"Roger" wrote in message
...
On 24 Sep 2005 08:10:59 -0700, wrote:

If this thread is true to the subject of H2 boosting, not H2O

The subject has drifted, it happens.

Or using
some method of cracking water to get Hydrogen it's unlikely it can do
any thing near what is claimed. To get H2 from water takes a lot of
energy. OTOH adding water to hot charcoal will produce a burnable gas
and is a regularly used process.


Well it was back in the days when we made town gas from coke.
The gas produced was of course mainly carbon monoxide
which would modern safety officials a fit.

Surprisingly H2 does not have the flame temperature for which it is
often given credit. Nor does it have a high BTU content per unit
volume. What it does have is a small molecular structure which lets
you put a lot of it through a small tip on a torch providing a clean,
hot, flame with enough BTUs for melting glass and even quartz.

Water vapor in the fuel stream serves two purposes. It lowers the
combustion chamber temperature and it effectively increases the octane
rating of the gas under high compression. Introduced into the inlet
stream it can lower the temperature of the incoming fuel/air mixture
which will allow more mixture into the chamber for a given pressure.


Indeed

Alcohol which has a low octane rating although it keeps getting credit
for a high one, when added to gas up to 10% by volume will increase
the octane rating of the fuel. 10% seems to be the maximum amount for
increasing the octane rating.

One side effect of water injection is nice clean cylinders and
cylinder heads. Water also adds a lot of weight, without adding much
else.

There really are no magic additives, or fuels that will give
tremendous savings on their own.

Well there is one, tetraethyl lead boosts the octane rating
allowing you to use much higher compression ratios.
Of course there certain drawbacks which caused it to
be banned.

Most cost far more than normal gas.
Even those who make the claims of tremendous added mileage by adding
battery capacity to a hybrid car are not taking into account all the
added costs including the cost of the electricity.


Not exactly. Using battery technology allows the IC engine to run only
at its max efficiency setting and allows the use of regenerative braking

Its easily shown that hybrid cars do give better gas mileage

Some where in the $3.00 to $3.50 range per gallon of gas is the point
where alternative fuels begin to become economically viable
alternatives to non renewable hydrocarbons.


They have been well above that level in Europe for at least a decade. The
result has been a large scale switch to more efficient diesel
engines and the proeuction of relatively small amounts of bio-diesel.
Beyond that there have been relatively few such advances.

Current gas prices here in the UK are around $6.8 per gallon

We see all kinds of claims using byproducts from one place or another,
but as soon as enough people use those products they no longer are
thrown away they will be right up there with the other alternative
fuels.

We are most likely going to soon see $3.50 per gallon for a short time
here in the states. That will affect world wide prices which should
only be for a few months depending on how fast refining capacity can
be put back on line.


Dont bet on it. World demand is rising faster than supply, specifically
the Chinese are rapidly building a massive automotive industry
and Chinese demand for oil is rising at around 1 bbpd / year

In 2004 China became the worlds second largest importer of petroleum
products surpassing Japan. That demand is now at approx 40% that of
the USA having risen by 300% since 1990

The scary part is the news tonight was reporting a gas leak out in the
gulf where the lines come together before the gas is brought to shore.
Wait till you see your LP and natural gas bills this winter. Most
commercial electricity is produced by burning natural gas.



Only if you include dual fired units, the stats in 2004 were
(million kilowatts)


Coal 313.3
Oil 36.9
Gas 222.9
Dual Fuel 175.4
Hydro 79
Nuclear 99.6

Electricity production is of course much easier to switch
to non fossil fuels than automotive fuel use but the USA
hasnt built any commercial nuclear plants since the
1980's unlike France which now generates almost 90%
of its electricity from nuclear sources.

Keith