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Old 11-29-2010, 02:45 PM   #36 (permalink)
naturalextraction
naturalextraction
 
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There are great ideas out there that always need proof of concept and getting to that stage is typically a stumbling block for sure. You guys have mentioned a few. Getting others to produce one off parts and such is just expensive and oddly how it's the less financially fortunate who have the ideas and or the push. Through the past years slowly bought my equipment, learned from good people how to machine parts (which the learning part was fun!) and continue today. Still need help where my skills aren't up to par but it gets stuff done!

We decided to bag the typical ICE and stick with what we felt was the most efficient design with keeping the building process completely in mind. That's tuff! We have three main ideas and the first worked and now working to modify that. Electronics was another area where the learning curve was inverted but necessary. Getting rid of as much of the parasitic losses was imperative and capturing as much of the expanding chemical energy as well as the heat energy both internally and as it radiates to ambient. OldMechanic has some good thoughts to the typical ICE's long standing in-efficiency issues.

I have found that a lot of our issues of inefficiencies start at the chemistry of the fuel and dealing with surface tension, evaporative conditions, transfer of chemical energy as it expands (changes of state) and the timing of flame front travel, maximizing the internal energy content through the currently accepted methodologies. Just a few quick variables.

I don't see hydrogen being much of a useful fuel mainly through the large expense involved with extracting it from it's tight molecular base. Areas like Sweden or where geo-thermal energy is available extracting hydrogen is a little more efficient to produce. So it seems.

Dealing with patents is very time consuming, critical to content outlay and plain not fun. Dealing with grants, the DOE or DOD is even more time consuming, a paperwork nightmare. Unless your a university or national lab, almost impossible to get any results. Most grants listed at DOE are 90% targeted to universities, government established institutions, or labs. Larger corporations have some chance. We've associated our self with one University to find they take 70% of the granted funds for the association! No thanks. Typically, only if the funding possibility is over 65% possible.

As Old Mech has mentioned, there is a lot that can be done with fuels and even with what is available in the established infrastructure currently. Chemical and thermal energy to mechanical energy conversions, I also feel, will soon to reach a 60% conversion efficiency rate for a multitude of reasons.

Just a few quick responses to an interesting thread. You can read a bit about us here: www.energyextraction.blogspot.com

Last edited by naturalextraction; 11-29-2010 at 02:52 PM..
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