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Category Archives: Technology
Fluorescents-4A: Flicker and UV
This is the fourth post in a series about compact fluorescent lights (CFL). We look at a number of different issues that have been raised, some may be true problems, some almost certainly are not “show stopper” issues. CFLs will … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged Bob Tadeschi, CFL, flicker, Fluorescent, incandescent, new york times, NYT, UV
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Fluorescents-3: Not as bright as you think
Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are mandated for the US market starting in January 2012. These bulbs certainly have good press; they are reputed to do wonderful things, nice green attributes. Here, we discuss probably the most serious problem with the … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged CFL, CFL brightness, CFL lumens, CFL policy, Fluorescent, incandescent, lumen depreciation, lumen maintenance
1 Comment
Farewell to American Manned Space Operations
Yet another chapter in U.S. technical excellence has closed. What have we lost? What have we accomplished? What will we do? This last flight of the Atlantis provides a reason to review the melancholy history of one of our greatest … Continue reading
Fluorescents-2: Lifetime
Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are mandated for the US market starting in January 2012. These bulbs certainly have good press; they are more efficient, last forever, give nice bright light, and modern CFLs can be dimmed and will turn on … Continue reading
Fluorescent-1: Efficiency
What’s not to like about compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)? They use less energy than incandescent light bulbs (ILBs), they are cheaper in the long run, they put out lighting with selectable hues, they are environmentally friendly, and they are directly … Continue reading
Fusion, Seawater and Stewart Prager’s OpEd
Interesting Op Ed piece in the 2011 Jul 11 New York Times by Dr. Stewart Prager on the status and potentials for fusion power. Dr. Prager is the Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL); he does a good … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged DIII-D, Fusion, Fusion Reactor, General Atomics, ITER, JET, new york times, Plasma Physics, PPPL, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Stewart Prager
3 Comments
LISA goes the way of all US tech
On April 6, 2011, the US admitted once again that it would not keep international technology commitments and withdrew from the LISA project (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) a cooperative agreement with ESA, (the European Space Agency) LISA was to be … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged David Kramer, ESA, gravity waves, LISA, LLNL, Lunar landing, MFTF-B, Moon walk, NASA, Physics Today, Saturn V, Skylab
1 Comment
Japanese energy decision time
The news has been full of the Japanese problem. Reuters and others have been all over Yahoo this week and related news outlets. Not the Fukushima fuel melt problems a couple months back, those were disturbing enough, but perfectly predictable. … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged alternative power, Fukishima, Japan, LNG, nuclear power, solar, wind
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Is there enough Uranium ore to do the job?
In a recent post, Nuclear Decisions-4, we examined whether nuclear power might be able to replace all other forms of power generation. Our answer? No, we will run out of fuel immediately we were to try. That answer assumes … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged coal, energy, fission, General Atomics, HTGR, LEU, Light Water Reactor, nuclear fuel, petroleum, reactor, resource, spent fuel, transmutation, uranium
6 Comments
Nuclear Decisions 4 – What does it all mean?
The world is in the middle of a crisis concerning nuclear energy. Fukushima, reprocessing breaches, loss of coolant, fuel melts, release of radioactives into the environment – a host of nuclear hobgoblins beat about our heads, screech our ears. Are … Continue reading
Nuclear Decisions 3 – Spent Fuel
Can nuclear reactor waste and spent fuel from nuclear power plants be rendered harmless to the Earth environment? The first post in this sequence, Decisions-1, brought up the two top-most safety issues that are associated with nuclear reactors, (1) loss … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged Chernobyl, cooling pool, dry cask, Fukishima, Light Water Reactor, LOCA, MOX, nuclear waste, spent fuel, transmutation, UOX, wet wood burner, Yucca Mountain
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Nuclear Decisions 2 – The LOCA issue
Why are nuclear reactors not invulnerable to loss of coolant accidents? A previous post, Decisions-1, asked whether or not the power industry anywhere should use the nuclear option to generate power, thus freeing that country from coal or petroleum dependency. … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged 3 Mile Island, BWR, CANDU, Fukishima, General Atomics, HTGR, Light Water Reactor, LOCA, PWR, spent fuel, TRIGA
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Fukushima and Reactor Decisions 1
Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex has been headline news since the earthquake and tsunami led to a partial melt of the enriched uranium fuel in at least one of its reactors. How we humans have used energy generation technology is … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged 3 Mile Island, BWR, Chernobyl, Fermi 1, fission, Fukishima, Light Water Reactor, LOCA, PWR, reactor, spent fuel
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Bill Nelson and the 3 product arttributes
New York Times yesterday had a Science Times article by Kenneth Chang on NASA’s plight. There are many issues that need careful examination to understand the 40-year mess our country is in. But this post is to make a single … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged Bill Nelson, budget, economics, NASA, new york times, space
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