Fuel consumtion and alternative fuel

I thought It would be interesting to try out a thread how to cut the fuel cost down and maybe save the inviroment in the procces.

I would sugest using heat from cooling water to heat the fuel so it evaporate bether, but not more than 60C since this can result in loss of lubrication for the diesel pump when the viscosety drops.

Using gas is something I could go for by converting to duel fuel http://www.dieselgas.co.nz/products/dualfuelkits.htm the theory is to let a diesel engine runn on gas ignited by a smal amount of diesel injected by the nozle.

Could gas from biomass be a option?http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/t0512e/T0512e00.htm

What could be done with the engine itself?http://www.scania.com/products/newtruckrange/technology/turbocompound/

What about the diesel fuel? could it be partly replaced by cocking oil from resturant's and lube oil's? would it be a ok fuel if it was cleaned by a seperator?http://www.gea-westfalia.com/movies/SeparationTechnology.wmv

I think it would.

Any one else have ideas or point off view?

 

Have you looked at the thread on biodiesel http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11452

 

You almost include everything......... how about pump that suck up river water to fill up a tower container. A pipe flow the water out and hit on the planks propulsion unit like one in missishipi of whale drive. This is an alternative drive..... about the the pump could use a few slave on board. This idea sort of use gravity. May be silly idea yes?

 

Biodiesel is not that interesting. You would nead to grow 98% off the fertile area off the USA to cower the USA's nead off fuel. Interesting but not a realistic replasement for petrolium.

Would be less efficiant then direct proppeler drive. You will have pump loss and restrictional loss in the pipes. Even mounting a turbine generator in the drain from the shower would be a bether idea.

 

A perfect sulution for heat recovery.

http://www.pyro.no/Exhaustboliers.html

Let the hot water drive a modefyed stirling engine

http://www.stmpower.com/

I think biomas would be a good energy source since it's everywhere.
A decanter can seperate water out off the sewer and only the mass(**** and toiletpaper) would be left. When this is dry enough it could be used for gas production just like the wood gas generator shows.
The only products would be ash and exhaust. The ash could be dumped in your rose garden and your roses would love it.

I think that the diesel engine can runn on vegetable oil when you start it, but when you hitt the acelerator the disel pump still inject the same quantety, but a valve in the manifoil opnes up and let in gas that give the increased power instead off diesel.

If the diesel could be reduced to only suply a few% off the power off the diesel engine it's posible to grow enough plant's for biodiesel production.

 

Sorry I was thinking of propulsion...... design a uni directional sail purpolsion...... it is just an idea.

Yes biomass , will cow waste or other animal waste include?

 

If it's dry and will burn yes, why not?
The only thing that will burn is gas. Wood don't burn and neather dos diesel or gasoline. When wood is heated (or gasoline/diesel) it will discharge a flamable gas, the wood itself don't burn, but the gas.

wood gas as fuel is using this prinsiple, by having a smal flame litle gas will be combusted, but the wood will be heated and discharge more gas than it burns and this gas is used as fuel for the engine.

Dry cow dropings will burn if they are dry, I have seen it done on a tv program from africa when I was a child. Will it burn the it will giwe gas.

 

Smaller lighter boats?

 

Yes, but smaler boats don't carry the same load and light materials tend to be exspensive. A steel hull is cheaper then a aleminum hull and FRP is cheaper then Carbon fiber or kevlar.

Hydrofoils have lower fuel comsumtion, but what hapends when you hitt a logg floating in the water?
Aerodynamical devices like wings has ben atatched ro some race boat to create lift and get the hull out off water and reduce the resistance on the hull.

There is really not mutch to do than finding alterenative fuel's.
Hydrogen as fuel for car's is not really going to hapend. Hydrogen is not a energy source. You have to use masive amount off energy to produce hydrogen so it's really only a pr stunt. Hydrogen can be made from oil and is probarty the reason the oil nasjons like norway has interest in it.

Blending a few% alcohol in diesel has a positive effect on the co2 and nox.
If you can get your hand's on some alcohol that is cheaper than diesel it could be a option to mix, but I'm not shure how this effects the lubrication off diesel pump and nozles.

 

Diesel fuel in Brazil has methanol mixed in. I believe about 10%. The problem is that the fumes are explosive and heavier than air.

 

I understand that if you have the boat you want, then alternative fuels is probably the way to go. But for new boats, go a little more slender, build light and cruise at modest speed

In Sweden they now sell a mix of ethanol and gasoline for cars.
In Norway diesel for boats are cheaper than for cars.

What about electric propulsion?
You can have a diesel generator for emergensies, but use solar panles, wind wanes and a shore cable for most of the recharging.

In Norway we pay 10 cent per KWh while we pay 1 USD to 1Euro per litre of diesel.

 

The fuel price you refere to is for car's I belive.

If you have to chose betwen steel or kevlar you have to drive around the norwegian fjords for a long time if the extra cost off kevlar is going to save you fuel cost

Light weight is actualy only interesting in planing hull's since material don't play that big part in how mutch weet surfase you got. It's only a hull the rest is still going to weight the same(engine, gearbox and other equitment)

Got one smart brain sugesting gasificate off the coal since that is quite cheap this days and use it as engine fuel.

Would be interesting if annyone on this forum had a old diesel they would secrafise for sience A online researtch group for converting diesels and we all could help out manufacturing parts to send the stupid victim and he's/hear diesel

 

Well, last summer diesl for boats used to cost 5.5NOK or 0.9USD per litre in rural areas, for fgisherboats, while the price was 7.5NOK/l or 1.2USD/l on the south coast (where the summer houses are).

 

In Norway many ferries and some buses have been running on natural gas (Methan?) for many ears now.

 

Light weight is of course important at all speeds!
At the same length a lighter boat can have smoother lines and less wetted surface.