We Want ENERGY!
- Mohammed Mehkari
- Nov 6, 2015
- 2 min read
After the past two weeks of research and investigation, I could say that we were finally able to grasp a deeper understanding of black holes. Now our project shifted into exploring possibilities of energy extraction of these black holes. As discussed earlier, the x-ray emissions that come from a black hole is known as Hawking radiation. Smaller black holes tend to emit more radiation, and become smaller as a result. This radiation can be harnessed in different forms to generate energy, There are three main theoretical methods as of now to be able to capture this energy. They include the bucket, wick and radiation method. The bucket method involves lowering an energy collection device by a string close to the event horizon of a black hole. For this to be successful, the rope must by very light but very strong to be able to hold its mass as well as that of the energy collection device. This is due to the spaghettification that happens near a black hole. The next method is called the wick method and it consists of lowering strings near a black hole. The radiation would theoretically run up the strings like current in a wire to harness the energy. We were also able to construct a physical model of this method that consisted of an electric wire that would run on chop sticks out of a black hole. Upon the press of a switch, an LED light would light up to indicate that the hawking radiation has travelled up the “string. “The last method seemed most ideal and practical to us. This method is called the radiation method and it involves lowering solar panels around the event horizon of a black hole. These solar panels would capture the hawking radiation emitted from the black hole, then convert it to energy for other uses. In order for these methods to work, there are a few properties and characteristics that these black holes must exhibit. Firstly, they must by small enough to emit a certain amount of energy. However, they should be large enough to maintain a desirable lifespan. The size of this type of black hole would be very close to that of a proton.
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