next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Apple-Mail-38--630555042 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Pat, On 30-Aug-12, at 7:51 PM, Patrick Kelly wrote: > Hi all: > > I would highly recommend this book: > > http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Problems-Technical-Society-Kraushaar/dp/0471573108 > > When my son was taking engineering it was the text for one of his > courses. I then read it and passed it on to a co-worker. It has lots > of worked examples with real-life numbers but you don't need a > degree in math to follow them. One of the best parts was the diagram > that showed where all the energy in gas-powered car went when > driving at highway speeds. If I recall correctly, out of the 100% of > energy possible with complete combustion, less than 5% of that > actually is used to move the car. The rest is lost as heat, > friction, and aerodynamic drag. The latter is the main reason > milegage starts going down after 85-90 km/h at high speed A brilliant TED talk (recommended to everyone) is by Amory Lovins (author of soft-energy paths) is: Amory Lovins on winning the oil endgame http://www.ted.com/speakers/amory_lovins.html This was filmed in 2005 (posted in 2007) and the case that he presents is even more germane now then it was seven years ago. Lovins points out that in most conventional automobiles about 88% of the energy burned by the vehicles never gets to the wheels. It is lost in the engine, the power train, the accessories, and idling at 0 km/ litre. Of the 12% that does get to the wheels, 1/2 of that is lost in the friction of the tires heating the road and in friction of pushing air aside from the path of the vehicle. Only 6% actually accelerates the car and then heats the brakes when you slow down. Now, since typically 95% of the weight that you are moving is of the vehicle itself rather than the driver and/or the payload, only about 0.3% of the fuel burned actually results in useful work. 99.7% of the fuel burned is essentially lost. As Lovins himself points out: "This not very gratifying after over a century of devoted engineering effort." The TED talk is really a gloss on his most recent book: Winning the oil endgame http://www.oilendgame.com/ Which spells out many more of the details of his plan - and it's available as a free download! :-> Cheers! Chris Christopher Majka 6252 Jubilee Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2G5 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. - Thomas Paine --Apple-Mail-38--630555042 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Pat,<div><br><div><div>On = 30-Aug-12, at 7:51 PM, Patrick Kelly wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi all:<div><br></div><div>I = would highly recommend this book:</div><div><br></div><div><a = href=3D"http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Problems-Technical-Society-Kraushaar/= dp/0471573108">http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Problems-Technical-Society-Kra= ushaar/dp/0471573108</a></div><div><br></div><div>When my son was taking = engineering it was the text for one of his courses. I then read it and = passed it on to a co-worker. It has lots of worked examples with = real-life numbers but you don't need a degree in math to follow them. = One of the best parts was the diagram that showed where all the energy = in gas-powered car went when driving at highway speeds. If I recall = correctly, out of the 100% of energy possible with complete combustion, = less than 5% of that actually is used to move the car. The rest is lost = as heat, friction, and aerodynamic drag. The latter is the main reason = milegage starts going down after 85-90 km/h at high = speed </div></div></blockquote><br></div><div>A <u>brilliant</u> = TED talk (recommended to everyone) is by <span = class=3D"Apple-tab-span" style=3D"white-space: pre; ">Amory = Lovins</span> (author of soft-energy paths) = is:</div><div><br></div><div><div><span class=3D"Apple-tab-span" = style=3D"white-space: pre; "> <b>Amory Lovins on winning the oil = endgame</b></span></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-tab-span" = style=3D"white-space: pre; "> <a = href=3D"http://www.ted.com/speakers/amory_lovins.html">http://www.ted.com/= speakers/amory_lovins.html</a></span></div><br></div><div>This was = filmed in 2005 (posted in 2007) and the case that he presents is = <u>even</u> more germane now then it was seven years = ago. </div><div><br></div><div>Lovins points out that in most = conventional automobiles about 88% of the energy burned by the vehicles = never gets to the wheels. It is lost in the engine, the power train, the = accessories, and idling at 0 km/litre. Of the 12% that does get to the = wheels, 1/2 of that is lost in the friction of the tires heating the = road and in friction of pushing air aside from the path of the vehicle. = Only 6% actually accelerates the car and then heats the brakes when you = slow down. </div><div><br></div><div>Now, since typically 95% of = the weight that you are moving is of the vehicle itself rather than the = driver and/or the payload, only about 0.3% of the fuel burned actually = results in useful work. 99.7% of the fuel burned is essentially lost. As = Lovins himself points out:</div><div><br></div><div>"This not very = gratifying after over a century of devoted engineering = effort."</div><div><br></div><div>The TED talk is really a gloss on his = most recent book:</div><div><br></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-tab-span" = style=3D"white-space: pre; "> </span><b>W<span class=3D"Apple-tab-span" = style=3D"white-space: pre; ">inning the oil = endgame</span></b></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-tab-span" = style=3D"white-space: pr