Synthetic Fuel

[MachFly]

I was thinking today, Germany had synthetic fuel in WWII. How come we don't have synthetic fuel factories these days?
If we would it would solve a lot of oil problems, and fuel would be a lot cheaper.

[Tec]

We do have synthetic fuel factories.  But I think the question you should consider first is did the Germans use SynFuel because it provided some sort of advantage in price and/or performance, or did they use it because they had to?

[Wolfala]

I was thinking today, Germany had synthetic fuel in WWII. How come we don't have synthetic fuel factories these days?
If we would it would solve a lot of oil problems, and fuel would be a lot cheaper.

Ask yourself.

What is the feedstock?
How much energy expended to get 1 barrel of syn compared with how it is done now
Is the energy equiv of the syn identical to petro?

[MachFly]

I'm not an expert on this topic so I don't know if my information is correct or not. As far as I know the feedstock would be things like garbage, wood, and various gases I believe. I assume the fuel quality would be lower, however it could probably substitute for the lower octane fuel (bellow 90) which would work for most cars on the road.
But again I'm not an expert on this topic so I don't know if I have the right understanding.  

[druski85]

Problem solved:




(Really though, this was the answer)

[Ardy123]

I was thinking today, Germany had synthetic fuel in WWII. How come we don't have synthetic fuel factories these days?
If we would it would solve a lot of oil problems, and fuel would be a lot cheaper.

Its because no one has found a way to make synfuel in an economical way. It takes way too much energy to make one barrel of synfuel, and is still cheaper to purchase oil, then to make it from coal.

[Shuffler]

Brazil makes quite a bit of synthetic fuel. The cars running it require small "gas tanks" because the synthetic will not crank the engine in winter. Once warm the machine switches to syn.

They use alcohol made from sugar cane. It tends to gum and engine up after awhile.

[Ardy123]

Brazil makes quite a bit of synthetic fuel. The cars running it require small "gas tanks" because the synthetic will not crank the engine in winter. Once warm the machine switches to syn.

They use alcohol made from sugar cane. It tends to gum and engine up after awhile.

oh I thought we were specifically talking about synfuel made from coal.

[MiloMorai]

German C3 fuel was in some ways better than fuel from oil because of the chemical make up. German C3 fuel had a PN of 140 or better late war.

The US has massive amount of coal but the Greenies would freak out if synthetic fuel plants were built.

[Ardy123]

German C3 fuel was in some ways better than fuel from oil because of the chemical make up. German C3 fuel had a PN of 140 or better late war.
The US has massive amount of coal but the Greenies would freak out if synthetic fuel plants were built.

With the exception of syngas made from natural gas(GTL), which can be done for about $20 a barrel, if it wasn't for the subsidies that syngas producers receive in the US, it would not be economically feasible and they would go out of business... all of them. With current technology, its just not cost effective unless oil hits over $150 a barrel (some estimates state that it might  be doable for as low as for $65 a barrel at best). Even ethanol made from corn is heavily subsidized ($7 billion a year).


Germany did it in WW2 because once they lost the oil fields in the east, they had no access to oil.

[Mirage]

IIRC synthetic fuel has I higher flash point then other fuel's, does anyone know anything about J2 fuel? american anti 262 squadrons were given special incindiary ammo, because they found that regular bullets would not ignite the fuel good enough

[ToeTag]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas

Works pretty well and is highly renewable.

[CAP1]

German C3 fuel was in some ways better than fuel from oil because of the chemical make up. German C3 fuel had a PN of 140 or better late war.

The US has massive amount of coal but the Greenies would freak out if synthetic fuel plants were built.

the greenies freak out if they hear a fart on the sidewalk.

[ToeTag]

especially when I'm there and kill foliage...typically only happens on a sunday after a win.

[Rino]

IIRC synthetic fuel has I higher flash point then other fuel's, does anyone know anything about J2 fuel? american anti 262 squadrons were given special incindiary ammo, because they found that regular bullets would not ignite the fuel good enough

 

     Incendiaries would ignite the vapor from kerosene just fine providing you made enough holes to let it leak out.  We had
one brainiac in the USAF who tried to prove that JP-4 wouldn't ignite even when you used a cigarette lighter.  One small
fire under an F4 in the hangar and a dishonorable discharge later, he discovered his error.