Member postings for Maurice Taylor

It's the fossil-fueled nutters you need to worry about Nigel! They're in denial about two much bigger problems: the oil supply running out, and man-made climate change.

The future of IC engines depends entirely on cheap oil. Pure fantasy to believe that mineral oil supplies are inexhaustible, the question is when demand for oil exceeds supply, not if. Prices are going to sky-rocket.

I'm not sure why the need for green is so difficult to comprehend. Is it just that folk can't bear to admit they got it wrong? Can't cope with any form of change? Fear? Vested interests? Or simply that the old ways are the best, even when it's obvious they aren't.

Over the last 40 years there's been a barrage of anti-green propaganda, most of which has proved wrong: green energy will always be expensive; green will never replace coal as a way of generating electricity; electric cars won't work; it's all too difficult etc etc etc. All deniers have managed to do is delay change, causing a lot of avoidable damage, whilst green engineering provides answers.

Although IC engines did a great job in the past, I'm afraid the end is in sight. They are not future proof. Given that transport is vital, I say it's essential to find alternatives to Internal Combustion pronto! Expecting oil to last for ever isn't an alternative.

Never mind where electricity for cars is coming from, ask where will the oil for IC come from in 30 years time? One of the two is a dead-end.

Dave

Yes, that's what I assumed, when repairing my car trolley jack. It had developed a leak past the pump piston, so I took it to bits, and the pump O ring was as hard as plastic, flattened, and it broke into three pieces, when I extracted it.

So I measured the ID, OD and cross sectional diameter. Unfortunately none in my O ring kit were close enough to fit correctly, so I contacted a hydraulic supplier to get a new one. One comedian wanted £10 + postage for a single ~13mm O ring !!!

I just ignored his email and got the nearest larger size O ring with the correct ID from my kit and filed down the OD and profile by spinning it mounted around a bolt in an electric drill, and holding a file against it. Fitted and worked perfectly.

(And, no; I never rely on the trolley jack to support the car; I always use axle stands before going underneath.)

Partly because chains don't work without issue! They break, have to be lubricated, are noisy and have other disadvantages.

Engineering is all about meeting requirements at minimum cost. I've no problem with belts provided they meet the specification, which Steve's didn't. It doesn't mean that all belts are bad. Within specification, belts are lighter, quieter, cheaper, and smoother than chains, plus they don't need a tensioner and are low-maintenance.

Whilst chains are highly efficient, I don't know how belts compare. They're lighter, which would save energy, but I guess friction is higher. There's probably a trade-off related to distance and the amount of power transferred.

Dave

And were does all that lovely clean-burning hydrogen come from? Largely it is made from natural gas or it can also be made from water by splitting H20 into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Both processes require huge amounts of electricity. So unless they set up enough solar panels and wind turbines to power the hydrogen processing plants, hydrogen will be made by burning coal to make electricity to make hydrogen.

There are major problems with storing and transporting hydrogen on a mass scale because the molecules are so small they can pass through steel pipes and tanks, and simply laugh at pipe flanges and gaskets as they pass merrily by. And new research indicates hydrogen could be many times worse for the atmosphere than Co2. Interesting article on these problems with hydrogen here Leaky hydrogen a climate risk

Hydrogen does have strong support from the fossil fuel industry, because it is a huge market for their natural gas.

Edited By Hopper on 11/06/2023 15:19:29