The Pelton Turbine (Pelton water wheel): The Past and Future of Hydroelectric Power

The world’s supply of fossil fuels such as coal and oil is rapidly depleting. At the same time, we are become more aware of the large toll that the use of these fossil fuels is taking on our environment. Not only do they contribute to increased pollution and carbon dioxide levels but mining practices required to tap these sources are often devastating.As a result, the need for environmentally friendly, renewable power sources becomes more evident every day. One of the most exciting and widely used forms of alternate energy is hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power is known to be a clean and renewable resource with many benefits.

From nearly the dawn of recorded time, mankind has sought to find ways to utilize the power of water. We have used it for travel, for processing our grain, and for sanitation.  The use of water wheels to generate primitive forms of hydroelectric power dates back to ancient civilizations in Greece and Rome. Since its inception, hydroelectric power has proven to be very valuable and modifications and improvements h

What Is Industrial Chemistry?

Before we define industrial chemistry, it may be helpful to know that the development of industrial chemistry started when a need to know how various chemicals are produced in much more than the laboratory scale, arose.  Chemistry knowledge was applied to furnish the rapidly expanding chemical industries with ''recipes'' which we now call chemical processes. Industrial chemistry keeps up with the progress in science and technology. It incorporates other emerging disciplines such as biotechnology, microelectronics, pharmacology and material science. The discipline is also concerned with economics and the need to protect the environment.

We define industrial chemistry as the branch of chemistry which applies physical and chemical procedures towards the transformation of natural raw materials and their derivatives to products that are of benefit to humanity.

Classical chemistry (organic, inorganic and physical chemistry) is very essential for advancing the science of chemistry by discovering and reporting new products, routes and techniques. On the other hand industrial chemistry helps us to close the gap between classical chemistry as it is taught in colleges and universities, and chemistry as it is practiced commercially. The scope of industrial chemistry therefore includes:

·     The exploitation of materials and energy in appropriate scale

·     Application of science and technology to enable humanity experiences the benefits of chemistry in areas such as food production, health and hygiene, shelter, protection, decoration, recreation and entertainment.

787 Dreamliner vs A380 : cockpit comparison

Airbus and Boeing have gone toe-to-toe in the battle of the giant airliners, but how do the respective cockpits compare? Aerospace-technology.com delves into the flight decks on-board both the 787 A380 and Dreamliner, to compare and contrast the technology implemented to redefine the future's airline pilots.

The rivalry between Airbus and Boeing, the chief competitors for the passenger airline market, has only been exacerbated by the launch of their comparatively-sized new age airliners. Despite Boeing's numerous problems in launching the Dreamliner, it has still gone toe-to-toe with Airbus' A380 airliner at every turn, competing for orders across the globe.

While this competition has led to both aircraft being compared to each other in terms of passenger comfort, environmental and economical efficiency, little attention has been paid to the design features included by Boeing and Airbus for the benefit of those tasked with flying the aircraft.

With new technology, innovative designs and the return of favoured features, the cockpits and flight decks of the Dreamliner and A380 have been produced to make piloting passengers to their destinations as pain-free as possible.

A380 flight displays

The Airbus A380 cockpit has eight 15x20cm LCD displays

Perhaps the most noticeable innovation in the Airbus A380 cockpit has been the introduction of a total of eight 15x20cm interchangeable LCD displays. The system consists of two primary flight displays, two navigation displays, an engine parameter display, one system display and two multifunction displays which can be customised to cater for the pilot's preference.

Solid Edge

Solid Edge is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software. It runs on Microsoft Windows and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers, designers and drafters. Through third party applications it has links to many other Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) technologies.

Originally developed and released by Intergraph in 1996 using the ACIS geometric modeling kernel it later changed to using the Parasolid kernel. In 1998 it was purchased and further developed by UGS Corp (the purchase date corresponds to the kernel swap).

In 2007, UGS was acquired by the Automation & Drives Division of Siemens AG. UGS company was renamed Siemens PLM Software on October 1, 2007. Since Sep 2006 Siemens also offers a free 2D version called Solid Edge 2D Drafting.

Solid Edge is a direct competitor to SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor.

        

New Bridge Can Be Built In Two Weeks

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2008) — With new bridge-building materials, industrial production methods, and an efficient construction process, it will be possible to start using a bridge only two weeks after construction starts on the site. This is shown in a new dissertation from Chalmers University of Technology.

---

A pilot study of the new bridge concept, the i-bridge, is included in Peter Harryson’s doctoral dissertation in concrete construction at Chalmers. The bridge consists of extremely light sections that are assembled on site. The load-bearing parts consist of v-shaped fiberglass beams that are reinforced with carbon fibers on the underside. The beams interact with a thin bridge deck that is prefabricated out of steel-fiber-reinforced cement with extremely high strength. Since these materials are very durable, they are advantageous in a life-cycle perspective, and they are highly suitable for industrial construction. However, these materials are not in use in the new construction of bridges today.