SAMPE Journal - March/April 2012 - (Page 30)

Perspectives Steven Rodgers SAMPE Past President and Consultant, EmergenTek LLC Steven.R@EmergenTek.com The World of the Future: What is SAMPE’s Material Contribution? (Part 2) In the last issue of the SAMPE Journal we explored the importance of energy as the group of technologies that will impact the future in the largest way. We then broke energy down into four fundamental elements, defined them and explored their importance. We ended that portion of the conversation with the question, “What roles can SAMPE play in this world of development?” The answer to that question depends on how we define SAMPE. If we see SAMPE as the society for composites then the answers will be severely restricted. However, if you recognize that SAMPE is the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering then the answer becomes one of a foundational involvement in virtually every emergent technology, including emerging energy strategies. At the heart of every developing technology lies the creation of new materials and processes that are foundational to that technology. Without those enabling materials and processes, development flounders. I would like to demonstrate how the "composites" definition and the more generic "M&P Engineering" definition of SAMPE compare in each of these energy strategies. Energy Creation Composites Applications - The first thought that most have for use of composites has traditionally been one of creating lighter, stronger, more-efficient wind blades for wind power. Blades and other corrosion-resistant materials for tidal power, cable support for high-power transmission lines and lighter-weight support structures for solar and wind are some of the more obvious secondary applications. M&P Applications - In solar development carbon nanotubes, specialty films and coatings and new semiconductor substrates are all under development and showing great promise in improving photovoltaic cell efficiencies. Combined with more cost efficient processing techniques there is the probability that solar power will soon be able to compete for cost/kWh with more traditional forms of power such as hydroelectric or coal. With the current shortage of rare earth elements there is a move afoot to create efficient substitutes for these minerals that are in such short supply. The development of these materials will impact all of the traditional energy generation strategies, especially those that depend heavily on rare earth magnets for their operating efficiencies: Wind power, hydroelectric, tidal power, geothermal and nuclear. The fact that some of these rare materials have increased in price by a factor of ten in the last year has added great urgency to these attempts. Fuel cells have benefitted tremendously over the last decade from the development of new anodic, cathodic and electrolytic materials. In addition, the processing of new materials has led to increased gains in efficiency. Experiments with piezoceramics have posed some interesting possibilities such as a piezoelectric device implanted in heart muscle to convert the muscle activity into enough electricity to power a pacemaker, allowing for a closed system without need for a battery that requires periodic surgical replacement. There are also sensors that can take advantage of the dynamic environment they are monitoring to not only operate the sensor but, in some cases actually power RF or Blue Tooth connectivity to data-gathering equipment. Energy Transportation Composites Applications – There are some obvious plays for composites in the transportation of energy such as the creation of lightweight CNG tanks and the containers on tanker trucks and road tankers. Less obvious are braided carbon fiber cable support for transmission lines and the construction of easy-to-assemble, lightweight transmission towers. M&P Applications – Research in superconductive materials is ongoing as scientists look for materials that are superconductive at, approaching, “room temperature”. This would allow for more efficient transportation of energy on the grid, eliminating the conversion of valuable electricity in to parasitic heat due to line resistance. Line losses currently consume about 7% of the total energy 30 SAMPE Journal, Volume 48, No. 2, March/April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - March/April 2012

SAMPE Journal - March/April 2012
Contents
President’s Message
Technical Director’s Corner
Butt-joined, Thermoplastic Stiffenedskin Concept Development
Perspectives
Europe News & Views
SAMPE Europe’s SEICO 2012, Paris
SAMPE Europe’s SEMAT 2012, Munich
The SAMPE Foundation
SAMPE Proceedings
Advanced Diaphragm Forming Process for High Temperature Thermoplastic Composite Applications
Perspectives
Materials & Products
SAMPE Books & CD’s Order Form
SAMPE LinkedIn Communities
SAMPE Journal Editorial Calender
Welcome SAMPE’s Newest Members
SAMPE Tech 2012 Call for Papers
Industry News
Corporate Partners
SAMPE 2012|Baltimore
SAMPE 2012 Exhibition
SAMPE 2013|Long Beach Call for Papers
Advertiser’s Index
Resource Center
Membership Application
Industry Events Calendar
Chapter Meetings Dates and Contacts

SAMPE Journal - March/April 2012