New breakthrough in condenser technology can help in generation of more power and flying airships

Airship over ManhattanSource: Pentagon Post

By Nate Sterling

Engineers at the MIT have developed a technology which can increase the efficiency of a kit which finds extensive use in many technologies.

Now one would ask about the kit which finds extensive use in different technologies. It is the miniscule water condenser which has been in use for hundreds of year’s right after the invention of the steam engine by James Watt.  It was James Watt’s steam engine which would later power the industrial revolution.

However the condensers have remained a critical part of most power plants which use steam to run the turbines to generate electricity. Any improvement in the working of the condensers will eventually help in increasing the efficiency of the power plants but also help to reintroduce the airships.

Northrop Grumann's proposed airship for the US Army. Photo: Pentagon Post

Northrop Grumann’s proposed airship for the US Army.
Photo: Pentagon Post

A condenser works by exposing the steam to any cold surface which condenses the steam into water which flows off the cold surface and falls into a drip sump.

Any power plant will feature the condenser which is attached at the far end of the turbine which collects the exhaust steam after tit drives the turbine. The condenser cools the steam creating a drop in pressure which will make the steam move faster and in the process increase the push given to the blades of the turbine, producing more electricity. The MIT researchers have perfected a process which gets the condensed water droplets and falls into the sump more swiftly than they otherwise would, clearing room for new droplets to form. The condenser thus helps turning steam to water more efficiently.

But how do the new findings fit into an airship? Most of the modern airships are filled with Helium which is not inflammable. However Helium is very costly and cannot be let off just like that into the atmosphere to control the airship especially when landing or taking off. Also as the airship flies it gets lighter since its fuel is getting exhausted. The US Navy’s helium-filled flying aircraft carriers of the 1930s had condensers which turned the steam from their engine exhausts into water. However condensers are heavy and cumbersome and could not carry enough water to compensate for the loss in weight of the airships. The latest technology will help to reduce the weight of the condensers and once again help the airships to fly again.

Source: Pentagon Post

USS Akron – Condensers located above the propellers.  Photo: The Lighter-Than-Air Society collection

USS Akron – Condensers located above the propellers.
Photo: The Lighter-Than-Air Society collection

Image showing droplets being shed from a superhydrophobic surface (light band at center), revealed the charging of the droplets.  Image: Nenad Miljkovic and Daniel Preston – mit.edu

Image showing droplets being shed from a superhydrophobic surface (light band at center), revealed the charging of the droplets.
Image: Nenad Miljkovic and Daniel Preston – mit.edu

Read more about the new droplet technology developed by MIT.

 

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