The Cascade Gear developed at KTH can do more than convert waves into energy. Empty container handlers like this one could save energy and become more productive.
Out on the ocean, a rack and pinion Cascade Gear solution is making wave energy farming more cost-effective and productive, thanks to technology from the Department of Machine Design at KTH. But that’s not all the Cascade Gears can do. Two masters’ students at KTH, Linn Sevefjord and Karl Bergqvist, examined other ways this solution could be applied — and the results are pretty awesome.
Combined with a motor, the gearbox forms an electromechanical actuator. And when this actuator is applied to a nine-ton forklift, it can decrease energy usage by 52 percent, while increasing productivity by 1 percent. If used to drive an empty container handler, the results get even better, with potentially 52 percent energy saved and an increase in productivity by 9.6 percent.
From the solar death ray that Archimedes deployed at the Siege of Syracuse, to modern-day photovoltaic cells, the sun has been a source of power that humans have developed continually. Now, we’re raising the bar. Take a look inside KTH’s new Solar Lab — one of only a handful of indoor solar laboratories in the world which high flux solar research is performed.
And heres a neat little interactive tool from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which you can use to check out the wave power density during different months off the Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. To see the global distribution of wave energy potential check out This report from the 29th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering.
When we admire great machines, we too often overlook the contribution of the gears. These hardy wheels are unsung heroes of machinery — so undervalued by popular imagination that they inspired the woeful saying: “I’m just a cog in the machine”.
But a well-designed gear system can make a huge difference. Take the recent advance in wave energy farming technology, for example.
One way to capture the energy of an ocean wave is by using a buoy. This approach is known in the wave industry as a “point absorber”. The buoy bobs up and down (see video at the bottom) with the movement of the waves and the motion propels gears down below that drive a generator.
In one of the most cost-effective wave farming systems yet introduced, a rack and pinion gear is taking on this task and helping increase energy output by a factor of 5. The CorPower wave energy converter’s “cascade gear” was designed with the help of researchers at KTH. And the system recently won an innovation award from MIT.
The idea of a rack and pinion gear is that it can convert rotational motion into linear motion, and vice versa.
Think of a rack and pinion steering system. You rotate the steering wheel and at the end of the steering column is a pinion, or cogwheel, which meshes with a rack aligned with the axle. Turning the wheel then moves the axle in a horizontal motion, from side to side.
In the CorPower wave conversion system, the rack is pushed up and down by the buoy bobbing on the waves. This action then moves eight small gear wheels. The secret to the cascade gear design is how the pinions and the gears work together along with flexing units. Eight pinions share the force from the rack, which is evenly distributed. The system then can handle high forces and high velocities at the same time. The high velocity is transferred to high rotational speeds of the pinions. It’s also highly efficient.
A night at the pub could backfire in more ways than you think. Besides waking up with a hangover, you may also have provided the government or insurance companies with data they can use in ways you might not like.
That’s because, as KTH’s expert on web privacy, Professor Gerald Q. “Chip” Maguire explains, you give up more than your money when you make purchases by mobile phone or bank card.
Maguire, who says he avoids even using a mobile phone and recommends paying in cash, points out that every non-cash transaction sends a new stream of personal data to, potentially, the government, insurance companies and anyone else who wants to know more about you.
Targeted marketing is the most visible sign that we’re being tracked, but Maguire sees another, more troubling trend. “The social control increases with the computerization of society,” he says.
“Merchants can target direct marketing to you, or sell information to others. But that’s not all. Maguire warns against what he calls “Homeland Health Care” — a reference to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Imagine the invasiveness of NSA data mining being applied to the health system. Health authorities can use your transactions data to make judgements about whether you’re risking your health by what you eat and drink.
But if that doesn’t bother you, remember that if the cash register at the pub is connected to the tax authority, as it is in Sweden and other countries, the government can assemble a record of your purchases and surreptitiously assess the accuracy of your income tax reporting.
Besides, when you pay with cash, you’re able to leave a tangible tip to your server. They might appreciate that.
David Callahan
Professor Gerald Q. “Chip” Maguire explains “Homeland Health Care in this video clip.
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