Peak Oil - energy concerns & options

Started by John Raabe, March 30, 2005, 03:08:36 PM

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glenn-k

#50
Actually I just used my parabolic trough for heating my hot tub.  It is just a 4 x 8; sheet of mirror stainless with a parabolic frame to focus it at 30 inches - we put the steaks in a barbecuing holder and held them down under the focal point a bit.  I think there are other ways that may work better.

There is a program on the Internet that will give you the lengths of lines to lay out the parabola.  The thing that makes the parabolic reflector work well is that all rays from the sun are considered parallel since we are so far from the it.  /These rays are then collected by the reflector and focused on one point creating intense heat.  The parabola does this -  a half circle will not focus the rays in the same manner.  This is hot enough to boil water and set paper on fire.

Here is a site with quite a bit of information.

http://solarcooking.org/plans.htm

jonseyhay

I have a box type cooker and was thinking of building one along the lines of the Nelpa Solar Panel Cooker with a hotplate. This mainly for use as a BBQ. Solar cookers are worthwhile here as we get good sun, about 300 days a year. When I get time, I will post some stuff on mine to the web page.
jonesy.


Okie_Bob

Hey Glenn, you solved my problem. Now I have an excuse to fish more! And if I can't cook what I catch I can always revert to eating them raw...hey you Californian's eat raw fish and call it sushi, guess I can acquire a taste for it too! Problem solved!
Now all I need to do is start hoarding fish hooks, line and plastic worms. Wow, this really is an informative site!
(Jonsey, you think gouna would make sushi?)
Okie Bob

glenn-k

Be careful you don't get worms, Bob.  Warmer water fish many times have worms -I don't know about freshwater -but ocean fish do - a friend showed me - a coiled up worm- actually many- older fish having more-- about the size of a pencil eraser just under the skin of the ocean fish we caught.

Cooked worms won't hurt you and taste much better. ;D

Amanda_931

Hadn't thought about parasites, thought freshness was the reason why sushi quality fish was called sushi quality fish.

Gardening--organic, water-wise, thinking about plants that will take climates different from your current one--hotter, drier, colder, wetter, who knows.  Sounds like a good idea.



glenn kangiser

Current oil outlook from a Whitehouse insider.  Seems slightly biased but I guess he should know.

http://thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=3499

Note: UK site links back to US site with non-energy related material.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

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John Raabe

Here is the start of price controls on gas.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=43128

Some of us remember how well that worked during the Carter years. Basically you substitute high prices for long lines. It can be seen as more democratic (we're all equal in a gas line) but I don't see the current administration going down this road.
None of us are as smart as all of us.

Amanda_931

If I sent that Truth Seeker article out, it would be under the heading Conspiracy Central.

If Republican governors (and the rest of them!) are whining about not having a National Guard to call on, it's (probably) not to repress uprisings, but to work like mad during fires and floods.

Of course they might get called on to keep order if gas goes to $6.00 a gallon.  And they have been used for airport security this century.




glenn kangiser

It will be interesting to see if Hawaii can have both wholesale price controls and fuel suppliers.

It seems there is a real gap between the cost of oil and the finished product say $65 per barrel wholesale to $180 or so wholesale - maybe more counting the cost of engine oil.  I guess .50 or more is tax though. Also that the cheaper to make fuel - diesel now costs more than gas - possibly because it has more energy in it and they want to capitalize on that.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.


Jimmy C.

How hard is it to convert a gas engine over to Propane?
What the cost of propane vs. gasoline dollar for dollar in mileage?

Anyone?
The hardest part is getting past the mental blocks about what you are capable of doing.
Cason 2-Story Project MY PROGRESS PHOTOS

JRR

#60
I'll share what I THINK I know ... never having made the conversion myself,  I used to work in a place that had a fleet of fork lifts and other production vehicles ... some gasoline, some converted to propane,  some electric.

The conversion is fairly simple on engines that are off-road, with carbureted type intakes.   (I don't know what is envolved with the newer fuel injected OBD11 controlled emissions, i.e., onroad vehicles.)

You can start by conversing with your local propane supplier.  They usually have all the info you need ... and you can bet they have already converted their fleet.

The "upsides"
1. The burn is cleaner ... so much so that the crankcase will almost never sludge at all ... the oil stays much freer of particulates.   Therefore, the engine tends to wear longer.
2. I believe the exhaust is not as toxic as with gasoline ... but still toxic.

The "downsides"
1. Obviously fuel suppy is an issue.  If you have a tank "at home", you have to make sure all the hiway taxes are paid for .... lotsatrouble!
2. Now you have a pressure vessel to maintain.  Some states/municipalities have issues with propane tanks on onroad vehicles ... have compliances to be met.
3. You can expect to lose power with most conversions.
4. Propane doesn't want to vaporize in extremely cold conditions ...startups may be difficult unless the tank is warmed with aux heat.

The relative cost depends on the market ... I have no idea if it makes sense or not, but its an interesting question.   I think propane has a lower BTU value compared to gasoline per pound,

glenn kangiser

I had well drilling rigs running on propane - or should I say propain.  It was clean  -engines lasted long- If I wanted to do it, I would do it on an old carburated rig- new one with injection would probably be next to impossible.  Starting was sometimes a real contest.  Probably could have been better but I didn't care for it.

Propane is like running premium - no ping- lower power a bit as I remember.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn-k

WE ARE SAVED. !!!

The president is releasing oil from the strategic reserves.  Oil prices are falling.  Don't the oil people around the world know we have strategic reserves we can call on when the prices get too high or we have a problem ???

We have 700 million barrels stored in underground caverns, and we only use 20 million barrels per day.  That will last us forever.  "We will not be held hostile."  (Pardon the presidential quote - hope it's not a copyright infringement).  

Please don't do the math.  It will only make you feel insecure.

Amanda_931

#63
Of course some of that is in caverns in Louisiana where they might be a wee bit inaccessible right now.

Everybody I ran into today was thinking, what if, and can we afford to go--to Memphis (where there are both gas panics and refugees), to a party in Nashville, even if we take the motorcycle?

I'm on this odd guy's mailing list.  He claims that when he was working for Chrysler, a fair number of vehicles were built to run on any combination of fuels from straight gasoline to pure alcohol (E85)--something about CAFE standards being set for pure gasoline.  So you could get into the distilling business.  He's putting out a book and a DVD, he writes helpfully!

I'll post the list if enough people want it.