On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 11:39:49 +0100, "Keith W"
wrote:


"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.
It does? :-))

snip

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.

They also made something similar to natural gas

snip
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.

True it indirectly contributes by raising the octane rating which
allows for much higher combustion ratios. Gone are the days of gas
engines with 11:1 compression ratios.

Of course there certain drawbacks which caused it to
be banned.

Not just the lead. The higher compression had a tendency to create a
lot of nitrides.


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

That wasn't quite where I was headed. I agree the hybrid can get much
better mileage than a conventional car although it's at its best in
city driving.

Where I was headed was those adding more batteries to the hybrid and
then charging them from the electrical mains. Although at first it
looks like they are creating tremendous savings, it really a very
expensive proposition and we haven't reached the point where disposing
or remanufacturing the NiMH batteries has become a problem.

Although the technology could allow the gas engine to run at max
efficiency that isn't necessarily the case so there is still room for
improvement. Yes, the motor/generator (wheel motor) is where the car
gets most of its efficiency and also why it does its best in city
driving.

I'm wondering if may have noticed the similarity between the auto
industry now and the auto industry back in the 70s after the gas
shortage. The US auto industry was hurting as they were still geared
up to produce cars that were part of the horse power race and consumer
purchasing habits had shifted to imported economy cars. It appears, at
least to me, to be much the same at present.

We conserved, gas became cheap, and within a few years we were back to
larger cars. However some pretty big strides were made in gas mileage.
I drive an SUV that gets better mileage than the 4 cylinder cars I
drove back in the late 80s and early 90s. but gas mileage has actually
dropped slightly on average over the last 5 years or so.




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.

And you have much quieter, smoother running, and cleaner diesel
engines than we do here. Most of ours sound like a bad case of spark
knock or a loose rod. :-))


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

True, but due to price controls they are exporting refined gas as they
can sell it for more than they can at home.

I'd answer more but there's a thunderstorm right outside ... :-))
Later.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

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