Month: August 1999

In the middle of July Sudan announced a ban on food relief flights to its
Western upper Nile province, where ironically two pro-government factions are
fighting each other for control of important oil fields. The main rebel group
in Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army announced a cease fire in the province
in July, but the government there apparently intends to keep on fighting.

According to the World Food Program, which is coordinating aid to Sudan, the
ban on aid flights leaves about 150,000 people at risk of starvation.

Source:

Ban on relief flights threatens 150,000 Sudanese, U.N. says. Associated Press,
July 27, 1999.

Amid continuing famine in North Korea, the government there recently asked
South Korea to resume shipments of much needed fertilizer. South Korea had agreed
to ship North Korea up to 200,000 tons of free fertilizer as part of an agreement
to hold talks in Beijing, China, about plans for uniting families separated
by the 1950-53 Korean war. South Korea shipped an initial 100,000 tons but held
up the remaining shipment after North Korea refused to discuss the family reunion
issue in Beijing.

Meanwhile, refugees continue to cross the border from North Korea into China
fleeing the famine — an estimated 100,000 North Koreans have made the trip
over the border in recent years. The refugees tell stories of hunger and in
a few cases cannibalism that confirm the grim situation inside North Korea.
The Economist cited one refugee as estimating that a kilogram of rice was selling
for double the average monthly wage on the black market.

Of course while its people starve, North Korea is busy improving its military
capacity. Sometime in August North Korea is expected to test fire a long range
missile capable of hitting targets as far away as Japan.

Sources:

Echoes from hermit kingdom. The Economist, May 22, 1999.

North Korea, amid growing famine, asks for more fertilizer from South. Associated
Press, July 9, 1999.

North Korea famine lessens, but millions reported still at risk. CNN, August
10, 1999.

Over the last couple months there’s been a spate of articles in science magazines
and newspapers about advances in fuel cell technology and the possibility that
it will someday completely alter how the world is powered. In fact although
there are still many technical hurdles to overcome, fuel cell technology seems
the most likely successor to fossil fuels.

Think of a fuel cell as a battery that never loses its charge. Two electrodes
are suspended in an electrolyte while oxygen is passed over one electrode and
hydrogen over the other. The resulting chemical reaction produces electricity,
with heat and water the only byproducts. As long as hydrogen and oxygen are
supplied to the fuel cell, it will keep generating electricity.

The principle that powers fuel cells was demonstrated in 1839, but it wasn’t
until the 1960s that fuel cells finally found a use as power supplies for spacecraft.
The problems standing in the way of having fuel cells in cars or homes are still
large.

First, the electrolyte solution requires platinum as a catalyst which makes
fuel cells extremely expensive to make. Recent research efforts have focused
on finding ways to reduce the amount of platinum needed and in one case scientists
were able to reduce the platinum needed by a factor of 30.

Second, getting hydrogen to the fuel cells is a bit of a challenge. Liquid
hydrogen must be stored at temperatures just slightly above absolute zero which
is impractical. Hydrogen can be made, however, from natural gas or even methanol
though storage is a problem. According to fuel cell researcher A. John Appleby,
storing the three kilograms of hydrogen necessary to give a small car a 500
kilometer range would require a volume the size of three or four cars. And of
course with hydrogen there is always the risk of explosion if hydrogen gas accumulates.

Still despite the technical obstacles, researcher on fuel cells is increasing
at a rapid rate. Both General Motors and DaimlerChrylser are working on prototypes
of fuel cells that convert methanol to hydrogen. Such a system would likely
achieve a 50 percent methanol-to-electricity efficiency compared to the 15 to
20 percent gasoline-to-electricity efficiency achieved by the automobile’s combustion
engine under real world conditions.

Of course beyond automobiles, fuel cell research is also concentrating on
powering homes and businesses, and here the story is the same. Fuel cells can
be built today that provide enough electricity to power a home, but they deliver
electricity at a cost 4 to 5 times higher than gas-fired combustion turbines
do. In addition commercial fuel cells have a life span only half that of the
turbines.

On the other hand at least three companies have produced smaller 7 to 10 kilowatt
fuel cells that have been installed in demonstration homes and the market for
40 to 50 kilowatt cells is estimated to be as high as $50 billion if the cost
comes down enough. Larger cells in the 200-kilowatt range have also been installed
in a few places — one was recently installed at the police substation in New
York City’s Central Park, for example.

Fuel cells are unlikely to become widespread overnight, but over the next
two or three decades they could provide plentiful, low cost, nonpolluting energy
for much of the world.

Sources:

Fuel cells could revolutionize U.S. power supply. Associated Press, April 1,
1999.

The electrochemical engine for vehicles. A. John Appleby, Scientific American,
July 1999.

The power plant in your basement. Alan C. Lloyd, Scientific American, July
1999.