Making Oil?????

As an engineer I need to see the energy balance around the production method. That will tell you if it's truely worth pursuing.

You know, not like our current stupid ethanol kick. The popular corn method of ethanol manufacturing in America is a energy consuming process in that it takes more to get it to ethanol form than you get from the ethanol. Not smart. I wish there were better scientists and engineers advising the politicians.
 
Bill, As an automotive mechanic I'm with you 100%. They are taking land away from food production to grow corn that will go into alcohol fermentation. Keep in mind the farmers consumme diesel fuel to run their tractors and combines. This will cause an increase in food prices even though whats left over can still go into cattle feed. Our taxes subsidized the growers and the distillers, so we pay more in taxes to have artifically cheap alcohol. Alcohol needs to be distilled which requires lots of energy. Coal is probably the most cost effecient source for this process. Finally you have alcohol, which asorbs moisture and causes degradation in the fuel system itself, especially any aluminum parts. The car makers have made adjustments in the fuel system to be alcohol resistant which drives the cost of a car up.

The big reason why I don't like using alcohol for fuel is it is a good waste of beer and whisky.

As far as this article rprince is refering to, I see stuff like this all the time. I'm a member of the International Automotive Technitions Network, and this type of stuff is constantly coming up. Technically, pertoleum is made from Methane at very high temps and pressures. If this guy found some crazy bateria that can digest methane and produce petro that would be great, but I wouldn't invest any money into this untill I saw it work and could get accurate measurements of how much energy is put it vs how many barrels come out. He is most likely looking to scam a few million from some of those type of people that PT Barnum said are born every second.
 
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Why convert methane? You can run a vehicle on methane.


Because not many people want a traffic accident to become an explosion. Ever see those people smoking at gas pumps? Imagine them lighting up around natural gas pumps. FWIW, I work with Natural Gas (methane) every day.
 
What's the big deal?I've been converting bio-mass to methane most of my life.The wife says I should incorporate and get listed on the DJI. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
using corn to make ethonal isn't the BIG part of our food prices rising, it's the cost of energy that is making the BIGgest rise in the cost of food.
Ethonal is NOT the answer in replacing oil. Never was and never will be! It is, how ever, lining someones pocket, and too many people have been brain washed in beleiving it is another piece of the puzzle in "saving the planet" and getting away from foreign oil! It's what they see on TV all the time! SO it must be true!!!
 
I'm thinking a welder...tanks...rivets..rams... STEAM POWER! LOL! Seriously though, I've been hitting up the mom & pop eateries in the area for the cooking oil. That and some work on my part...BIODIESEL. Or I could go the easy but expensive way and install a veg-oil system on my truck

With the government involvement in energy-development, subsidies, etc. the only real answer looks like whatever you can do for yourself. Consider the gas tax. If we went to another form of energy it's gonna be taxed too! You pay the federal tax, you pay the state tax, you pay sales tax, so on and so forth. By the time any alternative is developed and ready for mass consumption, it probably won't be any dang cheaper than what we have right now! The crux of the issue is price, not whether we have enough oil! We've all heard how much oil still waits underground..enough to run our worst gas guzzlers every day for a very long time! Admittedly, I have a bad attitude about it... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
I say eat the corn and utilize our tremendous coal reserves!

Otherwise if we keep burning corn ....... we will have to eat the coal ......... "Pass the bituminous please".

The above process is fine ...... if it's true and actually works. And the truth will come out ..... just don't hold your breath on ME giving $$$$ anytime soon!

The oil from methane in any easy senario to me is bolderdash ...... producing methane ....... SURE and I say even if only methane is produced more efficiently than with present technology .... we have really gained!

And yes, methane in cars is pretty lame. It's a dry gas except under extraordinary conditions (Liquified Natural Gas or LNG ). But LNG is very pugnacious ..... it lays in low spots and presents a very dangerous explosion hazzard if there is a leak .... Propane is tons more safe (LPG) and the media LOVES to tell bad stories about LPG.

As a dry gas, methane is too VOLUMNOUS and you sputter to a stop in no time ....... NO RANGE on a tankful.

But the reality is that natural gas lines abound! And it's takes no rocket scientist to locate one of these conversion plants next to a main gas line and start pushing the 'ole energy wagon!

As far as a logical synthetic fuel I see much more potential from COAL!!!

BUT "we" would rather crawl into a hole and eat elephant dung the rest of our lives than even breath a word about coal .......... inspite of the technological advances that have been made with it.

OR GOD FORBID ........ Mention Drilling in ANWAR for oil.

Three 44s
 
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