next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
style=3D"white-space: pr
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_021C_01CD8E0D.BEB0F6C0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi Chris & All, Sept 8, 2012
I tried to access oil end game but just seemed to get stuck in =
various RIM branches.=20
What I have seen here or elsewhere convinces me that the real =
opportunities for efficiencies in movement of goods and people has been =
overlooked.
Most energy is consumed (on level grade) during the period of =
acceleration. Long freight trains are the extreme example and, in this =
day and age, it is madness to stop an entire train just to add or =
subtract a few rail cars.=20
With, e.g. a locomotive at both ends, cars to be off loaded =
contiguous and using computer control for all actions, one could break =
the train aft of the off section, switch the tail to a left siding, =
break the off section free, switch it to a right siding, capture it =
side-car fashion using a third but light locomotive, switch the aft =
section back onto the main track, join the ends and carry on. Adding =
cars would be the reverse of the above.
Ideally of course cars would be added such that the next off section =
would always be at the end of the train.=20
Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Christopher Majka=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2012 3:50 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Winning the oil endgame
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/0471=
573108
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=20
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.=20
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.=20
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
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5254 - Release Date: =
09/07/12
------=_NextPart_000_021C_01CD8E0D.BEB0F6C0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19298">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY=20
style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20
bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Hi Chris & All, =
=20
=
Sept=20
8, 2012</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> I tried to access oil end game =
but just=20
seemed to get stuck in various RIM branches. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> What I have seen here or =
elsewhere=20
convinces me that the real opportunities for efficiencies in movement of =
goods=20
and people has been overlooked.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> Most energy is consumed (on level =
grade)=20
during the period of acceleration. Long freight trains are =
the extreme=20
example and, in this day and age, it is madness to stop an entire train =
just to=20
add or subtract a few rail cars. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> With, e.g. a locomotive at both=20
ends, cars to be off loaded contiguous and using computer control =
for all=20
actions, one could break the train aft of the off section, switch =
the tail=20
to a left siding, break the off section free, switch it to a right =
siding,=20
capture it side-car fashion using a third but light locomotive, switch =
the aft=20
section back onto the main track, join the ends and carry on. Adding =
cars would=20
be the reverse of the above.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> Ideally of course cars would be =
added such=20
that the next off section would always be at the end of the train. =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> </FONT></DIV>