M.S.G. today announced the release of new technology which will revolutionise the minerals and energy industry. By harnessing the energy stored in the boundaries between dissimilar minerals it is now possible to generate electrical energy as a by-product of mining and mineral recovery. Today’s announcement is the culmination of 14 years of cooperative development between Mineral Energy Corporation (MEC), Swan Hill Energy Evolution Technologies (SHEET) and Gekko Systems Pty Ltd, each contributing unique expertise and innovation.
For many years the strength of inter-crystalline structures has been recognised as the reason for the mining industries insatiable thirst for energy. Most of this energy is used to break rocks to allow separation of the valuable minerals from waste. Conventional technology is very inefficient, breaking both inter crystalline and intra-crystalline bonds indiscriminately and wasting most of the energy input as large quantities of heat and noise. For the layman, this means mining is hard because rocks are hard.
This new technology uses a refined Shear Impact Crusher (SIC) design that concentrates input energy on inter-crystalline bonds while minimising unproductive energy input into the intra-crystalline bonds. MEC’s founder Professor Ignatio Cornelius Balz explains, “It’s like throwing a pebble at a pane of tempered glass. By striking at just the right point a small sharp pebble releases the energy stored from the manufacturing process and the glass explodes into a shower of small shards and noise.”
Once people realise the benefits of mines using SPEL technology, including uncannily silent operation and free electricity, everyone will want one in their backyard
However the true revolution is in using super conducting piezo electric liners to recover the inter-crystalline energy normally wasted as noise. Because the released crystal energy is higher than the minimum energy required to release it the process becomes self-sustaining. “No, it is NOT perpetual motion!” Professor I C Balz exclaims, clearly exasperated by the repeated scepticism of his peers. “That is ridiculous! We are harnessing the energy stored in the rocks from the dawn of creation. It is no more perpetual motion than is nuclear fusion!”
MEC developed the Superconducting Piezo Electric Liners (SPEL) at the heart of the system. This technology absorbs and converts intense short range noise into electrical impulses. It is based on low temperature super conductors wedded to rare earth magnets resulting in a vastly lower Boltzmann constant. By producing the crystals at low temperature the properties are “frozen in” and retained at room temperature in a structure “harder than the hobs of hell,” and ideal for lining crushers. A similar theory underpins the development of Superconducting Motors (SM) and Bearing Superconductors (BS) to maximise efficiency in the SIC and other rotating equipment.
MEC’s cold weather factory location in Ballarat, reputedly the coldest spot in Australia, was used for the final assembly and demonstration of the prototype.
SHEET contributed their Ordered Chaos Distribution power rectification system to the venture. OCD is essential in unravelling the chaotic electrical output of the SPEL units and converting it into useable electrical power. Initially developed to amplify and decipher deep space gravity waves, it is now applied in intensely noisy environments to generate power.
SHEET director, Dr Kay Oss, is effusive. “Once people realise the benefits of mines using SPEL technology, including uncannily silent operation and free electricity, everyone will want one in their backyard.” But she looks beyond mining. “The next step is to incorporate SPEL and OCD into consumer products. Can you imagine charging your phone from the sound of a crying baby?”
