h a l f b a k e r yBreakfast of runners-up.
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All U.S. locomotives today run on diesel and believe me, they shoot out alot of smoke when running and that sign tells people that locomotives are burning alot of fuel. Train manufactures should make the train compatable with vegetable oil so it could run on the renewable resource. It could help the
restaurant business dispose of the used vegetable oil and help the train run more efficiently. Commuter trains are making a come back (believe me I ride one) and they need to find some new technology for the trains so that they can lower their harm to the environment.
The technology to do this type of conversion is already available for most vehicles but not really for larger engines (i.e. V16 the size of most locomotive engines) but could be possibly be built if enough work is put in to it
Advantages: commuter train companys can reduce their fares, Restaurants don't have to worry about oil disposal, the train does not lose horsepower or pulling capabilities
Disadvantages: Locomotive exhaust would smell like fast food, gas prices would go up (but if you ride the train, who cares), Train has to be started with diesel but once the engine heats up it can be fueled by the vegetable oil.
Biodiesel
http://www.sovereig...nmouth/biofuel.html
Cheaper than diesel in Wales. [bungston, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
[link]
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//All trains today run on diesel// |
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Not in the UK, they don't - many (I don't know the precise proportion) are electric. |
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Though points for trying to reduce the U.S. contribution to world pollution, and for not being worried about an extra 2p on a gallon of petrol. |
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If I have a Full English Breakfast on the train, can I get a discount on my ticket for contributing to the fuel for my journey? (I realise this makes no sense on closer inspection, but it's always worth a try.) |
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There was some experimentation a few years ago on running diesel engines on rapeseed oil. A friend who works for a Peugeot dealership got to run around in a 306 with a (slightly) modified engine, but she complained that it smelled like a chip pan. Apparently, the car manufacturers were keen on the idea, but wanted a tax break on the fuel to make the cars more marketable. I assume that the petroleum companies nixed that part. |
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If you don't delete that, they're going to come to your house and nix you. |
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Fine idea, but not really novel. There is a big surge of enthusiasm lately for biodiesel. See link. |
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Could have a fuel tender/fast food restaurant in the first car behind the engine? |
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I'll annotate this idea instead of posting another. I don't understand why, if foreign oil is costy and unreliable and owned by folks we don't like, why biofuels are not more popular. If you can have biodiesel you can have biogasoline, with some refinement. This is really an ideal renewable energy source because there would be no need for massive infrastructure change - you just sub in renewable oil for fossil oil. |
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Other advantages: the GMO hating crowd would probably have less of an issue with GMO products that get burned in engines. Third world countries with questionable hygiene / pesticide uses could farm oils and have a ready market, without the concerns that come with food products. I am thinking especially of the huge jute fields in Bangladesh and such places. |
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i think that its often commented VO engines need a diesel start because the oil "won't reach high enough temperatures at the start". What happened to charged capacitors for the heating, rather than diesel (evil) ? I think big oil has a lot of sway over dialogues on energy; they are pervasive. |
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PS Did you know air pollution has been linked to in utero genetic mutations? |
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Headline: Genetic Freaks Cause Air Pollution. |
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