Fuel

[Route666]

I want to know the good oil (haha pun) on fuel availability. I know prices are rocketing, and I can somewhat deal with that and hope they are somewhat reasonable when I finally my project but I'm worried that fuel is going to be all gone by then. Is there going to be enough fuel around in 10 - 20 - 30 years for me to enjoy what I've been dreaming about for years? Do you think someone (most likely oil companies) will start making synthetic fuel if they run out of crude?

 

[rbohm]

make your own fuel. there are books on how to make alcohol, and they include sections on converting your car to run on alcohol. just do a search at amazon.com

 

[t_chelle16]

FWIW, last I heard (grandma saw it on the news), the prices should be coming down because the economy can't support the high prices. And true enough, they've been dropping around here. Last week it was around $2.19 for 89 (with alcohol) and now it's around $1.97 for the same stuff.

-Chelle

 

[Route666]

lol make my own hahaha. It's not as crazy as it seems until you factor in the double fuel useage factor that methanol and ethanol bring. Bonus of course would be that I could run a big compression ratio I suppose.

I'm sure something will happen. If we run out suddenly there is no way countries like the US and Australia would cope without fuel - Without trucks Australia stops is a motto I see a lot of and it's pretty true. Something would have to be done to keep the countries running.

On the other hand if we still have crude left and people are really taking to the growing availability of fuel cell cars there will be less load on the crude.

 

[2nd Mustang]

I wonder how an engine would sound with a good cam and a flux capacitor?

 

[StangDreamin']

I wonder how an engine would sound with a good cam and a flux capacitor?

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need any roads.

Actually, a little web-hunting shows that "synthetic fuels" are being developed for some conventional powerplants already - they just haven't gotten to the point of putting them in your garden-variety Cleveland.
Right now, there's a lot of "home-grown" research in Bio-Diesel to power farm equipment. Much of this is taking place in University labs in the Great Plains States. Since the current formulae are all concoctions of grain alcohols and vegetable by-products; the use and location makes sense.

But just imagine when Four Wheeler mag starts running comparative mileage and dyno spec's between F350 Powerstrokes running "Bob's Farm Diesel #2" and "Billy Joe's Super Diesel #2".

 

[Route666]

Wasn't it Back to the Future II?

I'm thinking an engine with a flux capacitor HAS to sound pretty good - it needs to make 1.21 jiggawatts. (I think he meant Gigawatts, but a number that big had never been used in the 80s lol)

I'm gunna look up these synthetic fuels too, like synthetic oil it could be a good thing.

 

[2nd Mustang]

I saw a news clip earlier this year of a guy driving a pickup truck converted to run on vegetable cooking oil. He actually went around his town picking up used cooking oil from diners to power his truck!

 

[Route666]

Hahaha cool. Man the only way I can see that working is if he burnt it and pressurised steam with it. lol Sounds nifty though.

Years ago I heard that (actually I think it was on Macgyver) you could use whisky and some sort of tablet with it, asparin or something and your car would run on it. Expensive yes, but heck if it came down to it I'd probably run a car off of Bundaberg rum. (made from sugarcane)