Magnetic power offers energy-saving alternative
2010-09-24
(Press-News.org) The Office of Naval Research Global (ONR Global) continues to pursue aggressive energy goals established by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, with the design of a system that controls electrical flow for lighting, a highly efficient platform that may spark a new era of power savings.
Designed by the Tokyo Institute of Technology and fine-tuned by researchers at MERSTech in partnership with the ONR Global's office in Tokyo, the Magnetic Energy Recovery Switch (MERS) harnesses and recycles residual magnetic power that is produced by electrical current. By using a device that controls the flow of electricity, light bulbs can now maximize their potential. The proposal for the expanded experiment is scheduled for completion in October.
Dr. Chandra Curtis, program officer in ONR Global's Tokyo office, said she is excited about the potential for mass consumption savings.
"We initially started by helping [MERSTech and the Tokyo Institute of Technology] optimize the development and assess the potential of the technology" Curtis said. "Now, we are looking for ways to demonstrate our commitment of energy savings to the Japanese government."
This technology directly aligns with Mabus' goals for the Department of the Navy, which were set at the 2009 Naval Energy Forum. Aside from utilizing renewable power sources for at least half of the shore-based energy on Navy bases, Mabus iterated a goal to ensure that at least 40 percent of the Navy's total energy consumption comes from alternative sources by 2020.
From April to June 2010, ONR Global funded a series of experiments at Tokyo's Hardy Barracks Installation to analyze and evaluate the energy saving capability of the MERS lighting controller. After working with several overhead fluorescent lights that require 24-hour power, scientists proved that the MERS technology significantly reduced lighting energy consumption.
"After the testing was complete, we learned that with the new device installed there was a peak power saving of 39 percent," Curtis said. "The device not only conserves electricity, but produces far less heat and produces less electromagnetic interference than conventional technologies."
A proposal to apply the experiment to the entire Hardy Barracks Installation will be completed by the end of October 2010, carrying the project into 2011 if approved. Proposed testing areas include a break room, printing press room, laundry room, gymnasium and several offices.
"In trying to align with the Joint Statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee, scientists are trying to help reduce the impact on local communities by reducing the energy footprint of existing U.S. installations, becoming more responsible stewards of the environment," Curtis said.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2008 about 517 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were used for lighting by the residential and commercial sectors. Lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of the average home's electricity use, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
INFORMATION:
About the Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel with additional employees at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2010-09-24
Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) headed by the coordinator of the Structural and Computational Biology Programme, Miquel Coll, have published a new study that demonstrates that raltegravir, the drug approved in 2007 for the treatment of AIDS that is sold by Merck under the name Isentress, cancels the function of an essential protein for the replication of one kind of herpes virus. This study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first step towards the development of a drug against ...
2010-09-24
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that high levels of a stress hormone in recovering alcoholics could increase the risk of relapse.
The study showed that cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress, is found in high levels in chronic alcoholics, as well as those recovering from the condition. Researchers found that this could result in impaired memory, attention and decision-making functions, which could decrease the patient's ability to engage with treatment.
Chronic alcoholism is a disabling addictive disorder, characterised ...
2010-09-24
Boston, MA -
The Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) today issued a landmark report from a multi-state study on psychotropic medication oversight in foster care. Led by Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH at Tufts CTSI, Christopher Bellonci, MD at Tufts Medical Center and Justeen Hyde, PhD at Cambridge Health Alliance, the study examined state policies and practices in 47 states, including Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia regarding the use of medication for treating behavioral and mental health problems in foster care children and adolescents ages ...
2010-09-24
Researchers from Utrecht University who studied the effect of negative emotions on pain perception in women with and without fibromyalgia found that anger and sadness amplified pain equally in both groups. Full findings are now online and will publish in the October print issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic pain condition, has among the largest impact of all rheumatic and chronic pain conditions. In addition to chronic, widespread pain, patients report accompanying symptoms such as fatigue, ...
2010-09-24
New research has found that a genetic variant which reduces the chance of contracting diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy is more prevalent in populations with long histories of urban living.
The research, published in the journal Evolution, shows that in areas with a long history of urban settlements, today's inhabitants are more likely to possess the genetic variant which provides resistance to infection.
In ancient cities, poor sanitation and high population densities would have provided an ideal breeding ground for the spread of disease. Natural selection ...
2010-09-24
In many developing countries, the absence of surface-based air pollution sensors makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to get even a rough estimate of the abundance of a subcategory of airborne particles that epidemiologists suspect contributes to millions of premature deaths each year. The problematic particles, called fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, about a tenth the fraction of human hair. These small particles can get past the body's normal defenses and penetrate deep into the lungs.
To fill in these gaps in surface-based ...
2010-09-24
AMARILLO - Wheat streak mosaic virus is the most prevalent disease in the southwestern wheat producing region of the U.S., according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.
Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist in Amarillo, is assembling several teams of scientists to work on the disease from every aspect: vector to diagnosis and mapping to control.
"There are other diseases of concern, but wheat streak mosaic is always found somewhere in this wheat growing region, and every couple of years, we have an epidemic of it," Rush said.
Several issues cause ...
2010-09-24
DURHAM, N.C. – While scientists have spent the past 40 years describing the intricate series of events that occur when one mammalian cell divides into two, they still haven't agreed on how the process begins.
There are two seemingly contradictory theories, which now may be reconciled by a third theory being proposed by Duke University bioengineer Lingchong You. These findings could provide insights into the initiation of disease, such as cancer, which is marked by uncontrolled cell proliferation.
During proliferation, the DNA within the nucleus of a cell makes a copy ...
2010-09-24
AMES, Iowa – A research team led by Edward Yu of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has discovered the crystal structures of pumps that remove heavy metal toxins from bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics.
The findings are published in the Sept. 23 issue of the journal Nature.
Yu – an Iowa State associate professor of chemistry, of physics and astronomy, of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory – said the finding gives researchers a better understanding of bacterial resistance ...
2010-09-24
MANHATTAN, KAN. -- With the concept of a store-within-a-store growing across the country, a Kansas State University researcher's work shows the increasing importance of brand reputation and its strong role in governing decisions.
Richard McFarland, associate professor of marketing, and four colleagues recently completed "Understanding Governance Decisions in a Partially Integrated Channel: A Contingent Alignment Framework." Their research will be published in the elite Journal of Marketing Research next year.
The research looks at separate companies who entered a store-within-a-store ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Magnetic power offers energy-saving alternative
