Thanks Samai . . . . I think! :-/ I haven't read the paper to which you refer. Perhaps I should read a copy before I venture an opinion.
Regards Michael On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 11:26:31 +0100 (BST), Sam Jai-In <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Group Members, > A ferry fleet operator has used coconut oil instead of > diesel for the past three years on Samui Island. This > is another example of successful SVO story. > > I read a paper on the emissions bebefits of biodiesel > published by EPA, they showed a result that if we use > saturated fatty acid feedstocks eg. animal fats, we > will get higher reduction of PM. Coconut-based > biodiesel would probably give similar advantages, > Micheal : Please comment on this. > > Samai > > --- Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Hello Michael, Bruce >> >> >Dear Bruce, >> > >> >We can take this correspondence off-line if you >> prefer. All you have to do >> >is reply to my personal e-mail address. (I'm not >> sure how interesting >> >coconut oil is to those folk wrestling with the US >> bureaucracy anyway!) >> >> Please don't take it off-line, there's widespread >> interest in coconut oil and the more information is available and >> publicly shared the better - such discussions do much more good in the >> archives and accessible to all than hidden away on a couple of >> people's hard disks. >> >> >Incidentally, there is no great secret in the >> Neoterics claim: You can run >> >diesel engines directly on refined coconut oil just >> as you can on refined >> >palm-oil: You just have to melt and pre-heat the >> oil! We have done this by >> >passing the exhaust pipe up through the fuel tank >> but, being in the >> >tropics, we do have a head-start: the air >> temperature is about 32C so our >> >oils are liquid. The challenge has been to use >> unrefined palm-oil which is >> >about one tenth the price of the refined stuff. The >> research of my >> >colleagues here shows that while refined oil will >> run over 3000 hours in >> >this system, unrefined oil cooks the engine within >> 500 hours. I keep asking >> >them to write this up but I think there is a >> reluctance to publish negative >> >results! >> > My recollection of the medicinal properties of >> coconut "milk" is that >> >quenching your thirst on it leads to the world >> falling out of your bottom . >> >. . . . I have, however, been told that is high in >> potassium and can >> >actually settle the guts after a bad attack of >> Tropical Squits . . . >> > >> >I have worked on using coconut shells and coir to >> fuel. The problem is that >> >a simple steam turbine running on the Rankine cycle >> can only muster about >> >40% conversion of the fuel into useful work, the >> rest is discarded to the >> >environment. Co-generation is possible if you have >> a use for lots of tepid >> >water. But generally in the tropics, there is an >> abundance of this stuff! >> >Why it even falls out of the sky! >> > >> >I did design a coconut-shell fuelled heater for >> drying bananas in Tonga >> >many years ago. This was to help a health food >> company which had >> >effectively been attacked by a Peace Corp worker! >> He had insisted that they >> >use solar energy to dry the bananas in an >> inflatable building! Sadly the >> >air flow over the bananas was negligible and the >> intermittant electricity >> >supply caused the building to collapse onto the >> mouldy bananas anyway. This >> >was my initiation into "inappropriate technology" >> foisted onto developing >> >countries by poorly-educated westerners who carry >> absolutely no >> >responsibility for the outcome! Even a cursory >> glance at the met data would >> >have shown that Nuku'alofa is frequently overcast >> and that it can be cool >> >enough that pullovers are worn. And anyone in the >> street could have told >> >him about the frequent electrical black-outs. But >> hey! that was a lot of >> >years ago . . . Things have changed . . . . >> have'nt they ? >> >> :-) Nope, they haven't changed. But, now as then, >> there are people who do excellent work, many of them (like you do >> Michael). But then there are the others... Hard to know what to do >> about them - they're full of good intentions which all too often end up >> paving the road to hell, as it is written, but other people's hells, >> not theirs, and by the time that happens they're long gone and seldom >> learn of it. "Of course I can help, I've got a Western education!" >> Uh-huh... How to sustain the goodwill and good intent but channel it >> towards a more constructive outcome? >> >> http://journeytoforever.org/rural.html >> Rural development - If it's not broken, don't fix it >> - Fixing what's broken >> >> http://journeytoforever.org/community.html >> Community development >> >> http://journeytoforever.org/community2.html >> Community development - poverty and hunger >> >> Someone on another list just wrote this: >> >> >IMO, and many others, an essential component in >> technology transfer is >> >PARTICIPATION (Yes, in capitals) And participate is >> to be part of, to share. >> >Only equals participate, non-equals only help or >> adhere or accept. >> Yea, verily... but it's difficult for Westerners not >> to be patronizing. Difficult but not impossible. >> >> regards >> >> Keith >> >> >Let me know, on-line or offline, if i can be any >> further help. >> > >> >Regards >> > >> >Michael Allen >> >Thailand >> > >> > > Michael et al, >> > > >> > > Thank you for all the good information you have >> > > provided to my request. I'm still learning how >> this >> > > yahoo system works (replies to all; replies to >> group >> > > or what). >> > > >> > > I grew up in Samoa and periodically return to >> the >> > > various islands I know down that way. It bugs >> me >> > > greatly to note how dependent they are on >> > > diesel-electric production! Especially when >> palms and >> > > coconuts are everywhere. In Independent Samoa >> on the >> > > island of Savaii, the old colonial coconut >> plantations >> > > still survive - >> > > >> > > So, I'm toying with land area and production >> figures. Each island is it's >> > > own unique electric system, yet >> > > each varies greatly in terms of land available >> for >> > > production. >> > > >> > > Question: Could palm oil, or coconut oil be >> used >> > > directly in a steam generating turbine system >> and >> > > bypass the need for diesel? A sort of slurry of >> > > coconut husks and coconut oils (with the water >> and >> > > shell used in other products). >> > > >> > > I find it a waste that the coconut water isn't >> > > marketed as it's health qualities are >> sifnificant. >> > > >> > > But direct combustion of a slurry in a >> steam-electric >> > > system seems possible. >> > > >> > > Again, thanks for all the terrific information!! >> > > >> > > Bruce >> >> > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo! > Messenger http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/ > > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > Biofuel at WebConX > http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Free shipping on all inkjet cartridge & refill kit orders to US & Canada. We have your brand: HP, Epson, Lexmark, Canon & more. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5510 http://us.click.yahoo.com/kP..SB/49VGAA/ySSFAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: http://archive.nnytech.net/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
