Engineering Chamber

 

No. 6   Climate Impact, a 1 000 year Sentence!!

A new study led by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that climate change is "largely irreversible" for the next 1 000 years even if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could be abruptly halted. The report showed that changes in surface temperature, rainfall and sea level are "largely irreversible for more than 1 000 years after CO2 emissions are completely stopped".

Senior scientist Susan Solomon said the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, showed that current human choices on carbon dioxide emissions are set to "irreversibly change the planet".

Researchers examined the consequences of CO2 building up beyond present-day concentrations of 385 parts per million, and then completely stopping emissions after the peak.

Before the industrial age CO2 in Earth's atmosphere amounted to only 280 parts per million.

The study found that CO2 levels are irreversibly impacting climate change, which will contribute to global sea level rise and rainfall changes in certain regions.

The authors emphasised that increases in CO2 that occur from 2000 to 2100 are set to "lock in" a sea level rise over the next 1 000 years.

Rising sea levels could cause irreversible changes in the geography of the Earth, since many coastal and island features would ultimately become submerged.

Decreases in rainfall that last for centuries can be expected to have a range of impacts, said the authors.

Regional impacts include - but are not limited to - decreased human water supplies, increased fire frequency, ecosystem change and expanded deserts.

Sources various on internet.

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No. 7   Kite Powered Cargo Ship.

A commercial cargo ship tested giant kites as auxiliary power in a journey from Germany to Venezuela in January 2008.

The Beluga Skysails trip was a success and the ship eventually reached the Norwegian Port of Mo-I-Rana in Marc after travelling some 11952 nautical miles.

The 160 square metre kite worked even in moderate winds and claimed a 20% substitute of the normal engine power.

Future kites may well be of approx double the size and could thus save a huge amount of fuel.

 Sources Various on Internet.

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 No. 8   How Fast Can Wind Powered Ships Move?

 The record is apparently 50.57 knots (~`94km/hr ~58mph)! This by a Frenchman, Alex Caizergues on his kiteboard over a distance of 500 metres. Previously the record was held by an Australian yacht at 46.52 knots (~86.2km/hr ~53.5 mph.

 To get a better perspective just consider the fastest solo, non stop circumnavigation of the world in a single hull yacht is 84 days by Michel Desjoyeaux sailing the Foncia.

Figures not to be sneezed at!

 Sources various on internet.

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 No. 9   Commercial ships Pollute Almost Half as Much as Cars!

A New study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado at Boulder

 Commercial shows that ships emit almost half as much particulate pollutants into the air globally as the total amount released by the world's cars.

The study based on direct emission measurements provides an estimated 1,110 tons or particle pollution globally each year. The study author Daniel Lack, a researcher with the NOAA supported CU Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences based in Boulder USA and his team focused on soot. They analysed over 200 commercial vessels in and around the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship channel.

The commercial vessels emit both particle pollution and carbon dioxide. The particles have a global cooling effect that is approx 5 times greater than the warming effect of the ships CO2 emissions. The ships CO2 is estimated at approx 3% of all human emitted CO2 but around 30% of smog forming nitrogen oxide gases.

Some 70% of all shipping takes place within 250 miles of the coastline so pollution is significant for coastal communities.

Source Science Daily.

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No 10. Gautrain News.
Despite the much publicised first small train run on a short section of completed line, The R25 billion project may not be ready for the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup according to Murray & Roberts CEO Brian Bruce.
When speaking recently to analysts he repeated the groups often stated position that it had never been contracted to complete the project in time for the world cup.

The Gautrain CEO Jack van der Merwe has also reminded the public that the new rail project had never been conceived of as a World Cup project.

The Gautrain team is working on 53 sites at the same time. The Electrostar train when operational will take some 38 minutes to go from Johannesburg to Pretoria (Tshwane) and can speed up to 160km/h.

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No 11  Driverless Trains.

(Info from Siemens Ltd).

Driverless subway trains have been operating in European cities such as Lille, Toulouse, London and Turin for many years. The latest in Europe is the Nuremberg U3 line on which part of the run is on the U2 line, which is used by conventionally operated trains. It appears that this is a first in that there are no other mixed operation trains in the world.

All the changeovers are to take place without any interruption of normal service.

The Automatic Train Control system is computer controlled with signal boxes continually exchanging data via fibre-optic cables and inductive loops embedded in the tracks. On board two computers control the train and it has many safety features built in. Video monitoring and beams at the stations stop all trains in the area if a person or object falls onto the track. Solid sills extend from the doors when the trains are in the station to prevent anyone getting caught in the gap between the train and the platform.

Test runs show that the train begins moving smoothly, brakes slightly and then accelerates to its top speed of 80km/hr and seems to float to a stop at the next station.

Siemens, the supplier, says that although the investment costs are higher than conventional trains the new system is more economical to run. This is due to less train sets doing the work at faster and better scheduled spacing as well as savings on staff.

Something SA can strive towards in the future. Ed