Spiny Norman said:
Initially I was sceptical, but it seems legit – Hydra-Light
I initially wondered why some submarines don’t use this technology to get power for the electric motors. It’d be totally silent, though I’m not sure if enough power could be generated to get any real speed out of the sub. Apparently all that’s needed to be renewed/replaced is magnesium bars as they are sacrificial in the reaction.
Anyway I thought it was interesting. It might be handy to have a battery that can sit around for twenty-five years and still be 100% usable when needed.
It’s an ordinary battery isn’t it? With electrodes of magnesium and carbon, and an electrolyte of salt water.
> It’s not a battery its an oxygen fuel cell (a low power generator) and to restart the cell you simply need to re-dip it again for 10 seconds.
That still makes it very like the first ever commercial battery.
“The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French scientist Georges Leclanché in 1866. The battery contained a conducting solution (electrolyte) of ammonium chloride, a cathode (positive terminal) of carbon, a depolarizer of manganese dioxide (oxidizer), and an anode (negative terminal) of zinc (reductant). The chemistry of this cell was later successfully adapted to manufacture a dry cell.”
In the above, change “ammonium chloride” to “sodium/magnesium chloride”, change “manganese dioxide” to “dissolved oxygen”, and change “zinc” to “magnesium” to get the Hydra-Light. The use of magnesium instead of zinc means that it doesn’t last nearly as long. The use of dissolved oxygen rather than manganese dioxide means that it lasts an even shorter time.
The only use I can see for it is in an emergency SOS broadcasting device or alarm on a yacht. Automatically comes on if submerged. It wouldn’t last long enough for anything else.