Intercepted this most interesting report;
-----------------------------------------
This might be of interest to the group. This car is running in the Tour
de Sol right now. - Hank
> ----------
> From: Michael H Bianchi[SMTP:bianchi@BELLCORE.COM]
> Reply To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List
> Sent: Saturday, May 09, 1998 6:49 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list EV
> Subject: NATdS Report #13: Demonstration Vehicle - `Viking 29'
>
> The Western Washington University Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) has
> brought another car along, for display, and while it looks somewhat
> like its stable mate, `Viking 23', there is a difference. It runs on > light, but not sunlight.
>
> Instead it is powered by a Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generator, also
> referred to as Midnight Sun(R), developed by the VRI and JX Crystals
> of Issaquah WA.
>
> Picture a canister a bit smaller than a 1 gallon paint can. Up the
> middle of that can, place a ceramic tube. On the inside wall of the
> can place solar cells. Burn a fuel inside the ceramic tube, making
> it hot and therefore it glows. The solar cells in turn use the light
> from the glowing tube to make electricity. The fuel burns
> continuously, making the combustion complete, clean, and quiet.
> Since the solar cells are very close to the glowing tube, the
> illumination is much brighter than solar cells on the roof of a car.
>
> The silicon carbide ceramic tube glows brightly in the infrared light
> spectrum, at a wave length of about 0.8 to 1.8 microns, and part of
> the design challenge is to match the brightest part of the glowing
> tube spectrum to most sensitive wavelengths of the photovoltaic cells.
>
> In `Viking 29', there are 8 such canisters, burning Compressed Natural
> Gas (CNG) illuminating gallium antimonide photovoltaic cells at 1700
> degrees Kelvin. The 10 kiloWatts produced is stored in a 10
> KiloWatt-hour, 260 Volt pack of Saft NiCad batteries. That drives a
> Unique Mobility 75 kW motor connected through a 4-speed, wide ratio
> transaxle to the rear wheels.
> The canisters are surrounded by a water jacket which takes the heat
> to a large radiator. All this is surrounded by a body of composite
> materials in a vinyl-ester matrix.
>
> A car of the future? Michael Seal, director of the VRI thinks it
> might be but it is be too early to tell. The car was finished just
> before they left to come to the Tour, and so only has about 20 miles
> on it. "The car was built for the Department of Energy, and the TPVs
> were built for the Department of Defense. The car is going to
> Washington to be shown the sponsors."
>
> What is the overall efficiency of producing electricity this way?
>
> "It's still very early days in this technology. Right now our best
> is about 8 percent. We guess that 30%, or even more, is obtainable.
> Our chief competitor is the fuel cell, which has an in-built advantage
> that it is inherently more efficient than TPV, but it has to run on
> hydrogen." But if you add in the cost of producing, storing, and
> transporting hydrogen then TPV can compete. Plus TPV can run on
> any available fuel.
>
> The Midnight Sun generators have been developed in the past 3 years.
> The first commercial applications are likely to be co-generation for
> mountain cabins, motor homes and yachts, where the waste heat can be
> used for other purposes.
>
> For more information:
> Michael R. Seal
> Vehicle Research Institute
> Western Washington University
> Bellingham WA 98225-9086
>
> 360 650-3045
>
> seal@cc.wwu.edu
>
> - - - -
> The above is copyright Michael H. Bianchi. Permission to copy is
> granted provided the entire article is presented without modification
> and this notice remains attached. For other arrangements, contact me
> at +1-973-822-2024.
> - - - -
> For more information on the American Tour de Sol, visit the web page
> at
> http://www.nesea.org
> - - - -
> Official American Tour de Sol information is available from the
> sponsor, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) at
> 413-774-6051 and nesea@nesea.org . All media enquiries should be
> addressed to ...
> Jack Groh
> Groh Associates
> Sustainable Public Relations
> email: GrohPR@aol.com
> (401)732-1551 tel
> (401)732-0547 fax
> NATdS Report #13: Demonstration Vehicle - `Viking 29'
>
-- Jerry W. Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187