The bloom box was invented by an INDIAN scientist MR.K.R.SRIDHAR who is working at NASA for space research operations. As a part of mars mission the device was originally invented to produce oxygen but instead SRIDHAR reversed his mars machine pumping oxygen into it instead of producing oxygen from the device. He began developing the technology as a part of making mars habitable for humans.
Bloom box is a solid oxide fuel cell. It is highly efficient and has low polluting emissions.This type of fuel cell can withstand upto temperatures of 1800°F. A single cell can generate 25watts of power which is enough to light a bulb.
The bloom box uses oxygen and fuel to create electricity with no emissions. It is made of square ceramic plates painted with black and green ink. The ceramic plates can be made from beach sand.The plate which is painted with green acts as an anode and the black plate acts as a cathode. A metal alloy plate is placed in between them which acts as an electrode.
The cells are combined to form a stack for more power. A few stacks together to a size of brick are enough to power an average home.
The oxygen ions combine with the reformed fuel to produce electricity , water and a small amount of CO2. Oxygen is drawn into one side of unit and fuel from another side ,the fuel may be fossil fuel or solar power or even bio fuel can be used. The two combine inside the cell and produce a chemical reaction that creates energy with no burning, no combustion and no power lines.
A fuel cell is a electrochemical cell which converts a source fuel into electrical current. It generates electricity inside a cell through reactions between a fuel and an oxidant in the presence of an electrolyte.
The current cost of 100Kw bloom box is $700,00 -$800,000. But in the mass production of home-sized units Sridhar hopes $3000 for each home sized unit. So, the capital cost is about $7-8 per watt.
The first customers of bloom box are GOOGLE in july 2008 a 100Kw bloom box is planted in google head office. Other companies which are using bloom box are wal-mart(WMT), fedex(fdx), staples (SPLS). These companies quietly purchased bloom boxes and have been using them to produce a part of their electricity for 18 months.
Bloom energy service is a new class of distributed power generator producing clean,reliable, affordable electricity at the customer site.
Fuel cell: 25 W
Stack: 1k W
Module: 25Kw
System:100kW
Solution:100Kw – MW’s
ADVANTEGES OF BLOOM ENERGY:
- Bloom energy is clean, reliable and affordable.
- Bloom energy can produce electricity through out 24 hours of a day and 365 days through out the year.
- Low cost materials, high electrical efficiency,fuel flexibility.
- No pollution.
BY
R.Sateesh Kumar
Categories:
TECHNICAL ARTICLES(session-2)
