Magnesium injection cycle
Encyclopedia
Magnesium Injection Cycle (MAGIC) is an engine
design currently under development by Mitsubishi Corporation
and the Tokyo Institute of Technology
which uses magnesium
and water
to generate power. The engine also makes use of solar powered laser
s.
The joint project, initiated in 2005 and still at the experimental stage, developed a prototype carbon dioxide
free engine in 2006 that ran successfully without the need for fossil fuel
s. The chemical reaction between magnesium (in a powder form) and water at room temperature produces high energy steam
and hydrogen
. The hydrogen is burned at the same time to produce additional high energy steam. These two steam sources power
the engine. The energy cycle produces no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions. The only by-products of this reaction are water and magnesium oxide
. The magnesium (a common metallic element) is separated from the oxide through a solar powered laser process (the development of which is already well advanced) and is reused over and over again as fuel.
Despite its small dimension
s (approx. 5 cm in diameter
and 13.5 cm in height), the engine can generate a heat output of several tens of kW from which power is obtained. The engine is aimed to be used in cogeneration
, automobiles, ships and many other areas. A statement in 2006 claimed that further research is planned with the aim of commercialization
in the next three years. No updated timeline has been released.
The engine development was led by Professor Takashi Yabe
with the help of Professor Ikuta and others of Tokyo Institute of Technology with the cooperation of Ono Denki Seisakusho, K.K., a precision manufacturer located in Shinagawa, Tokyo
. Professor Yabe performed experiments of the technology in 2007 at the Hokkaido Toyako G8
environmental summit hosted in Chitose
, Japan
.
Heat engine
In thermodynamics, a heat engine is a system that performs the conversion of heat or thermal energy to mechanical work. It does this by bringing a working substance from a high temperature state to a lower temperature state. A heat "source" generates thermal energy that brings the working substance...
design currently under development by Mitsubishi Corporation
Mitsubishi Corporation
is Japan's largest trading company , a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 50,000 people and has seven business segments including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemicals, food and more....
and the Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
which uses magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
to generate power. The engine also makes use of solar powered laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s.
The joint project, initiated in 2005 and still at the experimental stage, developed a prototype carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
free engine in 2006 that ran successfully without the need for fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
s. The chemical reaction between magnesium (in a powder form) and water at room temperature produces high energy steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
and hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
. The hydrogen is burned at the same time to produce additional high energy steam. These two steam sources power
Power (physics)
In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit...
the engine. The energy cycle produces no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions. The only by-products of this reaction are water and magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide , or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium . It has an empirical formula of and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2– ions held together by ionic bonds...
. The magnesium (a common metallic element) is separated from the oxide through a solar powered laser process (the development of which is already well advanced) and is reused over and over again as fuel.
Despite its small dimension
Dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
s (approx. 5 cm in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
and 13.5 cm in height), the engine can generate a heat output of several tens of kW from which power is obtained. The engine is aimed to be used in cogeneration
Cogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
, automobiles, ships and many other areas. A statement in 2006 claimed that further research is planned with the aim of commercialization
Commercialization
Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product or production method into the market. The actual launch of a new product is the final stage of new product development, and the one where the most money will have to be spent for advertising, sales promotion, and other marketing...
in the next three years. No updated timeline has been released.
The engine development was led by Professor Takashi Yabe
Takashi Yabe
is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology .- Career :Takashi Yabe graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1973 and immediately became a research associate. After getting doctor degree of engineering, he moved to Osaka University...
with the help of Professor Ikuta and others of Tokyo Institute of Technology with the cooperation of Ono Denki Seisakusho, K.K., a precision manufacturer located in Shinagawa, Tokyo
Shinagawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Shinagawa City. The ward is home to nine embassies.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 344,461 and a density of 15,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.72 km²....
. Professor Yabe performed experiments of the technology in 2007 at the Hokkaido Toyako G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
environmental summit hosted in Chitose
Chitose, Hokkaido
-Economy:China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.