Is it possible to marry SVO or biodiesel to a small and efficient steam
engine? Is that more desirable than using a small diesel? (Quieter,
certainly!)
How would it be as about compared to a human/electric bike? ("ebike") Or
should the ebike be charged by the small diesel genset?
Thoughts, anyone?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've read (somewhere) that steam engines are about 10-12 percent efficient,
much like photo voltaic cells
although improving. Not sure how efficient wind or water turbines are but the
energy is freely available.
Steam turbines (electric utility plants) normally require continues,
uninterrupted, hi-rpm's.
(Found it) ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUELED ENGINE/GENERATORS
http://www.webconx.com/woodgas.pdf
I thought this article from Steve Spence's site was good discussing steam
efficiency and wood gas. Single
cylinder 7-12%, double acting multi-cylinder 15-17%.
How stuff works explains efficiency;
24-32% Fuel-Cell-Powered Electric Car
20% Gasoline-Powered Car
26% Battery-Powered Electric Car (combustion process - power plant)
65% Battery-Powered Electric Car (HydroElectric plant)
"Efficiency of Fuel Cells"
http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell4.htm
or page thru from the beginning http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm
DOE - U.S. Department of Energy;
Even modern internal combustion engines convert only one third of the energy in
fuel into useful work. The
rest is lost to waste heat, the friction of moving engine parts or to pumping
air into and out of the engine.
All of the steps at which energy is wasted are opportunities for advanced
technologies to increase fuel
economy.
The figure above illustrates the paths of energy through a typical
gasoline-powered vehicle in city driving.
Of the energy content in a gallon of gasoline, 62% is lost to engine friction,
engine pumping losses, and to
waste heat. In urban driving, another 17% is lost to idling at stop lights or
in traffic. Accessories
necessary for the vehicle's operation (e.g., waterpump) or for passenger
comfort (e.g., air conditioning) take
another 2%.
Just over 18% of the energy in gasoline makes it to the transmission.
Losses in the drive train to friction
and slippage claim more than 5%, leaving a bit less than 13% to actually move
the vehicle down the road. The
laws of physics will not permit all of these losses to be entirely eliminated.
But improvements are possible
at every step.
The 12.6% of original fuel energy that makes it to the wheels must
provide acceleration (5.8 %) and overcome
aerodynamic drag (2.6%) and rolling resistance. In stop and go city driving it
is not surprising that
acceleration is the biggest need, rolling is next, followed by aerodynamic
drag. On the highway the order is
reversed: aerodynamic drag, which increases at an increasing rate with speed
requires the most energy (about
10.9%). Each of these final uses of energy also represents an opportunity to
improve fuel economy.
Substitutions of high strength lightweight materials can reduce vehicle mass
and thus the energy required for
acceleration. Smoother vehicle shapes have already reduced drag significantly,
but further reductions of
20-30% are possible. Advanced tire designs can cut rolling resistance.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv.shtml
On the EPA highway cycle with an average speed of 48 mph, 54% of the energy
required to move a car goes to
aerodynamic drag. Because drag increases with the square of speed, MORE THAN
TWICE as much ENERGY would be
required to overcome drag at 70 mph. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/aero.shtml
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Tiny Wireless Camera under $80!
Order Now! FREE VCR Commander!
Click Here - Only 1 Day Left!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/WoOlbB/7.PDAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Biofuel at Journey to Forever:
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address.
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
