Talk:Nanofactory engineering/feedstock processing
From Wise Nano
Discuss the feedstock processing equipment needed by a nanofactory. As conclusions are reached, put them in Nanofactory engineering/feedstock processing.
Using a carbon cycle by Jim moore 21:19, 3 Oct 2004 (CDT)
Using a carbon cycle by Jim moore 22:19, 3 Oct 2004 (CDT)
Nano-factory made products consist mostly of carbon, so any feed stock must contain carbon. Ideally you need a system that easily allows you to introduce more carbon from a wide variety of sources and recycle the carbon you have already used. A simple but powerful carbon cycle would use carbon dioxide as the carbon feed stock for nano-factories. By using carbon dioxide as an intermediate chemical a nano-factory can simply burn old nano factory parts, methane, dried organic mater, any fossil fuel,( then filter the carbon dioxide out from the water and other products of burning ) to gain access to more carbon. The major cost to this approach is energy, in order to add one carbon atom to a piece under construction you must break four carbon oxygen bonds. You will form up to four carbon - carbon bonds and an oxygen - oxygen double bond but you will still need to put energy into the system in order to organize it.
I hate to say this but I think the biggest problem with this idea is that it makes out of control replication easier. The simple process of burning opens up such a wide variety of carbon sources that machine phase systems could easily over take any biological system.
KISS principle by Selenite 21:10, 5 Oct 2004 (CDT)
I think for the version 1.0 nanofactory the system design objective should be to minimize the amount of time needed to produce the next generation of nanofactories. For the feedstock processor that would drive you to a "suboptimized" version that can only handle a limited range of inputs, say gasoline or kerosene. That lets you minimize the mass and power demands. The "eat anything" processor would be better for the later generations after the easy raw materials have been used up.
quick review on feed stock by Jim moore 11:59, 6 Oct 2004 (CDT)
As far as I know there have been very few suggested feed stock chemoicals: 1.) Drexler proposed acetone. 2.) Merkel has suggested using modified adamantanes. (molecular diamond) 3.) Biological systems (plants) use carbon dioxide as the carbon source.
Merkel's proposal has the advantage of needing the least ammount of feed stock processing, but adamantanes are used at very low volume today, and rarely found in a usable form in the environment.
Acetone is a commonly use chemical but will require some feed stock processing before a nano-factory adds carbon to a work piece.
Carbon dioxide is a common material in the environment and easy to manufacture ( just burn a fossil fuel). Carbon dioxide will also require feed stock processing before a nano-factory can add carbon to a work piece. Using carbon dioxide will most likely require more energy input than using acetone.
Merkle suggests feedstocks... by Chris Phoenix, CRN 21:59, 6 Oct 2004 (CDT)
A paper by Merkle suggests lots of feedstocks, including acetylene. Acetylene is nice: a high-energy hydrocarbon, not found in nature.
