Sudheendra Dhulipala's Blog
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
With an aim to improve the efficiency of the present turbines and hence reduce the consumption of fuel, a UK company Numerics Technology has designed a turbine which gives 20 per cent more efficiency than normal turbines.
By this improvement in turbine design, not just the automotive market, but also the marine, road and rail market benefit. While the normal turbines function under constant pressure, the rotary internal combustion turbine or RICT functions under constant volume.
The benefits of using these turbines are:
a) They have fewer parts as compared to piston engines. So the cost of maintenance and the cost of manufacture are less.
b) Since they contain fewer parts, they function for a longer period without problems and their lifespan is more.
c) The currently used piston engines have only an efficiency of about 25 per cent. These new RICT engines have an efficiency of nearly 50 to 60 per cent.
d) When the efficiency is greater, the fuel consumption is reduced and so is the problem of pollution.
This turbine is different from the normal turbines in the sense that it uses much higher temperatures and pressures for functioning normally. It can also run on a wide range of liquid and gaseous fuels.
The design of the turbines makes it safe to use with all kinds of fuels, removing any fears of vehicle parts getting thrown out.
The engine is presently suitable for running at low speeds only, but soon it will be developed to run as the same speed as the other vehicles. Hence, both the needs for greater energy and better fuel efficiency will be solved.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Researchers at the Wake Forest University have succeeded in manufacturing solar cells of plastic which have an efficiency of slightly over 6 per cent.
The problem presently used solar cells have is that they are made of silicon, which is an extremely bulky and inflexible. They are also very expensive. In order to counter these problems, researchers have to working hard to create cells out of inexpensive organic materials that can be even wound around circular surfaces.
Up until now, the cells made of plastic could only provide an efficiency of up to 3 per cent. This was way too low as compared to the 12 per cent efficiency that silicon cells provide.
Great strides have been made in research relating to solar cells. Clearly, this progress can be linked to the urgent need to find an alternate source of energy that is cheaper and pollution free.
Solar energy is suited for most purposes but the problem with this energy is that the efficiency of devices used to harness it was very low. Hence, people now are working to build devices that capture this energy in a better way.
Another advantage of the plastic solar cells is that they are extremely light. Hence, the structure of the body or place where these are used need not be reinforced to make them capable of holding these cells, like for silicon panels.
By using solar cells, the sunlight is converted into electricity and is used for various purposes. With the emergence of more efficient plastic cells, even smaller automobiles have become capable of harnessing this energy.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Scientists at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory of pulsed neutron and muon source ISIS are in the process of finding newer ways to hold hydrogen fuel for vehicles.
At present, hydrogen fuel requires extremely large tanks for holding the fuel required for supplying energy to hydrogen vehicles. Moreover, the fuel also has to be compressed before being stored in these tanks. Due to this reason, a large amount of fuel has to be carried, and a greater quantity than usual has to be used in providing energy to move the heavier vehicle.
But now, scientists at the facility are trying to study potential lightweight materials which are capable of storing hydrogen at the atomic level. The requirements of this material are that it should absorb and release hydrogen quickly and should also be stable at a temperature of around 100°C. The materials should also have lesser tendency to leak out.
The materials selected should be stable under various pressures and at various temperatures. The material should also have enough volume to expand and hold the hydrogen atoms. At present, tests are being carried out on alloys of underweight metals like lithium, boron or magnesium. Another potential metal is zeolite, a highly porous metal.
Since hydrogen is being stored at the atomic level now, it is held both by physical and chemical bonds. According to the scientists, the bonds need to be just strong enough to prevent the gas from leaking out. If the bond is too weak, the gas leaks out easily and if it is too strong, there will be a difficulty in releasing the hydrogen gas properly.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Recent advances in the field of chemical engineering have aided the development of new treatments for various diseases. One among these diseases is cancer. Anticancer drugs have been a reason for concern in the recent days. The solubility of these drugs is low, which makes the process of adding solvents to them mandatory. These solvents dilute the drugs, reduce their potency and even make them toxic.
Researchers from the ULCA’s California Research Institute working in coordination with Jonsson Cancer center have created a new drug delivery system that overcomes these problems. By slight manipulation of silica based nanoparticles to increase their delivering capacity, insoluble drugs can easily be delivered to the cancer cells for treatment.
The anticancer drug on which this test was performed is camptothecin. This study was headed by Fuyu Tamanoi and Jeffery Zink of the ULCA. In this method, insoluble anticancer drugs were embedded into the pores of nanoparticle materials and transported to the cancer affected cells to have an immediate impact on them. Hence, these particles are being used as vehicles to transport the drug to the infected cells.
The invention of the new drug delivery method creates hope for the success of treatment with camptothecin, which is the most effective of all the anticancer drugs. This drug is insoluble in its original form and hence had to be mixed with solvents to increase its effect on infected cells.
With the newly invented process, this drug can be transported to the targeted organs or cells through mesoporous silica nanoparticles. With further manipulation, the release of these drugs from the nanoparticle surface can also be controlled.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Many drivers unintentionally pollute the atmosphere with their inefficient driving. For all such drivers, a new device is being designed which will tell them how to correct their driving so as to make it more efficient and pollution-free.
This device is being developed by a team led by Brunel University in the UK along with Sussex Police Authority, the Institute for Advanced Motorists, Transport for London, Nissan and TRW Conekt.
The aim of this project is to bring changes in the driver behavior over a period of time. Using this device regularly will help drivers modify their driving styles to minimize sudden breaking and sudden acceleration actions. By doing so, pollution from traffic will be reduced and driving will become safer.
The device will give immediate feedback to the driver on his display panel. Data can also be collected by the sensors and be reviewed after the journey.
The team will review different driving styles which are fuel-efficient and also safe. A prototype model of the device will be developed and put for testing in real driving conditions.
This device can prove extremely beneficial given that the number of accidents have been increasing rapidly in the recent days. And then, there is also the issue of green house gas emissions and global warming.
By making the drivers switch to a more efficient method of driving, the researchers believe that they can reduce congestion on roads and also reduce anxiety during driving. This project is scheduled to start in July and will involve a number of partners playing different roles in its completion.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
With the problem of congestion in orbits on the rise, new technology is being developed to aid the decongestion process. The idea is to use micro electric propulsion thrusters to bring satellites safely down to Earth, allowing them to burn up in the lower atmosphere.
These thrusters being designed by Surrey Satellite Technology (SST) are presently intended only for the small satellites. The main aim of this project is to help control overcrowding in the low-Earth-orbit band between 700km and 900km.
The current problem is that the old satellites remain in orbit for decades before being pulled down by the earth’s gravity. When this happens, they not only clog important orbits but also cause damage to the working satellites in the same orbit by colliding with them.
Using this technology can give small satellite greater mobility and enable us to bring them into the lower atmosphere to burn up on re-entry. The electric thrusters can also help us put small satellite into outer orbits without the need to add additional fuel. Researchers at SST aim to use a pulsed plasma thruster for this experiment.
The pulsed plasma thruster derives its energy by converting the energy from the solar panels and storing it in a battery. The main factor here is the efficiency with which the solar panels can convert the sunlight falling on them into energy.
According to the researchers, the electric thruster technology is far more efficient than the chemical thruster technology. It consumes less space and hence provides more space for adding other components to the space craft.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Researchers at the University of Buffalo and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) have discovered a new method to minimize the impact of earthquakes on bridges. The testing performed by UB's Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL) on a bridge model could soon be implemented for real bridges.
The plan is not to provide stronger ground attachments for the bridge, but to make them more resistant to earthquakes by attaching them with footings that enable them to jump a few feet in the air when an earthquake occurs.
Doing this has a number of benefits:
a) By jumping up in the air when the earthquake occurs, the bridges avoid the complete transmission of the earthquake vibrations to the bridge.
b) The bridges jump only a few inches off the ground for durations of less than a second. So its influence on the bridge is minimal.
c) The process of expanding, retrofitting and replacing the bridge parts much less expensive that it is with fixed footings.
Instead of try to make the bridge stronger, this method uses an unconventional type of thinking to minimize the impact of the earthquake on the bridge.
Since the bridge lifts only a few inches of the air, it comes back to its original position without any problem. Also, the time for which the bridge jumps depends on the dimensions with which the bridge is built. So this factor is very much controllable.
Devices called hysteretic or viscous dampers are attached to the base of the tower. This device absorbs some of the vibrations produced by the earthquake and also controls the amount of uplift the bridge experiences.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
A recent news release by the European Space agency has stated that a system of monitoring the flight approach and landing procedure is being tested.
This system has been put into operation with the help of European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), launched recently by the European Space Agency.
The different between the traditional ILS (Instrument Landing System) and EGNOS guidance systems is that where ILS issues guidance based on measurements made with reference to the ground, the EGNOS service issues vertical guidance through signals from the sky.
EGNOS tests have shown that the flights can adhere to the safety standards better when this system is used. The data that the pilots receive help them to align the flight with the axis of the runway and track their descent all the way down.
The advantages of EGNOS system are:
a) The data shown in the cockpit displays is same as that of the ILS system, eliminating any undue confusion.
b) It can provide vertical guidance for every runway and does not require installing any additional equipment.
c) Any aircraft can receive this information without having to change equipment.
d) Provides greater accuracy than the ILS system.
This system will soon be implemented for Air Traffic Control systems also. Currently in test phase, this system is scheduled to go completely operational in a few years. EGNOS is the first satellite navigational system, which was launched with intent to make air travel safer. Systems compatible with EGNOS have been installed in USA, Japan and India.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
A recent breakthrough in the field of electron flow management by scientists of National Physical Laboratory (NPL), UK and Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory could pave way for research into many other fields.
The device they’ve invented enables controlling the flow of electrons so as to manipulate their movement and hence obtain the desired result. This can have wide applications in fields ranging from digital communication to cancer treatment.
The device is made from gallium arsenide, which is used in satellite receivers and transistors. It consists of metallic contacts on top of the material. These contacts are used to create a force of attraction or deflection depending on the quality of the material on which the device is fixed.
Hence, if the material is pure, the deflection is less and if it’s impure, there is greater deflection. The quality of the material plays an important role in deciding the direction of flow of current.
Until this moment, there were devices to control the flow of small quantities of electrons only, but with this device it’s now possible to manipulate the flow of electron waves flowing at a high rate.
This method when fully developed can have good use in the design of computer systems. In the present generation of computer systems, the flow of electrons in and out of the processor is intermittent and random, which causes it to heat up excessively. But with this device in place, it will be possible to orient large quantities of electrons in an organized manner into the processor, which will speed up things and make them function better.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Wireless sensors in combination with magneto-rheological dampers can be helpful in limiting the damage from an earthquake. This was confirmed by Shirley J Dyke, an earthquake engineer at Washington University in St. Louis, after a successful laboratory experiment.
According to her, installing wireless sensors in building would wipe out the need to make major modifications to the structure of building in order to strengthen it and make it earthquake resistant. Wireless sensors are cheap and also easy to install.
This is how the system works:
When an earthquake occurs, the building sways to either side. This swaying is picked up by the sensors attached to the sides of the building and is converted into useful computer data. This data is then transmitted to the magneto-rheological dampers present inside the building structure in the form of electric signals to compensate for the swaying forces and maintain equilibrium.
The composition and working of the magneto-rheological dampers:
The magneto-rheological dampers compose of a liquid containing suspended iron particles. When these dampers receive the electric signal from the computer, the iron particles align themselves in a single direction so as to neutralize the forces produced by the swaying motion.
This method is the easier one because installing wireless sensors is easier than installing wires and cables through the building and connecting them with each other. The costs involved are also higher in this case.
With the structures getting bigger and taller year after year, it has become extremely important to find the right damping system to deal with earthquakes. Wireless damping system offers the best solution at a low cost.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Detecting the probable accident prone points on the major highways has now become easier. The Ohio State University scientists have developed computer software to help in this purpose.
The main function of this software is to analyze the traffic in the area, the road conditions and the weather conditions and predict the points on the roadway where the accidents can occur frequently.
Predicting their points plays an important role in accident prevention and rehabilitation of victims because help can be placed close by to reach the point swiftly. The software also takes into account common causes of accidents like speeding and alcohol consumption. For causes like cell phone distraction which are hard to predict, general assumptions or inputs are taken by the computer software.
The main requirement for this system to function properly is the availability of adequate data. Once the data is fed into the computer, it can make certain calculations by using each of the inputs as variables and give out the possible accident prone points.
This software is presently being tested in Ohio and its use will seen be expanded to other states also. The implementation and use of this software is being supervised by Christopher Holloman, associate director of the Statistical Consulting Service in Ohio State's Department of Statistics.
According to Holloman, the predictions made by this software will be of major help to the State Patrol and they can place their units accordingly in order to reach the points of accidents faster or minimize them to an extent.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
There’s now been a major breakthrough in an effort to reduce car accidents at night. The system which would be in production soon uses a digital camera and advanced lighting system to minimize the glare effect.
This was announced by the automotive lighting specialist Hella. The system known as the adaptive cut off line uses the infrared camera to scan the road for any approaching vehicles and adjusts the intensity of the headlight accordingly so as to reduce glare. This system can also switch between five pre-set lighting configuration depending on the weather conditions, speed of driving and road conditions.
According to Dr. Christian Damsel of Hella, driving with high beam lighting increases visibility and reduces the chances of accidents. But drivers use high beam for only 10% of their journey due to the fear of reducing the visibility for the approaching drivers. But with this system in place, the drivers can have their high beam lighting configuration up all the time and the headlights just adjust themselves when a car approaches.
In other words, the system cuts down the elements of the lighting that can cause a glare for the approaching driver. This systems also takes into accounts the terrain and the ups and down on the road while calculating the correct intensity of lighting. With this system in operation, the distance to which the low beam can increase visibility can also be increased effectively.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
To people living and working in big cities and noisy areas, there is some good news around the corner. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability in Darmstadt have devised a window that is capable of completing canceling out all types of noises.
Until now, the methods used were successful in blocking a few types of sound waves while the others were let to pass. Some of those successful blocked were transmitted through the attached materials. So the entire process was ineffective up to this moment. But now the windows that have been devised can not only block the sound waves but also prevent them from transmitting to the adjacent material and into the interior of the building from there.
This method uses piezoelectric crystals to produce opposing vibrations to those produced by the incoming sound waves. Due to this, both vibrations cancel out each other effectively and the sound is prevented from entering the building. Piezoelectric chips are attached to the frame of the building while deflect it slightly when noise waves hit it. So the sound waves cannot be transmitted to other parts of the window any more. These windows are equally effective against both high and low frequencies sound waves.
The research team was lead by Thilo Bein. According to him, the noise is not completely blocked, but the intensity of the noise is reduced to a great extent. He says that this type of windows is perfect for buildings situated close to airports, office building and apartment complexes.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Engineers at the University of Purdue have just found a way to convert biomass into liquid fuel. The process these engineers call ‘hybrid hydrogen-carbon process,’ or H2CAR was explained by Rakesh Agrawal, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue.
This process increases the efficiency of biofuel by suppressing the formation of carbon dioxide. For this purpose, hydrogen from a carbon free source like nuclear or solar energy is added at the time of gasification.
In the traditional methods, the biomass is firstly converted into carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the gasification stage. These components are then separated and converted into liquid fuel.
The H2CAR methods provides greater efficiency as carbon atoms present in the starting materials are not lost in this process. In the conventional process, usually 60 to 70 percent of the carbon atoms in the starting materials are lost. So this process reduces the wastage. As the formation of carbon dioxide is also suppressed, it prevents the emission of a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The volume of biofuel produced is also three times that produced from the biomass using conventional methods.
Researchers are now trying to use these methods to produce fuel that can drive all the automobiles. In the new future, biofuel will be available for use not only in cars and buses, but also in trains and aeroplanes. In times when there is a great scarcity of conventional fuels, this can provide an added benefit by supplying an alternate and also a pollution free source of energy.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
People have propagated the use of hydro power as an alternative source of energy for long. But a few recent discoveries have revealed a horrifying truth, a truth which many people would rather love to ignore as a lie.
Hydro power plants have been proved to be larger emitters of green house gases than the thermal plants themselves. While thermal plant emissions are mainly in the form of exhaust gases into the atmosphere, the hydro power plant emissions are through decomposition of vegetation submerged in their reservoirs by the bacteria.
This brings greater issues to the forefront. What about all those countries which have invested heavy in the generation of ‘Pure’ hydro power? Are we on the verge of a bigger green house disaster than that possible from vehicular and thermal plant emissions?
One of the main issues with hydro power plants in most countries is that they have been set up by submerging forests and other vegetations. When all this vegetation remains submerged under water for long periods of time, it will get decomposed by the action of bacteria and release methane, a very strong greenhouse gas. This being the case, the emissions from hydro plants would exceed those by any other source within a few years.
Another problem regarding emissions from hydro plants is that there are no fixed criteria to measure these emissions and cap them. Though the Kyoto Protocol offers beneficial carbon credits to those countries which regulate their hydro emissions well, there is no fixed rule to find out how emissions from hydro power plants really affect the atmosphere.
This problem must be resolved quickly before the matter goes out of hand.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Engineers at the North California State University have developed a process that can convert any fat source into aircraft fuel. This is a major boost in our search for alternate, non-polluting fuel sources.
This technology is called Centia. Centia can convert fatty materials into fuel of any kind and is patented by Diversified Energy Corp, a privately held Arizona company.
This process was developed by Dr. William Roberts of NC State along with Dr. Henry Lamb, and Dr. Larry Stikeleather also of NC State, and Tim Turner of Turner Engineering in Carrboro, N.C.
This process helps in better and cleaner combustion of the fuel and hence greater efficiency. No exhaust materials are released into the atmosphere. It utilizes even the components having lower energy content as compared to other processes which leave out such components.
The Centia process includes separation of fatty acids, decarboxylation, chain structure division and chemical tweaking of the chain to produce the desired fuel.
This fuel can be beneficial to the aviation sector in the sense that it provides a cheaper fuel source and apart from that, it is also non-polluting. Hence, they are an ideal alternative to reduce green house gas emissions.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
The efforts to find alternative modes of transport have been on the rise these days. The main reasons being – a) increase in the emission of green house gases from vehicles, and b) fast depleting natural fuel resources.
Another such step in search for alternate fuel vehicles is the electric scooter.
The production of Electric scooters was grown tremendously in the recent years. People prefer to charge their scooters rather than pay high prices for its fuel. It is a good thing in the sense that it helps to eliminate vehicle pollution to some extent.
Currently, GRO Design, an Anglo-Dutch company based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands has come up with a new model called the Scoot.
The Scoot is powered by removable lightweight lithium ion batteries that recharge within six hours. It has a number of advantages:
1) It is simple, stylish and cost-effective.
2) Apart from air pollution, it also helps to reduce noise pollution.
3) It acts as an alternative to the use of cars and reduces traffic congestion in cities.
4) It will not require a license, as it is being classified as a bicycle.
While the Scoot is being designed in a number of shapes and using different components, the design is proposed to be of less weight and hence will be easy to handle.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
If you were thinking all this while that the aviation sector is the main contributor to the global warming scenario, then it is about time you changed your opinion.
Recent studies conducted by the European academics and British Petroleum have revealed a staggering reality. In the near future, the carbon dioxide emissions from shipping could very well surpass that from the aviation sector. This increase can be attributed to the growth in trade between various countries of the world.
The study was conducted by the oil giant British Petroleum and researchers at the Institute of Physics and Atmosphere in Wessling, Germany. The study estimates that while the present 70,000 global fleet currently uses 200 million tonnes of fuel every year, this could very well increase to 350 million tonnes by the year 2020. The number of ships is also bound to increase and so will the emissions.
While most people argue against the liberalization of air sector, the actuality of the situation is that the air sector will fall behind in green house gas emissions when compared to the shipping sector very soon. The main cause of worry now is that the shipping sector emissions are not covered under the Kyoto protocol or any other global treaty that checks green house gas emissions.
As globalization leads to increase in trade, orders are being placed by all countries of the world for bigger and faster ships. If no emission strategy is put in place for the shipping sector soon, the emissions are estimated to rise by 72 per cent by 2020. This can cause serious problems for the environment and hence something needs to be worked out quickly.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
For many years, people have known about the harmful affect of heat on the computer chips. These chips start to emit more and more heat after they have been used for some time. If you are worried about your computer circuit chips getting over-heated with excessive use, then there is some good news for you.
Researchers from the universities of New Castle, Oxford and London South Bank from UK are in the process of developing a miniature refrigerator which can keep the chips cool. This mini refrigerator will be small enough in size to fit on top of the chip. Its low will also be less, making it easily accessible and affordable to the people.
The good thing about this project is that it is government funded. Dr Brian Agnew from Newcastle University's school of mechanical and systems engineering will be leading it. His team will consist of a few colleagues of high reputation from the other universities specified above.
Since this project will be conducted by eminent scientists from different universities working together on this project, it will give them a chance to use the technologies available to each university to attain success in this project.
The heat transfer system for this project will have to be effectively designed and built. The main objective of this system will be to extract all the heat from the chip surface and dissipate it in quick time. As the chip is extremely small in size, the components of the heat transfer system like evaporator, condenser and pump will also have to be designed and fit appropriately.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Vehicles could be running on farm wastes instead of petrol and diesel in the near future. This announcement was made by the researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) and Midwest Research Institute (MRI) in Kansas City very recently.
Specifications of the technology developed
The newly developed technology consists of carbon containers called briquettes having the capacity to store natural gas with volume many times their own, in the ratio of 180 to 1. These specially designed containers hold natural gas at required pressure for use in vehicles and hence show a chance for potential replacement of petrol very soon.
The main reason why natural gas was not used all these days was due to the reason that it required huge bulky tanks for its storage. It was not able to build these tanks into the car assembly properly. But now, being smaller in size, they can be fitted under the floor of the tank like the normal petrol tanks and hence their usage is bound to increase. Another factor benefiting the use of natural gas is its widespread availability and ease of manufacture.
Corn Wastes - The Future of Automobile Energy
The optimistic thing about these specially designed carbon containers is that they are manufactured from corn wastes, corncobs to be more particular. This break through is an encouraging one for the anti-CO2 campaign because it does not release any pollutants into the atmosphere and burns more cleanly. Another major advantage is that it is also cheaper than the traditional petrol and diesel.
While crude oil prices are touching the skies these days and are ever on the rising trend, this break through can bring major changes and have an impact on the global economy in a big way.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Solution to a major problem
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are on the verge of finding a solution to a problem that has been limiting the use of electric vehicles in normal start-stop conditions for a while now.
Functioning of Platinum catalyst
Electric cars presently use Platinum as a catalyst in the electric fuel cells. Platinum functions well in conditions of constant-speed driving but gets dissolved in start-stop driving conditions, hence comprising the efficiency of the electric cars.
To counteract this problem, scientists are trying to fit gold clusters to platinum electro catalysts to improve their performance. The gold clusters protect platinum from getting oxidized and hence from getting dissolved.
The scientists placed a single layer of copper with gold on carbon-supported platinum particles and subjected it to electric bursts of 1.2V, after which the gold changed into 3D clusters around the platinum catalyst particles. It was proved that oxidization of Platinum is lesser after observing the electrochemical process by sending X-ray probes.
Drawbacks of this process
As both gold and platinum are costly metals, the feasibility of this process is still being studied. However, since this method reduces the dissolution of platinum, it makes the electric vehicles usable in normal driving conditions and hence could help eliminate the problem of vehicular emissions.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
A lot of debate has been going on in the recent days as to whether the use of nuclear energy should be permitted for all countries.
The nuclear powers try to prevent the supply of nuclear fuel to some countries based on the reason that these countries may try to build nuclear weapons with the nuclear wastes. But the main concern now is whether we are fastening the depletion of natural fuel resources by not supplying nuclear fuel to these countries.
Many developing countries are undergoing rapid industrialization. So they will need a huge quantity of power of run their economies. These countries will satisfy their needs in one way or the other. If nuclear fuel is not given to them, they will purchase crude oil at an expensive price from other countries and fasten the depletion of natural fuel reserves.
On the other hand, if nuclear fuel is supplied to these countries, there will also be one additional benefit. The developing countries are fast becoming the highest emitters of green house gases into the atmosphere. If nuclear fuel is supplied to them, they will be able to produce pollution free power and also give a boost to their economy. As a result of this, the whole world can benefit.
So the only way out of this is that the developing countries must be made to deal with a few security measures put in place so that they don’t use these nuclear wastes to manufacture weapons. At the same time, they should not be asked to compromise with the security of their country, as every nation has a right to protect itself and its people.
Posted by Sudheendra Dhulipala
Industrialization and modernization have given rise to a major problem which the whole world is having to deal with at present. The release of high concentrations of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere cannot be left unchecked. The main types of greenhouse gases are carbondioxide, water vapor and compounds nitrogen.
The carbondioxide gas plays a major role in increasing the temperature of the earth's surface. It prevents the sun's rays reflected from the earth's surface from escaping back into space and brings about a temperature rise in the planet's average temperature. This gas is released mainly through vehicular emissions and industrial exhausts. As globalization and development make industrialization inevitable, experts all over the world are looking for newer ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Vehicular emissions
The first step at curbing vehicular emissions was taken a few years back when it was ensured that the fuel used in vehicles did not contain any lead compounds. Lead promotes incomplete combustion of fuel and leads to release of nitrogen compounds in the exhaust.
More recently, many countries are trying to replace all conventional petrol/diesel run vehicles with those run on hydrogen and electric power. The emissions from both these types of vehicles are virtually pollution free. Though a complete change might not be anything close, the prospects are certainly looking very good.
Pollution norms for vehicular pollution are also being implemented strictly in many countries of the world.
Industrial Emissions
This area still remains a matter of concern. While developed nations might not be too keen on giving up their top industrial status, developing countries raise objections based on the need to attain greater economic development.
Though the Kyoto Protocol was seen as a positive step in this direction, it contained a number of loop holes and could never be implemented effectively. It also enabled sale and purchase of carbon credits, which made it sure that the treaty never served its purpose.
Global warming is starting to show serious consequences. It is estimated that the average world temperature would go up by nearly 6 degrees centigrade by the end of the century. If no effective steps are taken in quick time, most of the coastal areas will be submerged due to the rise of sea levels due to melting of ice caps. Hence, quick and thoughtful action is the need of the hour.