Using The Sun’s Energy In A New Way

In the process of doing research for an article I did on solar green products, I came across the Stirling air engine. The engine was once called a hot air engine because it requires no internal diesel or fuel to run. Let’s take a deeper look at this unique engine that requires no fuel and has recently been adapted for use on solar collector dishes.

This system is not new; it was originally conceived in 1816 as an industrial rival to the steam engine. It has been largely underutilized for the past century. With the need for renewable energy sources caused by the overuse of the fossil fuels interest has resurged in solar designs, and it is now being designed into many new solar collector systems.

The Stirling engine has many different designs, some more efficient than others. Some designs use the two cylinder Alpha design, some the Beta single cylinder design and some the Gamma design (a variation of the beta for use in multiple cylinder applications). The beta Sterling design has a single chamber with two pistons and uses a highly efficient regenerator gas as the thermal conductor.

The operation of the Stirling engine is not complex, it only requires an external heat source. Some heat sources have been fuel, while some solar designs use a Fernell lens, and the latest source is large parabolic mirrors.

Operation is simple: the gases are heated by an external source, causing the hot gas to move toward a cold chamber, in the process, a piston is driven and a flywheel rotated. To put it simply, movement is achieved from heat expansion. A few knock-offs of the Stirling engines are small enough to fit in your hand. Others system are designed to drive electrical generators. They are a about the size of a fifty-gallon drum.

The system is ideal when a concentrated heat source is applied, in this case sunlight. The sunlight is collected with parabolic mirrors and focused on to the surface of the hot chamber, causing the chamber to be heated and the engine to start. This temperatures can be very high. You know this from, when as a child, you took a magnifying glass and focused it on a piece of paper. When done correctly the paper would get dark and then a flame would appear.

The engine and support equipment is contained in a package small enough to be suspended from the end of a metal arm, much like the design of satellite TV systems but on a much larger scale. Some systems are producing 25K watts of power and have been installed and operational for a couple of years.

I will compare the different solar technologies in a later article. For now, I need to lay a foundational understanding of each of the green products used to produce power so a comparison can be made.

Michael

Common Paint and Finish Strippers Used In Woodworking

Back in the old days, the paints woodworkers use contain lead which is dangerous. These days, the paints and paint strippers we use are much more safer.

One of the most important things to remember is always read the instructions on any of the products. Don?t assume because you have used one manufacturers product that they are all the same. Also always use good ventilation as most often the fumes can be very harmful.

As we said, misuse of these products can be very detrimental to ones health. The most common ingredient is Methylene Chloride and is most often found in paint and varnish strippers. It is toxic and may be a carcinogen. It should not be used by people with heart problems because it makes the heart work hard. It forms carbon monoxide in the blood through metabolism. Products containing this ingredient should not be used by people with heart ailments. It comes in various strengths and may be a liquid or a paste.

Acetone, Toluene and Methanol or ATM are usually found in Lacquer thinner. As a combination, they are very aggressive. These types of strippers work well on old paints and finishes. Although they are in a sense safer to use, as they don?t have the health concern that MC has caution is still important. They are a source of air pollution and they are flammable. If the particular brand you are using contains alkali then it will stain some hardwoods.

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone works slower and not as effective on epoxy, polyester or baked coatings. Di-basic esters are the least effective of them all that we have mentioned so far.

NMP/DBE Combo strippers are now becoming popular as the DBE reduces the cost compared to the NMP.

NMP and DBE for finish removal. NMP/DBE combination strippers are generally less toxic although some manufacturers will add solvents such as xylene, which makes them toxic, air polluting, and flammable.

Lye is Sodium Hydroxide works well but is dangerous to work with.

Ammonia Hydroxide is used to fortify and strength the solvents.

There are new products coming out on the market all the time. The best solution is to ask the supplier where you are purchasing your products, which is the best to use for the particular task you are facing. Once he has made his recommendations read the label before buying. Now that you have an understanding of some of the ingredients, you will understand the safety issues that are involved. If there are, ingredients that we have not mentioned here then take the time to list them and review them before purchasing the product. Although these are wonderful products, your health and safety are the major concern. They have been allowed on the open market provided they are labeled with explicit instructions as to their use. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to follow all instructions to ensure your safety. If you are not sure about an ingredient then research it well. There should be ample information on the internet concerning it.

How To Fix Drywalls Holes - Woodworking Plans

Fixing holes in drywall is easily than you think. In this article, I will guide you through it.

Start by cutting the hole. No this isn?t a typing error, you must even off the edges. You need to feel around the inside of the hole to ensure that the plaster is still in tact. If its not then you must cut the hole big enough to get rid of all that cracked stuff. Otherwise, the repair will be weak because the thickness will be uneven. Now once you have done this you should have a fairly clean hole to start working on.

Now you will need to make use of some backer boards. This can just be some lightweight scrap wood lying around and you just screw into the drywall.

Now you need a piece of scrap drywall as well. Don?t go and buy a full sheet just for this little repair. Check out at your local hardware store they most likely will have some scraps they will give you. Once again, attach this with drywall screws into the backer board.

Using some self-adhesive fiberglass tape apply it over the area of the patch. Now you are ready to apply the plaster, which is called mud by the way. You don?t need a large container of it either. An average size hole can be easily patched with a small container of it. You will need a 6-inch drywall knife to apply the mud properly. Don?t put it on too thick. That?s the layman?s way and you will be sorry because you will have a lot of extra work ahead of you if your. Apply the coat as evenly as possible and extend a little bit beyond the perimeters of the repairs.

Now you can do one of two things. Take a break and let it dry, which will be about eight hours or get the job done and dry it quickly. A hair dryer works perfect for this.

Now comes a little bit of elbow work because you have to sand it. Use a sanding block for this to get an even sand. Now if your first coat was thin you may get away with just doing one more coat and repeat the same procedure. Finally wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth and you are ready to paint it. If you don?t have, any of the wall paint on hand then take a sample from the damaged wall piece to the hardware store and they should be able to match it. If you can still see the lines where you applied the mud then you will need to apply more mud and re-sand. Then it should be as good as new.

New Unique Solar Design Is Highly Efficient

At Green Products, we have come across a product from Cool Earth: Solar Balloons. Cool Earth was created with the mandate of producing electricity using solar power, specifically solar cells. Solar power is not a new concept, but how the sunlight is collected and concentrated is truly unique.

One of the areas of concern with the current flat-panel solar design is cost. Flat-panel designs require metal cases, rigid mounting hardware, heavy glass and large amounts of cell material. The cost per watt for solar panels is generally 5 to 7 times greater than conventional power plants. This is no longer true with the solar balloon system.

One side of the balloon is made from reflective silver Mylar plastic. The other half is transparent to allow in sunlight. The silver material is parabolic-shaped to concentrate the sunlight on to a single point to achieve maximum light concentration. This is why high performance solar cells are used.

With the new design comes and the ability to increase sunlight concentration and reduce expensive solar cell material by 300 to 400 times. This cost reduction will bring the price down to a mere one dollar per watt. To give that some context: a typical flat-panel PV(photovoltaic) system on a residential rooftop is about seven to eight dollars per watt.

The basic structure of each orb is simple. It has a lightweight circular metal frame with an arm that holds the solar cells near the top of the clear side of the orb. Even though the balloon is eight feet in diameter, the frame is the only rigid component of the basic design. It connects to a point where external hardware is attached for mounting.

One of the areas under consideration is the need to add more peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants. A peaker plant is operational only when demand for electricity is at the greatest, like during the hot summer months. This green product could be used to eliminate rolling brown outages that we have encountered in the past few years.

At Green Products, one of the most interesting aspects we see is the way the system is brought together to create a solar power plant and the near elimination of physical limitations on plant installations. Check it out.

Michael

The Paso Fino Horse Gait Makes For A Fun Ride

As a horse lover, I appreciate breeds that have a naturally smooth gait. When I first came across this horse, it was one of the things that really was appealing to me. The Paso Finos are naturally gifted riding with a nice smooth gait.

In case you don’t know, a horse’s gait is the way that it moves. In determining a horse’s gait, you look at the pattern, speed, positions, and the sequence of steps that a horse takes while it is moving. The Paso Fino is special in the fact that it has a unique pattern of foot movements that give it a very smooth ride. You won’t see this horse bounding its rider up-and-down as it moves.

You can hear the individual hooves in Paso’s 1-2-3-4 gait as the horse moves. It kind of reminds me of the riderless horse that rides at the funerals of presidents when they die. Granted it is different, but in my mind it has a stately feel to it. When riding a Paso Fino horse, it almost makes me feel like royalty.

Called an “ambling” gait, the Paso’s gait is a intermediate gait that is faster than a walk but slower than a canter. As its feet walk, you will notice they move in what is called a “lateral” motion where the front and hind hooves move in sequence to one another.

In the Paso Fino gait, there are names for the 3 speeds to its gait. Listed from slowest to fastest, there is the paso fino, paso corto, and paso largo. There is also another one referred to as the Paso Llano and is unique to the Peruvian Paso.

There are many competitions that show the excellence in Paso Fino training. In competition, performance Paso Finos are much more animated in their leg motions and much faster while keeping their 4-beat gait. It is really a sight to see. To many, the gait looks like a well orchestrated hat dance by the horse… and I guess you could say that is true. All I can say is simply amazing.

Even if you’re not looking to get started in Paso Fino competitions and just need a good horse to ride, the Paso Fino makes an excellent horse to own. Have fun and go ride a Paso!