Hi Mike
On (26 Sep 97) MIKE ROSS wrote to Alec Cameron...
 MR> Alec Cameron said the following to Roy J. Tellason on the subject of
 MR> Engine Design (24 Sep 97  18:50:10)
 MR> Don't forget hybrid technology. This increases the usage efficieny out
 MR> of every drop of gas by an IC engine a whole lot. Because it runs the IC
 MR> engine at constant speed at its most efficient RPM, driving an
 MR> electrical generator to charge a battery and/or flywheel, it can cut gas
 MR> consumption dramatically.
I like the hybrid idea, as it means that in city crawl, the engine can be cut
and the battery do its thing quite adequately without stinkin' the air. And 
n
the open road run the IC engine.   Downhill, or while braking the polarities
reverse so that the IC engine plus vehicle momentum drive good energy into 
he
battery.
I heard 1000 miles per tankful using a turbine
 MR> IC engine for a typical size U.S.A. car on a home power tv show 
cently.
This "hybrid" was known and theorised more than 40 years ago. Where the hell
are the working prototypes?
                       
 MR> Gas/electric stations could store energy by trickle charging large
 MR> underground flywheels. Then quickly charge a customer's car without
 MR> any heavy drain to the grid. Thus no need to upgrade the electric grid.
Wrong. There is a need, notably at the generating stations 'cos if you
consume increased energy at the load centres, then you gotta burn more coal/
gas/ oil whatever in the generating stations. Grid capacity would have to 
eet
this increase but the "trickle" you speak of would certainly hold down the
required increase in line and substations' capacities.
Hey! those flywheels. Any chance of Earth being knocked of its orbit in the
event of a major fault throwing an entire nation off line!? For every action
there is an equal and opposite Reaction [Isaac Newton- another crazy Brit]
Incidentally, to "quickly" charge a customer's car needs at least 5 hours. I
guess you mean "partly charge" ie thump in some charge during a lunch break.
Cheers....ALEC
... ........I have no answers, only questions [Galileo]
--- PPoint 1.92
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