Re: Historic gasoline prices, 1965-1978

Christina Peterson wrote:

> I thought of asking what it would take to convince you, but it's not worth
> it. You believe you already know everything there is to know about ALL
> engines. It really is incredibly arrogant to believe that new technology
> cannot be developed. So I really look for forward to you being humbled to
> learn of this new technology from a more credible source. Oh yes, I know I
> am not that credible. I wouldn't be if I were talking about an engine you
> are familiar with either -- I just don't know enough.

Don't get your undies in a bunch, Tina. There are just some very solid
underlying thermodynamic principles for the construction of heat
engines. Our common gasoline engine is known as the "Otto Cycle"
engine. The efficiency of burning an air-gas mixture is solidly
bounded by the temperature of the exhaust gasses, even if you have a
perfectly frictionless machine. It is not even theoretically possible
to quadruple the efficiency of an internal combustion heat engine. The
"Diesel Cycle" engine uses higher compression ratios and higher
combustion temperatures, so is somewhat more efficient than the Otto
cycle. The "Stirling Cycle" uses an external heat source, the "Rankine
Cycle" describes a conventional steam engine, and the "Brayton Cycle"
describes a turbine engine, which is theoretically the most efficient
heat engine. It does not use heat any more efficiently than the other
engines, but the friction losses are an order of magnitude lower.
There are a few other phase change engines that are mostly theoretical
oddities with no practical application.

"Miracle engine" scams have a long history in the automotive industry.
Henry Ford I got taken in by a demonstration of an engine that ran on
water, and he invested big money in its development before he realized
it was a fraud. Thirty years ago, it was the "miracle carburetor" that
was going to give us 70 mpg in a full sized luxury car. The miracle
carburetor never materialized, but fuel injection did give us some
incremental improvement in efficiency. Just realize that some of the
most brilliant minds of the last two centuries have studied the heat
engine problem. If you look at the gas engine in a Prius, you are
looking at an engine that is state of the art efficient. It is so
efficient that it overwhelms the generator-motor-battery losses of the
electric drive system. It was designed by guys who are so smart they
can solve partial differential equations in their sleep. If your buddy
has done what you describe, it would rock the world. It would spawn
whole new industries. The patent would make him the richest man in the
world in a single decade. China would gladly pay $500 billion for the
exclusive manufacturing rights. It would be bigger than cold fusion.

Larry

.

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