01-10-2012, 01:58 PM | #1 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
I'm just wondering if advanced microbial fuel cells could work as the TL 10 Bioconvertors in Vehicles 3rd edition.
If so, does 20-30 pounds per kw seem overly optimistic to anyone else? What would be a reasonable weight/volume? |
01-10-2012, 02:10 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Well, a bioconverter that works via microbes is viable enough, though I'm not sure I'd call it a fuel cell; it's more like a biofuel manufacturing system which can be linked to whatever system you use to consume the biofuel (in a human body, that would be the rest of the body). Power density is typically terrible, though, and to a large degree it only resembles real creatures if you're using a circulatory system to feed fuel into fuel-using components.
|
01-10-2012, 02:58 PM | #3 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Search google for microbial fuel cell. It's a real thing right now with plans for larger in the field usage.
|
01-10-2012, 03:06 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Ah, okay, not quite the system I thought. In any case, there's little reason to assume power density that's higher than you'd get from other bacterial methods, which probably means something like 1W/kg is doing well unless you're using extremely refined food.
|
01-10-2012, 03:56 PM | #5 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
That might make sense for modern TL 8 types, but shouldn't TL 10 gengineering be able to really pack in the output density?
|
01-10-2012, 04:07 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
That's quite a lot better than any modern TL 8 figures I can find, and I'm assuming running off of regular biologicals, not something like a sugar solution.
|
01-10-2012, 06:41 PM | #7 | |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Quote:
Still, it proves the principle on which higher tech levels can improve. |
|
01-10-2012, 06:50 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Quote:
It's also possible to have a hot bioconverter that uses thermal depolymerization or similar to convert biomass into fuel, but that bears absolutely no resemblance to any real-world animal. |
|
01-10-2012, 11:54 PM | #9 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
That's all awesome, but sadly doesn't work so well for my bioconvertor powered humanoid robot. Darn it.
|
01-11-2012, 12:36 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: TL 10 Microbial Fuel Cells work as Bioconvertors?
Oh, for that, Ignore Realism. Also realize that robots don't necessarily need very much power, human sustained power output is on the order of 150W (actually, on reflection, I'd bump my estimate on microbial fuel cells up, something like 10-20W/kg should be doable).
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|