[extropy-chat] Debate on Peak Oil

Sat Apr 30 15:48:31 UTC 2005

--- Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 25, 2005 at 08:40:41PM -0700, spike wrote:
> 
> > Has there been sufficient consideration of the great potential
> > to cut oil consumption?  An unspoken blessing of the US
> 
> If the fuel price goes up, so does good transportation, which will
> bring some
> transport companies out of business and result in higher prices of
> basic
> goods for end customers. This will reduce consumption.  
> 
> > appetite for gas guzzling SUVs is that we have the potential
> > to cut way back in short order just by driving the less-used
> > second car.  
> 
> I would start with insulating your house and use a passive solar
> system for water and heating.

Ugh, talk about horrendous cost per kwh (solar, not the insulation).

a) if you have not already, convert every light bulb in your home to
compact fluorescent or LED (LED where you can and as product is
available, CF everywhere else. They now make CF bulbs that fit most
every light bulb geometry in the range of a standard incandescent bulb
or larger. Some smaller, but the smaller ones can be done with LED more
efficiently.
b) if you house has rain gutters and spouts, save your rain water with
barrels, then use that water to water your lawn. Saving water saves
energy too.
c) put glazings on your windows which allow light in at low angles,
less at high angles, and which reflect IR.
d) if you have a pool you never use, and don't plan on using, get a
rigid cover for it which is highly insulative and reflective. This is
where solar panels would come in effective: cooling that water, and
rigging a heat exchanger in the water to cool your house with.

Ways to improve gas milage:
a) a gas condensator/reatomizer: http://www.agsint.com/conden.shl
This is a device that captures 'blow by gasoline', i.e. gasoline that
doesn't burn in combustion or which blows by the rings or the valve
seals into the engine ventilation system. This fuel is condensed then
reatomized into the intake manifold airstream. Claims a 40% improvement
in milage.
b) catalytic injector: http://nationalfuelsaver.com/
This device uses the positive crankcase ventilation hose to inject a
vaporized amount of platinum, rhodium, and other catalytic metals into
the intake manifold airstream, to the point that after a few thousand
miles of operation, the combustion chambers are coated with catalytic
metals, thus vastly increasing combustion of fuel from 68% up to 90%.
I have personally used one of these devices, on a 1984 Toyota SR4
Pickup truck I had. I boosted milage from 22 mpg to 27 mpg, and power
increased as well.
c) install platium coated spark plugs. in particular, try the splitfire
or multi-electrode spark plugs. The 4x ones are overkill, BTW. Double
electrode (2x) platinum spark plugs will help significantly. 

b and c work because they help burn fuel that otherwise would not burn
in the engine, and would instead be burnt in the catalytic converter,
which doesn't contribute to the work your engine is doing. Why car
makers aren't coating combustion chamber heads and piston tops with
platinum and rhodium ceramic is a good question.

>  
> > What do you make of this article from the Chicago Trib?
> > 
> > spike
> > 
> >  
> > Ethanol prices in free fall even as cost of gas goes up 
> 
> Ethanol via destillation from fermented biomass is completely insane.
> It's
> good for niche applications for developing countries, who don't have
> access
> to modern processes and can afford to waste a lot of acreage and
> energy to
> generate fuel with a terrible efficiency. Ditto biodiesel from
> rapeseed.
> 
> You have to use a process which uses the entire biomass to do it
> right. This
> will be still a no go for countries with dense population, and good
> environmental protection.  
> 
> Methanol/ethanol in vehicular fuel cells, synthesized from synthesis
> gas from
> Methane/Coal/Oil/Biomass is an excellent idea.
> 
> Methane fuel cells in domestic application for joint electricity/heat
> generation is an excellent idea, and a large step towards hydrogen
> economy.
> 
> -- 
> Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a>
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Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com

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