Changing The Game

Terrorism has long been funded by petro-dollars.  Ironically or otherwise, the oil barons of the Middle East have sold us oil and then funneled a portion of those profits into organizations like Al Qaida.

Now we find that the recent energy boom in the U.S. due to new technologies for recovering shale oil have caused us to increase production.  The increase is enough that we may surpass Saudi oil production before the decade is over.

It is possible that other nations with significant shale reserves may follow in our footsteps.

Which would leave the Saudis with far fewer oil consumers and far more oil exporting competitors.

Good.  Let 'em eat sand for a while.

Getting Better All On Our Own

There has been a modest amount of buzz about recent reports that the U.S. has reduced carbon emissions more than any other country.  I think it is important to keep in mind that we lead the world in carbon emissions.

At least until China catches up in a few years.

So it should be the easiest for us to make reductions.  Sort of like when an obese person goes on a diet.  Those first few pounds are pretty easy to lose.

Most of the reductions came due to recent progress in natural gas mining and recovery.  Natural gas produces far less CO2 when compared with other fossil fuels.

Fresh From The Sea

"Fish, and plankton, and sea greens, and protein from the sea. It's all here. Ready! Fresh as harvest day!"  Box - Logan's Run 1976


Scientists have discovered a way to generate ethanol by designing a custom e. coli that breaks down seaweed at temperatures that are close to ambient.  Other ethanol processes require the application of large amounts of heat.  This reduces that energy benefit from the resulting fuels.  There are some studies that indicate that creating ethanol from corn actually consumes more energy than is present in the resulting fuel.

As the story indicates, algae is still a better alternative to seaweed processed by e. coli.  But if we can come up with seaweed based fuels, then what other options can we discover?

Freedom Works, Each And Every Time That It Is Tried

Via Instapundit comes a link to an NPR story talking about the oil boom currently underway in the Big Sky states.  The US, Canada, and the nations of South America are poised to out produce the Saudis and other Middle Eastern oil producers.

As a side bonus, we are sidelining the Russians that were in the habit of using natural gas as an economic weapon against Europe.

Drill baby drill!

What Is the Fracking Difference?

Some facts to keep in mind as the controversy over fracking for oil and natural gas continues.

The Saving Grace Of Technology

It is always "too soon to tell"  whenever the cutting edge of science and engineering momentarily intrudes on our world.  However, with petroleum headed upwards from $100 a barrel and petro-dollars fueling terrorism around the globe, the development of a new, high-efficiency engine couldn't be more timely.

Michigan State University Professor Norbert Mueller has been working on the design of a new method for converting gasoline into energy.  His engine is called the "Wave Disc Generator". 

As I understand his explanation, the WDG spins to compress gasoline mixed with air.  The mixture is ignited at high pressures which in turn unleashes the energy stored in the gasoline.  What makes this approach remarkable is that it couples an inexpensive to build motor with very high efficiency.  Current piston styled engines use 15 percent of the fuel they consume for propulsion.  The rest of the fuel's energy is spent as heat.  The WDG uses 60 percent of the fuel for propulsion.  The result is an engine that is 3.5 times as efficient.

As an added benefit, the WDG design also reduces pollutants by as much as 90 percent.

The WDG design is perfect for our currently evolving hybrid vehicles.  The WDG engine operates most efficiently at one particular speed.  Connecting the engine to a generator would provide a highly efficient means of recharging batteries in a hybrid vehicle.

With hybrids reaching 40 mpg, converting those existing designs to use the Wave Disc Generator should result in fuel efficiencies in the 120 to 140 mpg range.

Norbert Mueller and his Wave Disc Generator engine:

A Better Bird

For flying...

Boeing’s 737 is the best-selling jet airliner in history: Today, it carries 29 percent of all U.S. domestic air traffic and is responsible for 25 percent of the industry’s fuel use. A reinvention of this commercial workhorse, called the D series, could burn 70 percent less fuel, emit 75 percent less nitrogen oxide and dampen noise from takeoffs and landings. In short, it could transform air travel into a more environmentally benign practice.

Faster please?

A Mere Sip Of Fuel....

....required to motor along at 75 mpg.  That's 'g' folks...as in gallons.

I wonder where we might be if our American automakers were to take greater interest in fuel efficient cars that normal people would want to drive?

More please...faster please.

Technology Leads The Way

In this case, the technology involves the nano-scale construction of solar voltaic cells that boost energy conversion to ten times greater than was previously thought to be the limit.

Neat!

Now somebody needs to refine it and someone else needs to deploy it.  'Cause cheap power is invaluable to sustaining a growing economy and our standard of living.