Author Topic: Alternative fuel  (Read 1746 times)

Offline AquaShrimp

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Alternative fuel
« on: August 12, 2006, 06:54:44 PM »
Whats the most logical choice for an alternative fuel source in the USA?  

I was thinking perhaps nuclear powered hydrolysis.  Water is split, providing hydrogen for cars to run on.  Build a few massive nuclear power plants and place them in different regions of the country for ease of transport.

I read that a town in Ohio is getting all of its fuel from wastewater.  Maybe that could be a source too?
« Last Edit: August 12, 2006, 06:57:26 PM by AquaShrimp »

Offline BlueJ1

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Alternative fuel
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2006, 06:55:35 PM »
Mexicans.
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Offline DREDIOCK

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« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2006, 07:07:22 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by BlueJ1
Mexicans.


:aok

I was gonna say bullchit but....same difference
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Offline Nashwan

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« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2006, 07:09:42 PM »
Quote

I was thinking perhaps nuclear powered hydrolysis. Water is split, providing hydrogen for cars to run on. Build a few massive nuclear power plants and place them in different regions of the country for ease of transport.


It's a bit more than a few. Last I saw, it was something like 3 - 400 large nuclear power stations to replace the oil the US currently uses.

Offline Toad

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« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2006, 07:13:59 PM »
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...The 103 nuclear reactors currently in operation in the U.S. generate over 97 billion W of electricity--about 20% of the country's electricity...

...Western European countries generate around 35% of their electricity from nuclear power--more than from any other source. France and Belgium produce 78% and 55%, respectively, of their electricity from nuclear power.
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Offline cav58d

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« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2006, 07:22:02 PM »
Even if an alternate fuel source was made available tomorrow morning, I just dont see it being practical...

What do you expect me to do with a 12 month old $25,000 car that run's on oil/gas???

What do you expect the people who live off used cars every 2 or 3 years because they cant afford something new?

I agree, an alternate source of evergy needs to be found, but I think we need to look at this as realist, and understand it will take at the mininum a decade before >50% of the United States can practically use it
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Offline Bruv119

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Alternative fuel
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2006, 07:36:45 PM »
Cav has hit the nail on the head there.  

The big oil companies arent going to like their billions of profits wiped out by a much cheaper alternative fuel source.  As long as cars use petrol they are making more money than they would from other sources.

The whole car industry especially dealers and car sales people would be screwed.  Think of all the petrol cars in the world being made redundant one big pile of scrap metal!!!


Would love to see fuel prices reduced back to sane levels in the UK its about £1 a litre...   global warming would also be helped with more friendly gases like hydrogen.
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Offline Ripsnort

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« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2006, 07:38:57 PM »
Any fuel that will push the middle east leaders back into a 3rd world status once again (Sorry for my reply, been drinking tonight!)

Offline FUNKED1

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Re: Alternative fuel
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2006, 07:48:32 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by AquaShrimp
Whats the most logical choice for an alternative fuel source in the USA?  

I was thinking perhaps nuclear powered hydrolysis.  Water is split, providing hydrogen for cars to run on.  Build a few massive nuclear power plants and place them in different regions of the country for ease of transport.


Mix in some CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles too.
But we need to move our electrical generation to fission ASAP.
Imagine if we had spent 300 billion @#$%ing dollars on that instead of the cluster@#$% in Iraq...

Offline cav58d

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« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2006, 09:05:45 PM »
Bruv I think you've pretty much got it, but my point was directed at individuals, not big corporations....

If this new "alternative fuel" came out tomorrow, what am I supposed to do with my fairly expensive new car that run's on gasoline????  Surely no one can expect me to sell it for a new environmental friendly, or non dependant of the middle east, fuel burning vehicle....

And what happens for example to my girlfriends parents?  People who have NEVER owned a new vehicle...The type of people who have to buy an 8 year old used car and drive it with all it's problem until it dies because they cant afford anything more then $3-4 grand...How can anyone expect them to make the cross over????

Like I said earlier, this problem has to be looked at through the eyes of a realist...Theres just no possible way to change the world over night in regards of this problem, and anyone that argues different is just dead wrong
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Offline Ghosth

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« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2006, 07:20:40 AM »
Water is the key, your correct on that.

The problem is in how we split it, and where, and the safe transport & storage of tons of Hydrogen.

What we really need is a way to weaken the nucular bonds holding those 2 hydrogen & oxygen atoms together. If we can figure that out, then we can actually do that in the car instead of in some plant.

Nucular power is not the answer, we don't have a way to get rid of the waste we already have. Short of useing Lebenon & Afganistan as a nucular waste dump.

So we need to do the electrolisis in the vehicle, on demand. That way there is no storage issue, all we need to fill our car with is water.

I think the answer is going to be frequency, like the movie "cold fusion".

But finding the right process/frequency, thats the kicker.

The only other rational alternative is to go back to steam, or steam/electric hybrid.  Use biomass to power everything. Switchcrass, wood, corn, its all renewable resources. Which means every fall we have a whole new supply to harvest. Best of all it takes the ball out of the middle easts hands. Puts it square back in our court.

Start by figuring how to heat your home with Corn, Wood pellets, or Wood this winter. Instead of Fuel Oil, Propane, & Natural Gas. You'll save yourself money, and help turn this thing back around.

Offline Ghosth

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« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2006, 07:24:30 AM »
Cav there is no way this sort of change happens overnight.

First off the Govt would not let it. If everyone switched away from Gasoline overnight our country would go belly up. All the gas stations, pipelines, refinerys, all hire people. Without those jobs you start a ripple effect that shakes the whole house down.

No it needs to be a slow & gradual change. Probably over 20 years, problem is we need to START!

The same thing happened to us back in the 70's and we did nothing.

So your brand new car is going to be rust by the time we stop useing oil entirely.
But we really do need to make a start NOW.

Offline AquaShrimp

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« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2006, 07:40:52 AM »
Quote
What we really need is a way to weaken the nucular bonds holding those 2 hydrogen & oxygen atoms together.


Thats what enzymes do.  They lower the activation energy for exergonic reactions.  I don't think there are any enzymes in nature that work on water though.

Edit: Just looked it up, there is an enzyme that does that, and scientists are already experimenting with it.  However it uses light energy to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2006, 07:44:42 AM by AquaShrimp »

Offline Nilsen

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Alternative fuel
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2006, 07:58:49 AM »
Impulse drive is the future.

Offline cpxxx

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« Reply #14 on: August 13, 2006, 08:02:10 AM »
Actually there was an interesting article in Aviation week recently. Synthetic fuel made from coal. The Germans used in WW2 so it' hardly new. The more expensive oil becomes the more economically viable it is to produce. Interestingly it's supposed to be cleaner than oil based fuels.
It can be mixed with normal fuel too.

America has a lot of coal mines!