Electric Rays & Eels: Electricity Storage & Conversion

  • Thread starter Stanley514
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In summary: The fish's muscles are used to create a charge separation which then releases the electricity.The power density of the electricity is quite high, comparable to some battery technologies.It is possible to create something similar to electric organs, but it would require a lot of research and a lot of money.
  • #1
Stanley514
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Electric rays and eels are able to produce lot of electricity.
I wasn`t able to understand if their way to store electricity
is closer to battery or capacitor or neither?
Could it be regarded as electric energy storage similar to battery or
capacitor or this is just energy conversion method in which power of
muscles is used to produce charge separation?
 
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  • #2
I believe it is described in enough detail here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_eel" [Broken]
 
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  • #3
I still do not see a similarity to classical battery because battery depends on reaction of reducer with oxidizer but electric fish organs on some ``charge release``.
Is it possible to create something artificial similar to electric organs?They seem to have excelent energy and power density and no rare metals are involved?
 
  • #4
Stanley514 said:
I still do not see a similarity to classical battery because battery depends on reaction of reducer with oxidizer but electric fish organs on some ``charge release``.
Is it possible to create something artificial similar to electric organs?They seem to have excelent energy and power density and no rare metals are involved?

70 W·h/kg energy density of a Ni-MH battery

500V*1A (max recorded from an electric eel) = 500W... 0.14 W*h
So for the organ to have similar power density as a Ni-MH it would need to weigh 0.002kg... a fish capable of producing that much power needs to be about 1 meter long and about 10-20kg

I cannot find how much the organ weighs in such a fish (or even the percent of its body mass) but it would need to be around 0.02% of its body mass to have the same energy density as Ni-MH
 
  • #5
Some more details here, if you have not seen it:

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/riis/electriceel3.htm" [Broken]

Those organs generating the electricity make up a very large part of the eel.
 
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  • #6
Some fish use this kind of organs for communication.
 

1. What is the difference between electric rays and electric eels?

Electric rays are a type of fish that are able to generate and store electricity in specialized organs called electric organs. Electric eels, on the other hand, are not technically eels but a type of fish known as knifefish. They also have electric organs but are able to generate much higher voltages compared to electric rays.

2. How do electric rays and eels store electricity?

Both electric rays and eels store electricity in specialized organs called electric organs. These organs contain specialized cells called electrocytes, which have a positively charged side and a negatively charged side. When these cells are stacked together, they create a battery-like structure that can store electricity.

3. How do electric rays and eels convert stored electricity into a shock?

When electric rays and eels want to use their stored electricity as a shock, they send an electrical signal from their brain to their electric organs. This causes the electrocytes to release their stored electricity all at once, creating a powerful shock to stun or incapacitate their prey or predators.

4. Can electric rays and eels control the strength of their electric shocks?

Yes, electric rays and eels are able to control the strength of their electric shocks. They can vary the number and strength of the electrical signals sent to their electric organs, allowing them to adjust the voltage and current of their shocks. This is useful for hunting smaller prey without causing harm to themselves.

5. How does the electric organ in electric rays and eels compare to a battery?

The electric organ in electric rays and eels is similar to a battery in that it can store electricity. However, the way it stores and releases electricity is different. A battery uses chemical reactions to store and release electricity, while the electric organ uses electric signals from the brain to release stored electricity. Additionally, the electric organ is able to recharge and reuse its stored electricity, while a battery needs to be replaced or recharged when it runs out of energy.

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