Nearly unlimited power in a compact size for all lights!

[zeeexsixare]

Now this is exciting:
4mm Hydrogen gas turbines.

http://www.tfot.info/content/view/114/58/

I like this part:
Q: What sort of performance should we expect from the engine?
A: The best metric is energy per unit weight, about 120-150 w-hr/kg for current commercial Li-ion rechargeable batteries. We expect that 500-700 whr/kg can be accomplished in the near term, rising to 1200-1500 whr/kg in the longer term (for the engine and its fuel supply).

500Wh/kg at the low end estimate in a few years... 17g for a 10440 @ 3.7V, 300mAh=1.11Wh...

0.5Wh/g * 17g = 8.5Wh

This means we could have 8.5Wh at the same weight (not volume) as a 10440. Sounds like a 665% improvement to me! Of course, numbers will differ with different battery sizes, but...

So in several years, I don't doubt us saying, "Runtime on my new Fenix was 6 hours at 120 lumens before I had to recharge 1mL of hydrogen."

Except it's hydrogen... adoption will be slooowww.

 

[zigziggityzoo]

Except for our Fenix LEDs will have improved efficiency, putting out 95% light, 5% wasted as heat!

Imagine filling your flashlight like you do a butane lighter...

 

[tvodrd]

Except for our Fenix LEDs will have improved efficiency, putting out 95% light, 5% wasted as heat!

Imagine filling your flashlight like you do a butane lighter...

Yeah, once a year.

Larry.

 

[NAW]

The link has exceeded its CPu quota & no longer available.

 

[LA OZ]

Alright, I will keep my health together to see that day .

 

[Sable]

Yeah...that one got Slashdotted pretty fast.

Wicked awesome tech, though. The next few years will be great...

 

[xiaowenzu]

Hehe, I can't wait for those Hydrogen power to be used in a surefire 800 Lumen light, running over 100 hours! Cool beans! ;-))

 

[ynggrsshppr]

So instead of holding potential hand grenades when dealing with CR123s you're skipping right to the good stuff- hydrogen gas. You will need all sorts of safety approvals and design precautions built in just to put these flashlights to market.

 

[r0b0r]

So instead of holding potential hand grenades when dealing with CR123s you're skipping right to the good stuff- hydrogen gas. You will need all sorts of safety approvals and design precautions built in just to put these flashlights to market.

A few mL of Hydrogen gas has far less hazard potential than the highly reactive Lithium chemical cocktail in a CR123...

 

[zigziggityzoo]

So instead of holding potential hand grenades when dealing with CR123s you're skipping right to the good stuff- hydrogen gas. You will need all sorts of safety approvals and design precautions built in just to put these flashlights to market.

If it's legal to have a 1000 gallon propane tank in my backyard, and a few butane lighters in my pocket (made of plastic at that), I'm fairly certain we can safely hang onto a flashlight or two with hydrogen inside. Especially when considering solid-state hydrogen storage.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

I welcome the day... Go out to my solar hydrogen generator, dump the water out of my flashlight and refill it with hydrogen.
Now it might have to be a bit more tricky than that... might have to have a source of oxygen for sealed lights... but all in all hopefully we can get this obsession... er hobby a bit more on the green side of things.

 

[jnj1033]

Could be a problem at airport security, though. I can see it now: opening up our EDC's to prove that it's a lithium battery and not a tiny H2 cell.

 

[r0b0r]

Could be a problem at airport security, though. I can see it now: opening up our EDC's to prove that it's a lithium battery and not a tiny H2 cell.

I'm surprised that Lithiums are even allowed on planes,
judging by the absolutely moronic selection of things that are prohibited.

Seriously, which dim witted retards came up with such nonsense?

Lithium batteries can be fashioned into improvised explosives readily, but a ban wouldn't happen because of the unimaginable backlash from business.

The assholes who create these pathetic restrictions are undoubtedly laughing their heads off, comfortable in their private jets. I hope they burn.

 

[2xTrinity]

A few mL of Hydrogen gas has far less hazard potential than the highly reactive Lithium chemical cocktail in a CR123...

This is a good point here-- a fire involing a lithium battery will release all sorts of toxic chemicals.

Still though, I think hydrogen is way too much trouble for what you get -- it has very low energy density without high pressure compression (unlike butane). I would much rather see a device run on a liquid alcohol-based fuel -- a liquid would have a much greater energy density by volume without the need for a pressurized canister which will be hard to make cheap. You could simply by a normal plastic bottle of fuel to replace the thing, rather than a pressurized canister.

Although, in the case of a flashlight that need to be water-tight, I think intake and exhaust for any sort of engine, even hydrogen, will be a problem. Someone else here suggested storing the oxygen (or some other form of oxidizer) onboard -- that however IMO is going to be much more dangerous as in the event of some sort of catastrophic failure, your light could violently explode (making the worst LiIon failure look like nothing) using the internal oxidizer and fuel.

 

[Spalding]

At the end of the turbine article there are some interesting comments...

 

[DM51]

I'm surprised that Lithiums are even allowed on planes.

They aren't, according to this:
http://www.fedex.com/us/services/op...ries/index.html

 

[RogerRabbit]

The light sabre comes closer.

 

[r0b0r]

They aren't, according to this:
http://www.fedex.com/us/services/op...ries/index.html

Interesting. That resource is about as clear as sewage, doesn't mention personal effects containing Li cells. Though I suppose that article is from a cargo perspective, it just touched on passenger flight restrictions in the intro.

And why do they consider rechargeable Li cells a different animal?

LiI cells aren't prohibited from aircraft, as people don't have to surrender their laptop battery packs. If they discriminate against people carrying LiI cells in flashlights that is just pathetic. It is not too difficult to dismember a laptop battery and liberate the 18650s (or whatever).

Then again, the Airplane Nazis are devoid of logic.

 

[DM51]

There were some press articles about small-scale hydrogen-power 2-3 years ago, but that was about miniaturised hydrogen fuel-cells. That was considered the technology of the future for powering laptops, cellphones etc. Well, it hasn't happened yet and we don't read too much about that technology except for cars.

This idea looks just as complicated, and the same claims are being made about everything it will be able to do, but at least it does look from this article as if they will soon have a working model, so who knows?

Among other things, they will have to overcome the potential heat and noise problems normally associated with turbines.

 

[r0b0r]

Among other things, they will have to overcome the potential heat and noise problems normally associated with turbines.

Mmm... droning electronic mosquitoes.... o_@