed elevators to travel faster than 1,000 meters per minute, or 60 kph, with enhanced efficiency, comfort and safety. The technologies will be incorporated in the world's fastest elevators, including those developed by Mitsubishi Electric for the 632-meter Shanghai Tower under construction in Shanghai, China.

In response to the increasing height of high-rise buildings amid continuing urban population growth, the role of elevators is gaining even greater importance. In response, Mitsubishi Electric is developing advanced solutions incorporating technologies and equipment for enhanced drive and controllability, safety, super high-rise cable mechanics and passenger comfort. The company's new suite of ultra-high-speed elevator technologies includes the following advancements:

1.  Drive and Controllability

• The traction motor incorporates a permanent magnetic motor for energy-efficient, low-noise, low-vibration operation.

• A single motor has two grouped three-phase winding coils and parallel drive systems controlled by separate control panels. Each motor has a built-in converter to regenerate electricity, lowering power consumption by more than 30 percent.

• Brakes composed of two units with a hydraulic driven clamp-type disk brake achieve stable braking.

 
2.  Safety

• Safety gears, which activate the brakes by grasping the guide rails in emergencies if cables become transected, comprise two stages to manage increased kinetic energy due to ultra-high speeds.

• Fine ceramic is used for the safety gear shoe to realize high resistance to heat, abrasion and shock. Braking is extra-stable even if high frictional heat is generated when the safety gear is activated.

• The hydraulic oil buffer (shock absorber) at the bottom of the elevator shaft has an advanced plunger comprising three stages for exceptional shock absorption within a shortened frame.

• Newly developed governor monitors elevator speed stably even with heavy loads placed by ropes traveling at high speeds over long distances.

3.  Super high-rise cable mechanics

• A steel core with a wider diameter provides high intensity, allowing traveling cables to be lightened by using lightweight sheath material and operated by a highly efficient electric power carrier system.

• Mitsubishi Electric's new "sfleX-rope" comprising bundles of high-intensity steel wire strands, each covered with plastic, offers higher intensity than conventional rope for safe operation despite the greater weight of longer ropes. Each wire has a higher density and wider cross-sectional area than conventional rope, which helps to reduce rope stretching caused when passengers step onto the elevator.

4.  Ride comfort

•   A new active roller guide, which reduces vibration from the guide rails and wind, enhances passenger comfort even at ultra-high speeds.

•   The inside of the car is extra-quiet thanks to a streamlined aerodynamic car cover and a high sound insulation cage.

• Air pressure control helps to minimize rapid changes in atmospheric pressure for reduced ear discomfort.

Just like cars, going that fast also leads to the question of safety – rest assured that Mitsubishi will deliver enhanced efficiency, comfort and safety as thousands of people traverse through these elevators each day. Fine ceramic is the material of choice for the safety gear shoe as it has a high resistance to heat, abrasion and shock. Never mind if high frictional heat is generated, braking remains extremely stable.

Source: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Biosolar Breakthrough Promises Cheap, Easy Green Electricity

Engineerblogger
Feb 3, 2012

Barry D. Bruce

Barry D. Bruce, professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is turning the term “power plant” on its head. The biochemist and a team of researchers have developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.

Bruce collaborated with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Switzerland to develop a process that improves the efficiency of generating electric power using molecular structures extracted from plants. The biosolar breakthrough has the potential to make “green” electricity dramatically cheaper and easier.

“This system is a preferred method of sustainable energy because it is clean and it is potentially very efficient,” said Bruce, who was named one of “Ten Revolutionaries that May Change the World” by Forbes magazine in 2007 for his early work, which first demonstated biosolar electricity generation. “As opposed to conventional photovoltaic solar power systems, we are using renewable biological materials rather than toxic chemicals to generate energy. Likewise, our system will require less time, land, water and input of fossil fuels to produce energy than most biofuels.”

Their findings are in the current issue of Nature: Scientific Reports.

To produce the energy, the scientists harnessed the power of a key component of photosynthesis known as photosystem-I (PSI) from blue-green algae. This complex was then bioengineered to specifically interact with a semi-conductor so that, when illuminated, the process of photosynthesis produced electricity. Because of the engineered properties, the system self-assembles and is much easier to re-create than his earlier work. In fact, the approach is simple enough that it can be replicated in most labs—allowing others around the world to work toward further optimization.

“Because the system is so cheap and simple, my hope is that this system will develop with additional improvements to lead to a green, sustainable energy source,” said Bruce, noting that today’s fossil fuels were once, millions of years ago, energy-rich plant matter whose growth also was supported by the sun via the process of photosynthesis.

This green solar cell is a marriage of non-biological and biological materials. It consists of small tubes made of zinc oxide—this is the non-biological material. These tiny tubes are bioengineered to attract PSI particles and quickly become coated with them—that’s the biological part. Done correctly, the two materials intimately intermingle on the metal oxide interface, which when illuminated by sunlight, excites PSI to produce an electron which “jumps” into the zinc oxide semiconductor, producing an electric current.

The mechanism is orders of magnitude more efficient than Bruce’s earlier work for producing bio-electricity thanks to the interfacing of PSI with the large surface provided by the nanostructured conductive zinc oxide; however it still needs to improve manifold to become useful. Still, the researchers are optimistic and expect rapid progress.

Bruce’s ability to extract the photosynthetic complexes from algae was key to the new biosolar process. His lab at UT isolated and bioengineered usable quantities of the PSI for the research.

Algae could be the next power source. Credit: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Andreas Mershin, the lead author of the paper and a research scientist at MIT, conceptualized and created the nanoscale wires and platform. He credits his design to observing the way needles on pine trees are placed to maximize exposure to sunlight.

Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin in the lab of Michael Graetzel, a professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland, did the complex testing needed to determine that the new mechanism actually performed as expected. Graetzel is a pioneer in energy and electron transfer reactions and their application in solar energy conversion.

Michael Vaughn, once an undergraduate in Bruce’s lab and now a National Science Foundation (NSF) predoctoral fellow at Arizona State University, also collaborated on the paper.

“This is a real scientific breakthrough that could become a significant part of our renewable energy strategy in the future,” said Lee Riedinger, interim vice chancellor for research. “This success shows that the major energy challenges facing us require clever interdisciplinary solutions, which is what we are trying to achieve in our energy science and engineering PhD program at the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education of which Dr. Bruce is one of the leading faculty.”

The Bredesen Center is a joint UT/Oak Ridge National Laboratory academic unit. Bruce is also a co-principal investigator and scientific thrust leader in TN: SCORE, the Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage Using Outreach, Research and Education. The $20 million project is funded by the NSF and focuses on promoting research and education on solar energy problems across Tennessee. Additionally, he co-founded and is associate director of UT’s Sustainable Energy Education.

Bruce’s work is funded by the Emerging Frontiers Program at the National Science Foundation.


Source: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Related Information:

• UT Knoxville and ORNL Researchers Turn Algae into High-Temperature Hydrogen Source

Graphene electronics moves into a third dimension

Engineerblogger
Feb 3, 2012

Graphene nanofabric. SEM micrograph of a strongly crumpled graphene sheet on a Si wafer. Note that it looks just like silk thrown over a surface. Lateral size of the image is 20 microns. Si wafer is at the bottom-right corner. Credit: University of Manchester

In a paper published this week in Science, a Manchester team lead by Nobel laureates Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov has literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon.

Graphene – one atomic plane of carbon – is a remarkable material with endless unique properties, from electronic to chemical and from optical to mechanical.

One of many potential applications of graphene is its use as the basic material for computer chips instead of silicon. This potential has alerted the attention of major chip manufactures, including IBM, Samsung, Texas Instruments and Intel. Individual transistors with very high frequencies (up to 300 GHz) have already been demonstrated by several groups worldwide.

Unfortunately, those transistors cannot be packed densely in a computer chip because they leak too much current, even in the most insulating state of graphene. This electric current would cause chips to melt within a fraction of a second.

This problem has been around since 2004 when the Manchester researchers reported their Nobel-winning graphene findings and, despite a huge worldwide effort to solve it since then, no real solution has so far been offered.

The University of Manchester scientists now suggest using graphene not laterally (in plane) – as all the previous studies did – but in the vertical direction. They used graphene as an electrode from which electrons tunnelled through a dielectric into another metal. This is called a tunnelling diode.

Then they exploited a truly unique feature of graphene – that an external voltage can strongly change the energy of tunnelling electrons. As a result they got a new type of a device – vertical field-effect tunnelling transistor in which graphene is a critical ingredient.

Dr Leonid Ponomarenko, who spearheaded the experimental effort, said: “We have proved a conceptually new approach to graphene electronics. Our transistors already work pretty well. I believe they can be improved much further, scaled down to nanometre sizes and work at sub-THz frequencies.”

“It is a new vista for graphene research and chances for graphene-based electronics never looked better than they are now”, adds Professor Novoselov.

Graphene alone would not be enough to make the breakthrough. Fortunately, there are many other materials, which are only one atom or one molecule thick, and they were used for help.

The Manchester team made the transistors by combining graphene together with atomic planes of boron nitride and molybdenum disulfide. The transistors were assembled layer by layer in a desired sequence, like a layer cake but on an atomic scale.

Such layer-cake superstructures do not exist in nature. It is an entirely new concept introduced in the report by the Manchester researchers. The atomic-scale assembly offers many new degrees of functionality, without some of which the tunnelling transistor would be impossible.

“The demonstrated transistor is important but the concept of atomic layer assembly is probably even more important,” explains Professor Geim.

Professor Novoselov added: “Tunnelling transistor is just one example of the inexhaustible collection of layered structures and novel devices which can now be created by such assembly.

“It really offers endless opportunities both for fundamental physics and for applications. Other possible examples include light emission diodes, photovoltaic devices, and so on.”

Source: University of Manchester

Additional Information:

• The abstract of "Field-effect tunneling transistor based on vertical graphene heterostructures", by L. Britnel1, R. Gorbache2, R. Jalil, B. Bell2, F. Schedin, A. Mishchenko, T. Georgiou, M. Katsnelson, L. Eaves, S. Morozov, N. Peres, J. Leist, A. Geim, K. Novoselov, and L. Ponomarenko in Science Journal. 

Scratching away at automotive surfaces: Characterising new materials and coatings for clean and easy-to-maintain surfaces

Engineerblogger
Feb 3, 2012

Stephanie Baron and Gerard Liraut of Renault presented a paper at the 2011 VDI plastics in automotive conference on characterising new materials and coatings for clean and easy-to-maintain surfaces. They addressed issues of maintaining high gloss, avoiding dust attraction and ongoing concerns over visibility of scratches on through-coloured automotive interior mouldings.

Baron pointed out that while PP compounds are considered materials with good cost performance and recyclability, talc fillers in PP are still thought to cause scratches to become visible, with white marks that are especially noticable on dark mouldings.

"Some competitors use materials improved by sliding agents," Baron said. "But a known inconvenience is that this kind of agent with a base of amides exudes with heat and creates a sticky effect." Baron did, however, admit that some improved additives are available that are said to have resolved this problem of migration to the surface.

Similarly with dust attraction, some of Renault's competitors are using additives with anti-static action. But a sticky effect is generated here, too, as UV agents and anti-static agents interact in the presence of air.

And in order to have permanent anti-dust effects, the concentration of additive needed is so high that "the prices increase and mechanical properties decline", Baron complained. She pointed out that Asian automotive OEMs have found an easy solution by making their interiors in light colours, so that the dust - or scratches for that matter - is not so visible.

Renault, on the other hand, has tested permanent anti-static additives, only to find that the plastics tested were just as dirty as other parts after nine months. A more durable anti-static effect or one that could be reactivated would therefore be of interest to Renault.

Looking ahead, Renault seeks to make interior plastic parts with anti-adherent hydrophobic and oleophobic surfaces, to limit soiling. Otherwise, adapting the architecture of the cockpit for easy, simple and efficient cleaning would be at least "an important preliminary step", Baron concluded.

One of the latest measures to address scratch visibility has been applied by Styron for the UV-stable PP-based Inspire compounds used on the new Range Rover Evoque. The compounds are used in interior parts such as the shrouds around the steering column, centre console cladding and trim panels in the rear load space compartment.

Source: European Plastics News

Device Could Drive Down Solar's Cost

Technology Review
Jan 31, 2012
 

Power play: Inverters mounted to the bottom of each panel provide grid-ready power at a test site in Sunnyvale, California. Credit: ArrayPower

As solar panel manufacturers try to harvest more of the sun's energy for less, they face increasingly diminishing returns. At roughly $1 per watt, the cost of solar modules now represents less than a third of the total cost of commercial solar installations. To cut the total cost of solar power—currently $3.00 to $3.50 per watt—bigger gains will have to come from improvements in the power electronics, wiring, and mounting systems required for solar installations.

ArrayPower, a startup based in Sunnyvale, California, has developed a new type of solar inverter—the device that converts direct current (DC) power produced by solar panels to grid-ready, alternating current (AC) electricity—that it claims could significantly reduce the cost of solar power. The company says its "sequenced inverter" will reduce the cost of commercial solar by 35 cents per watt, or more than 10 percent, by lowering capital costs, simplifying installation, and increasing output.

Large-scale solar installations currently use either a single "central" inverter or a number of "string" inverters to convert power from groups of panels strung together in series. Both approaches, however, suffer from low efficiencies because of the way the panels are connected. In either scenario, if one panel is damaged or shaded from the sun, the system's entire output is diminished to the level of its lowest-producing panel.

ArrayPower seeks to maximize power output through a new type of inverter mounted to each panel. The device is similar to microinverters now used in residential solar installations. By converting DC to AC power at each module, microinverters maximize the power output of each module, thereby increasing system output by roughly 3 percent to 10 percent.

Microinverters are typically more expensive because they require sophisticated electronics to filter and smooth the alternating current coming out of each inverter. A major cost is an electrolytic capacitor, essentially a chemical battery that stores energy for short bursts, allowing the inverter to send out pulses of electricity that create an alternating current. Further, microinverters typically only yield single-phase AC electricity, an electric current that is suited for residential use but not commercial or utility use.
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New Capabilities of today’s Automotive Glass Equipment

Engineerblogger
Jan 30, 2012


Today’s know-how, together with new developments in control technology and machine production technologies allow to utilise automotive glass grinding and cutting machines in new ways.

This equipment with its more flexible use, can reach higher quality and/or much shorter cycle times as well as it is open for new applications.

New equipment with direct drive technology is able to preprocess glass in a higher quality and at the same time faster than in the past. Thanks to the drives the gearboxes can be eliminated, higher torque can be achieved and higher resolution encoders can be used. Eliminating the gearboxes menas eliminating the mechanical play totally. The accuracy is given by the measurement system and the performance of the drive regulator. The measurement systems can resolve down to micrometers or micronarcs for polar systems.

Using the new technology the customers do not have to decide between productivity and quality to a given price. The new controls allow to adapt the production quality to the desired level. For example a customer can start its venture in the less demanding replacement segment, where high output is critical. If he is looking for new opportunities later it is possible to reprogram the machine to the highest quality levels. The customer is able to compete on the highest quality levels which allow asking for a higher price for the manufactured product. Todays new electronic developments allow an easy and riskless adaption of parameters. The technology, accuracy and flexibility can be applied in other glass production fields like solar or architectural production as well.


Technical basis of champ’speed
Working with two cutting bridges allows to separate relief cuts and form cuts. Furthermore the customer can separate cutting and breaking if needed. Using the correct combination distributing the processes allows moving the bottleneck process in cutting and grinding from the cutting/breaking into the grinding operation. The best combination depends on the design of the end product. In most of the cases the best solution is to do the relieve cuts on the first station and the cutting and breaking on the second station. Having two independent cutting heads with one breaking ball head gives room for the very best possible combination to increase the quality and accuracy to the maximum with the lowest possible cycle time.

Figure 1: Example windscreen

Producing a form with an accuracy of 100 percent is possible but physical parameters limit the cycle time. If needed, the machine can follow the contour exactly. This will result in a very accurate glass, but takes its time. In theory, the relation between grinding speed and forward movement should be constant. To reach a constant grinding surface the speed has to be reduced at each point where the grinding spindle makes a turn or goes around an edge. This means: the smaller the radius, the lower the speed. As the grinding wheel has a diameter, the speed of its centre point has to increase, because it has to travel a much longer way than the grinding point of the glass. In an inner arc, the travelling speed has to be reduced, because otherwise the wheel would take too much glass and will get choked.

Today there are two ways, to achieve high speed and accuracy. Firstly it is possible to make the design of the form in a way that the end result will still be in specs. This means that the design is not in the middle of the tolerance field designed, but will touch the limits with working in lower tolerance bands. The achieved result is still the same (faster production cycle, in given tolerance), but the result does not depend on factors like speed or grinding wheel diameters anymore. Secondly one can do the same like in the past i.e. opening the contour error and allow bigger deviation. But with these methods the resulting form will then depend again on process parameters like speed. This method is not recommended but is very easy to do and does not require additional know-how or skill, but the production cycle improvement can still be considerable.

Figure 2: Cutting path with new equipment can increase corner speeds, improve quality and is reproducible

Additional to the improvement in cycle time due to the higher moment of the motor, a well designed grinding path can add considerable cycle time advantages. Together with using two bridge cutting and direct drive grinders, the cycle time can come from 27 seconds for a windshield down to 16 seconds, for the same design.

Higher torque and higher accuracy allow on polar machine to increase the diameter range. Not only windshields for trucks and busses but also solar glasses or other high end glass with diagonals up to 3.6m are possible to grind with accuracies below 0.1mm around the whole circumference. This accuracy can be achieved with low cost process due to low cycle times, automotive approved equipment and low cost consumables.
 

Figure 3: Trajectory speed of the grinding wheel center

Commercial applications
The investment is not much different than in the past, but the cycle times improve a lot on the same production space. This alone can justify a replacement of machines. Higher torque motors allow running the grinders faster and more accurate. Adding the possibility to use the tolerance band in improving cycle time gives more flexibility. The decision to invest in accurate or fast equipment has not to be taken anymore. The equipment can be bought and during the time of use switched by parameters to either use the machine in a mode with very low tolerances or in a mode with very high precision.

A company can start of in producing replacement glass with very high output and low cost for example and switch for other projects to OEM manufacturing parameters with high machine and process capabilities and insuring six sigma tolerances or more. The characteristic of the equipment can cater for different markets and customers by simply pushing a button or by an intelligent design. Using this way also small companies can invest and be sure, that the equipment keeps its value for all future ventures and supports future expansions. For solar glass new dimensions of accuracy can be achieved by low costs. The flexibility is there to adjust in the future to all needs of forms or accuracy. Proven process capabilities are given out of the automotive industry.

With this equipment producing changing models is possible without making test glasses. It is possible to change from one model to the next, without wasting one glass and without tweaking parameters. Change over time is dramatically reduced and lower skilled personal can handle the machines.

Figure 4: Example of a new automotive glass preprocessing equipment – champ’speed-line of Bystronic glass

Conclusion – Limitations and things to consider
Due to the fact, that the machine does what the program defines, it means that a form has to be defined 100% correctly. The machine follows the drawing exactly. The CAD-drawing must include all detail and the transition from one drawing element to the next. Transitions of elements have to be correct and tangents have to be handled with care and accuracy. This higher demand in designing capabilities might allow to reduce the capabilities of the machine operator.

About Bystronic Glass
Bystronic glass is the most competent and reliable partner for services, machinery, plants and systems in the glass processing sector. Bystronic glass supplies its well-proven machine technologies also in important areas of the photovoltaic industry. This includes preprocessing, front-end and back-end solutions. Bystronic glass is an international brand with globally operating companies that support their customers on site and through own sales and service companies. Since 1994, Bystronic glass is part of the Conzzeta AG, a renowned Swiss industrial holding company.

Source: Glass on Web


Additional Information:

• Bystronic Glass

Keeping high-performance electronics cool

Engineerblogger
Jan 30, 2012

The development of sophisticated electronics using high-performance computer chips that generate much more heat than conventional chips is challenging scientists to come up with a new type of compact cooling system to keep temperatures under control.

For the past few years, a collaborative team of engineers and other scientists from academia and industry has been investigating an advanced cooling system for electric and hybrid cars as well as computers and telecommunications systems, particularly for military use in radar, lasers, and electronics in aircraft.

The technology, which is capable of handling roughly 10 times the heat generated by conventional chips, is a device, called a vapor chamber, using tiny copper spheres and carbon nanotubes to passively wick a coolant toward hot electronics, according to Suresh V. Garimella, the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

The current thermal solution it would replace is typically a solid heat spreader using solid aluminum and copper to conduct heat, an approach inadequate for removing large amounts of heat in powerful electronics components while maintaining low operating temperatures.

A Passive System

The vapor chamber comes in the same form factor as a solid heat spreader, says Dr. Garimella, but "The working fluid contained inside continuously undergoes [evaporation] at the heat source to more efficiently remove heat than is possible by devices that rely on conduction alone."

An advantage of vapor chambers compared to other high-performance cooling technology alternatives is that a vapor chamber is a completely passive system. According to Dr. Garimella, "It can…operate continuously without any additional pumps or valves. Such passive systems are associated with high reliability. Active cooling options which allow for high heat dissipation, such as forced liquid cooling, require an external fluid flow system including a separate pump and condenser, adding to the solution cost and size."

Much of the work is being conducted at the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center's Cooling Technologies Research Center, established by Dr. Garimella at Purdue.

Integrating Nanostructures

After publishing its findings last year about the effects of conventional sintered powder copper structures on the performance of a vapor-chamber cooling technology, the team is preparing to report on the feasibility of integrating nanostructures, specifically carbon nanotubes, into the devices to further improve performance. These results and proposed techniques for integrating carbon nanotubes into vapor chambers are expected to be published in the near future, says Dr. Garimella.

"The next step is to experimentally investigate the performance enhancement provided by integration of carbon nanotubes into vapor chambers," he says. "Another critical step in converting performance enhancements observed in the lab to actual devices is to develop engineering models and methods that allow accurate prediction of device performance for specific applications."

When the program, which is being funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is completed at the end of this year, the hope is that there will be transition to actual applications, especially for the Department of Defense, where there is significant need, says Dr. Garimella.

Source: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)