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Old 03-05-2010, 12:07 AM   #2 (permalink)
Christ
Moderate your Moderation.
 
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Sounds good, too.

Seems fairly simplistic, as well, considering that no matter how hot you get something, it won't burn without an oxidizer present.

You could theoretically heat your fuel to 2,000 Degrees under pressure (so it doesn't vaporize), then inject it into a cylinder full of compressed air, without general regard to the amount of air in that cylinder or the size of the displacement of that cylinder, and extract as much potential heat energy as could be extracted. The heating cycle of the fuel itself - pre-injection - could be handled by a turbo charger, or by exhaust heat in general, as well as a heat element. Modern diesels provide enough pressure to keep the fuel liquid under extreme conditions - (fuel pressures ~1600bar.)
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