New Diesel Fuel

[DeepFrz]

Sunfire, a division of Audi has invented a new diesel fuel.
Audi just created diesel fuel from air and water

[Tayana42]

Very interesting. Without sulfur I wonder about the lubricious of the fuel and its impact on engine performance and wear.


S/V B'Shert

[DeepFrz]

Good question.

[Cheechako]

That would be a steam engine right?

[Greenhand]

So, instead of developing hydrogen cell technologies, we use the energy to make hydrogen, then send it through a few more steps, then finally sell it on to the consumer? I guess it is at least more stable.

[barnakiel]

Fantastic news. I hope it will work for Audi, for the world and for us too!

THX for sharing!

b.

[Lepke]

Don't hold your breath. The new plant will only make 42 gallons a day. And at 1 to 1.5 euros per liter means above $4 gallon diesel. Does it burn as hot as current diesel or will our engines have to burn more. Does it burn in a diesel stove or heater without the soot problems the current "new" diesel has?
I remember reading about a "new" diesel made from algae a couple years ago. The algae waste was oil. Big ponds were going to be built in the US South West. I haven't seen that at the fuel dock either.

[DDabs]

Audi didn't invent this, it has been around for a long time... the problem is it takes more energy to make it than it produces when you burn it.

[DeepFrz]

There is also "green" diesel, as opposed to "bio" diesel, that is blended with petro fuel. It has been test flown by Boeing. Although it uses the same feed stocks as "bio" diesel it is processed differently and a side product is propane. It apparently produces fewer harmful emissions.

Boeing aircraft makes world's first "green diesel"-powered flight

[nimblemotors]

Methanol, nothing new about it.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Sunfire, a division of Audi has invented a new diesel fuel.
Audi just created diesel fuel from air and water

You can create gasoline and diesel in the lab. The chemistry has been well known for a long time. You choose your hydrocarbon chain length add your additives and you're done. The raw materials are the basic building blocks of air and water.

The Germans put lots of effort into synthetic fuels during the second world war.

Our motorsport super fuels in the 80s and 90s were mostly lab produced highly oxygenated hydrocarbons.

Its far cheaper to extract crude as the feedstock than synthesise it in the lab.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Stumble]

I can see this as a way to chemically store energy from renewable energies. To use it in place of normal gas seems pretty energy inefficient.

[DeepFrz]

Well I think that petrofuel is pretty inefficient as well. If it wasn't for the huge subsidies that the taxpayer pays to the oil companies we would be paying much more for fuel.

Jack, its not methanol at all.

[HopCar]

The U.S. Navy is working on a similar process to make jet fuel aboard aircraft carriers. The process requires a lot of electricity but nucular powered ships can produce a lot of electricity. The idea is to extend operations with fewer replenishments.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by DDabs

... the problem is it takes more energy to make it than it produces when you burn it.

You mean like ethanol?