In another post, I spoke of my work at NASA where we developed the
lightest and strongest materials known to man. One, which happens to be
composed of non-carcinogenic compounds and manufactured with recipes
that allow it to achieve virtually any shape and tolerance, is known as
RP46. It has about ten times the strength to weight ratio as steel and
is just as cost effective. You can make frames, panels, gears, and
amazing components with RP46.
If we were to mass produce these engines in our American factories, and mate them to ultralight auto and truck bodies, the overall mileage of these new vehicles would range from 40 to 200 MPG on straight diesel. That's about five times what is now possible here and three times the best results in Europe. We would leapfrog the Europeans and Japanese, and take control of this market once again.
The higher the compression ratio, the higher the efficiency. The fuel must be adaptable to the high temperatures at the high pressures without igniting. That's why ammonia, biodiesel and straight diesel are so good and CNG and gasoline stink.
Make the engines larger for the trucks, and they get the same improvements, too. The real advantage is ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS. Icing on the cake is better fuel efficiency than any gasoline or CNG fueled vehicle, as much as 2:1 better.
The engine in the Mini Cooper D puts out over 100 HP. Given its size, that's pretty good.
There is lower flame speed in ammonia. That's why it works well at high Temperature & Pressure in high Compression Ratio engines. The flame speed can also be adjusted with additives. Don't ask! But dimethyl ether (DME) works nicely.
The best turbodiesels in production today are in Germany. BMW's Mini Cooper D gets 74MPG, and has about a 42% efficiency. Just to compare, no spark-ignition ICE motorcycle gets mileage that good except a Vespa, which is no more than a scooter. The Mini is a four--place auto.
The Otto cycle used in a diesel is inherently more efficient. The advanced diesels use ammonia as a means to scrub the NOx from the reactions. The CR is 40:1. The best ICE you refer to is about 13:1.
Transmissions can be quite efficient. The hydraulic hybrid powertrain claims up to a 50% reduction in losses over conventional ATs. The Mini's transmission has a computer-controlled solenoid that offers its spectacular performance of only 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled. That's the lowest in the world.
The Web has some data on new engines, but the good stuff I've seen is proprietary. Yes, ammonia is the key to success. Yes, you can get 200MPG with a lighter body and these new engines and transmissions. And yes, you can get 80MPG on ammonia with an ultralight, which has 40% of the volumetric energy density of straight diesel and is about the same volumetric energy density as compressed natural gas (CNG).
Here is a neat chart from DOE's labs on what's possible with an NH3 diesel:
In advanced solar power, here is an artist's concept of the Hidalgo solar plant, used as a model for both Ridgecrest and the Ammonia plant. Note that the copper smelter is in the foreground and the background, looking due west, is the Cochise Mountain range that separates Arizona and New Mexico. Mexico was just twenty miles south.
I thought I'd just get you folks comfortable with some of the other stuff that will work to make us great again. Every one of these ideas is a trillion dollar solution. The turbodiesel all by itself can end our reliance on imported oil in less than five years. The "Fallwell Flyer" (for want of a better name, maybe "Skypower") can put the nail in the nuke coffin and end our reliance on coal-based generation of power.
This power tower technology referred to is an outgrowth of the design that we developed at Gibbs & Hill (about $10 million in 2008 dollars was spent on that work) for systems to be built at Ridgecrest (near China Lake, CA) and Hidalgo in SW New Mexico back in the early '80's. Both were killed by the economic conditions at the time and the loss of the solar tax credits.
If we were to mass produce these engines in our American factories, and mate them to ultralight auto and truck bodies, the overall mileage of these new vehicles would range from 40 to 200 MPG on straight diesel. That's about five times what is now possible here and three times the best results in Europe. We would leapfrog the Europeans and Japanese, and take control of this market once again.
The higher the compression ratio, the higher the efficiency. The fuel must be adaptable to the high temperatures at the high pressures without igniting. That's why ammonia, biodiesel and straight diesel are so good and CNG and gasoline stink.
Make the engines larger for the trucks, and they get the same improvements, too. The real advantage is ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS. Icing on the cake is better fuel efficiency than any gasoline or CNG fueled vehicle, as much as 2:1 better.
There is lower flame speed in ammonia. That's why it works well at high Temperature & Pressure in high Compression Ratio engines. The flame speed can also be adjusted with additives. Don't ask! But dimethyl ether (DME) works nicely.
The best turbodiesels in production today are in Germany. BMW's Mini Cooper D gets 74MPG, and has about a 42% efficiency. Just to compare, no spark-ignition ICE motorcycle gets mileage that good except a Vespa, which is no more than a scooter. The Mini is a four--place auto.
The Otto cycle used in a diesel is inherently more efficient. The advanced diesels use ammonia as a means to scrub the NOx from the reactions. The CR is 40:1. The best ICE you refer to is about 13:1.
Transmissions can be quite efficient. The hydraulic hybrid powertrain claims up to a 50% reduction in losses over conventional ATs. The Mini's transmission has a computer-controlled solenoid that offers its spectacular performance of only 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled. That's the lowest in the world.
The Web has some data on new engines, but the good stuff I've seen is proprietary. Yes, ammonia is the key to success. Yes, you can get 200MPG with a lighter body and these new engines and transmissions. And yes, you can get 80MPG on ammonia with an ultralight, which has 40% of the volumetric energy density of straight diesel and is about the same volumetric energy density as compressed natural gas (CNG).
Here is a neat chart from DOE's labs on what's possible with an NH3 diesel:
In advanced solar power, here is an artist's concept of the Hidalgo solar plant, used as a model for both Ridgecrest and the Ammonia plant. Note that the copper smelter is in the foreground and the background, looking due west, is the Cochise Mountain range that separates Arizona and New Mexico. Mexico was just twenty miles south.
I thought I'd just get you folks comfortable with some of the other stuff that will work to make us great again. Every one of these ideas is a trillion dollar solution. The turbodiesel all by itself can end our reliance on imported oil in less than five years. The "Fallwell Flyer" (for want of a better name, maybe "Skypower") can put the nail in the nuke coffin and end our reliance on coal-based generation of power.
This power tower technology referred to is an outgrowth of the design that we developed at Gibbs & Hill (about $10 million in 2008 dollars was spent on that work) for systems to be built at Ridgecrest (near China Lake, CA) and Hidalgo in SW New Mexico back in the early '80's. Both were killed by the economic conditions at the time and the loss of the solar tax credits.
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