Cheap Fuel?

Turbine

Yipster, the small turboprop engine was in this months Kit Plane Magazine and Experimental Aircraft magazine. I didn't research it far enough to know what the price is. Today, turbines are not that complicated or hard to produce. Mother Earth New has had several articles on water turbines to hook up to a generator and there's several web sites on the technology. Instead of the turbine having water run through it to produce electricity, reverse the process to have it propel boats. Not rocket science, but something achievable at economical prices.

 

Gears

Or appropriate gearing to achieve the same resulting thrust....torque.

 

the best approach now time is to use gene change cereals to increase its production and they will be use for making a cheap fuel.
Are you an antagonist of gene change cereals?

 

Steam system

Just thoughts. A small steam propulsion system may be feasible using a turbine, but here a rather high pressure boiler would be needed to produces steam to turn the turbine. Rather than gears, the turbine would be connected directly to the shaft which would turn a variable pitch, multiblade propeller, much the same as a turboprop aircraft. The shaft would only turn in one direction, but the prop could be either put ahead,feathered or reversed to provide reverse thrust. This technology is already available. In one of the Wooden Boat magazine aritcles there was a similar system, but for a one way turning, ungeared diesel engine. Reverse thrust was by deployable clamshell thrust deflectors. The deflector system was really simple. Again, just ideas.

 

Unfortunatly turbines only produce power when the RPM is in the thousands. It requires a big reduction gear to have them make enough shaft HP to lift your hat off your head.

A std 3 stage steam engine can run efficently at 100rpm , an IDEAD shaft speed , if you can afford a prop of the diameter required , and matching shaft.

Also the steam engine can be repaired by a semi skilled boater ,(at best 1930's tech) not so for turbines .

FAST FRED

 

arneson quoted a 1800 hp gearbox -depending on who makes it- at a few hundred kilos, price i dont know but keep dreaming...
apart from my model steam engines i really cant afford experiments tho so for now keep the € 1.54 the liter slurping mercruisers

thanks for the info, when on these sites share the links please -have to run- will check later

 

Biodeisel!
how you gonna carry a ton of coal? What marina are you gonna get a fill up at?

 

A tonn of coal is no problem, I'm more woried about the volum off it.
Did annyone calculate the volum of 1tonn of coal?

 

Did annyone calculate the volum of 1tonn of coal?

Depending on the quality of the coal , a Ton is about 2-3 large garbage cans of volume. Not much bigger than a ton of diesel in a tank.

FAST FRED

 

what about volum/energy ratio?

 

Did annyone calculate the volum of 1tonn of coal?

According to "Skene's" -- 43 cubic ft/long ton

moT

 

Fast Fred and moth deisel.
Are those figures for a ton of solid coal which would be comparable to liquid deisel or the type of coal you and I could purchase, ie: chunks of irregular rock: which would have quite a bit of air in between when we speak of volumn?

 

Are those figures for a ton of solid coal which would be comparable to liquid deisel or the type of coal you and I could purchase, ie: chunks of irregular rock: which would have quite a bit of air in between when we speak of volumn?

According to "Machinery's Handbook" 1941 ed. --

Average weights and volumes of fuel:
anthracite coal --- 1 ton (2240#) = 34 to 41 cubic ft
bituminous coal --- 1 ton = 41 to 45 cubic ft

As it says 'fuels" I think we can assume they mean in "lump" state. Size of individual chunks would account for spread of density perhaps?

moT

 

Butanol? Butanol can be manufactured using yard waste, it a direct substitue for gasoline, can be used to modify the Cetane number for BioDiesel in cold weather, and is cleaner burning than Gasoline.

 

Just a tecnical corection, hp can not be changed by a gear, only torque can be changed by a gear.