Environment Support

LONNIE JOHNSON’S GREEN MACHINE

Lonnie Johnson is the person who invented the SuperSoaker water gun, considered as the world’s primary high-performance pressurized water gun, which has generated sales of over $200 million since 1990, making it the top selling toy in the United States in 1991 and 1992. Over the years, Lonnie Johnson has been awarded with a number of honors for his achievements in the fields of invention and entrepreneurship. Recently, Johnson pioneered one of his latest innovations, the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System, which might provide a much better and more efficient energy option for companies striving to protect the environment.

Education

Lonnie Johnson was born on October 6, 1949 to an African-American family. His love for exploring science and creating gadgets began during his senior high school year at Williamson High School, when he invented a remote-controlled robot named Linex which he had built using junkyard scraps. At Tuskegee University, he earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1972 and then an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering in 1974 and finally an honorary Ph.D. in Science.

Work History

After graduation, he worked for Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a research engineer and eventually joined the U.S. Air Force at its weapons laboratory in New Mexico. In 1979, he left the Air Force and joined NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, working as a Senior Systems Engineer specifically on the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Johnson returned to the Air Force in 1982 for the position of Advance Space Systems Requirements Officer, at the headquarters of Strategic Air Command in Nebraska. He also became the Chief of the data management branch at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1987, he returned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and worked closely on the Mars Observer project. Johnson was also assigned as the fault protection engineer during the early stages of the Saturn project. For several years already, he has been inventing thermodynamics systems for NASA and other groups.

Achievements

His ultimate achievement was the Johnson Tube, which is a chlorofluorocarbon-free refrigeration system with a hydraulic heat pump, already his seventh patent. In 1985, he established his own company, which now holds the name of Johnson Research and Development. In 1989, he finally created a practicable model of the well-known SuperSoaker, along with his partner Bruce D’Andrade. His invention was licensed to Larami Corporation, which is now a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., the second largest toy-manufacturing company in the world. The SuperSoaker uses an air pump to pressurize its water supply. This design permits a remarkable distance and accuracy in water-marksmanship.

Johnson holds more than 100 patents. Lonnie Johnson has two companies, namely: Excellatron Solid State and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS), which are both into developing energy technology. They have also developed an improved home detector, a rechargeable battery, and a heat pump that is environment-friendly since it uses water instead of freon.

A Breakthrough in Renewable Energy through Thermodynamics

Even with the best solar energy system, usually only about 30% of the solar energy can be converted into electricity, making it relatively more expensive than fossil fuels. However, Johnson’s latest innovation can achieve a conversion efficiency rate of up to 60% through this solid-state thermodynamic engine called the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System (JTEC), which pressurizes hydrogen across a membrane.

The Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System can be comparable to a heat engine where temperature differences are used to create pressure gradients; but instead of using the pressure gradients to move an axle or a wheel, they are used to force ions through a membrane. No moving parts mean the absence of friction and fewer mechanical failures. JTEC works by oxidizing hydrogen to create protons and electrons that are forced through the membrane, which in turn causes enables electrons to power whatever load is attached. There are two stacks of assembled membranes. One is connected to high temperature and the other is attached to a low temperature. From this configuration, hydrogen circulates within the engine by way of a regenerative heat exchanger - the bigger the temperature differential, the higher the efficiency.

JTEC is a breakthrough technology in converting heat into power. The engine may be used to generate solar power with much higher efficiency compared to photovoltaic panels. Moreover, it can also be used to create power from heat combusted from wastes produced by industrial operations or from other possible sources of heat. Amazingly, JTEC operates on a small scale to produce megawatts of power.

If Johnson’s technology proves feasible, companies would have a better and relatively less expensive alternative of utilizing renewable energy.

Resources about Lonnie Johnson’s Environmentalism

Environmental Efforts

In its desire to foster a greener and healthier environment, Shell teamed up with General Motors in transforming an economy that primarily relies on carbon into one that depends solely on hydrogen in years to come.

In 2004, a Shell gas station in Washington D.C. was the first in the U.S. to include a hydrogen dispensing pump. It was used to service six fuel-cell minivans that General Motors Corp. used to demonstrate the technology to government officials. The minivans were equipped with fuel cell stacks that turned hydrogen into electricity to power the vehicles. The only emission was water vapor.

With this demonstration of a combined hydrogen vehicle and a fueling station, both companies placed their concern on three focal points: increased awareness and understanding; knowledge sharing; and experience and learning. How do these hydrogen-powered vehicles really work? Through the ingenuity of these makers, an electric motor is used to power the wheels. A chemical reaction inside a unit called a fuel cell then creates electricity for the motor. This reaction is typical between hydrogen and oxygen. As only water vapor is emitted, free from smog-causing discharge, this technology raises the potential for limiting the dependence on foreign oil, thus providing a substitute to gasoline engines that is also environmentally friendly.

GM aims to commercially sell affordable hydrogen-powered cars by 2015. Shell meanwhile, envisions increasing the number of stations with hydrogen pumps, and obtaining mass-market penetration between 2015 and 2025.

Shell will be launching the 2008 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas in April. It is a competition that encourages the invention of fuel cell vehicles that can travel the farthest distance with only a small amount of fuel. This will be just one of their many efforts to become more eco-friendly.

Shell Environment Resources