Jim Dunmyer said the following to Mike Ross on the subject of
RE: ENGINE DESIGN (25 Oct 97  07:58:23)
 >JD> Think about this: Nearly all large ships are powered by either steam
 >JD> turbines or huge Diesel engines. Does that make either suitable for
 >JD> automotive use? (Especially compared to present-day gasoline engines)
 >
 > Yes, I agree and most use electric drive to transfer power to the prop.
 JD> They do? Do you mean outside of submarines?
Yes, the turbo-electric drive. First adopted in the USA in 1908. The
main driving power is transferred magnetically across large air gaps.
Most warships of the 50's employed the system. The magnetic medium can
absorb shocks and is a simple reliable speed reduction without gears.
Nothing new here, trains use diesel-electric drive. Similar idea.
 > Do you have any details of the operating principles? Catalyzers?
 JD> All I know is what I read in the newspapers. It's not a totally new
 JD> technology; fuel cells have been around for a LONG time. The main
 JD> thing with this one is the ability to use fuels like gasoline, meaning
 JD> that the needed infrastructure for practical use is already in place.
 JD> IE: You can buy fuel for it almost everywhere, whether it's powering
 JD> your auto or your homestead. Lots better than using hydrogen or some
 JD> other source.
I heard the scientist (forgot his name) say that the fuel cell works
just like any other hydrogen/oxygen system. What really is new is the
pre-processing device which extracts the hydrogen from the gasoline.
Those are the details I'm sure we'd all like to know. :-)
 Mike
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