Article

2008-07-26 Science & Technology

Coal Powder fueled engine undergoes successful testing

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Posted by 3dc 2008-07-26 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 The use of coal dust plasma engines has been around for a long time, even before WWII. basically wafting the dust around in air, combustion is very thorough and there is a lot less waste of fuel. However, its pollutants are problematic.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-07-26 10:42|| 2008-07-26 10:42|| Front Page Top

#2 Also consider the hazards of transport and storage. Coal dust and flour dust are explosive mixtures and how they are delt with might be an interesting engineering challenge.

Posted by tipover 2008-07-26 11:16|| 2008-07-26 11:16|| Front Page Top

#3 And rings, you'd need diamond rings.

Posted by .5MT 2008-07-26 13:00|| www.cybernations.net]">[www.cybernations.net] 2008-07-26 13:00|| Front Page Top

#4 external combustion engine shipman.

Posted by 3dc 2008-07-26 15:03|| 2008-07-26 15:03|| Front Page Top

#5 It's a little known fact, but the amount of thorium, a radioactive element usable in nuclear reactors, in a kilogram of coal has more energy density than the coal itself does by an extremely large margin.

In addition, burning coal in any form releases radioactivity from items such as thorium into the atmosphere.

Tell that to the greenies who want to stop nuclear power (none of them want to build more coal plants, but a coal planet vents more radioactivity in a year than a nuke plant will in a century).

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2008-07-26 15:26|| 2008-07-26 15:26|| Front Page Top

#6 I recall the Nazis and Jap(ane)s(e) were trolling around in similar vehicles circa '44 - '45...

Posted by borgboy 2008-07-26 16:01|| 2008-07-26 16:01|| Front Page Top

#7 Perhaps the solution found in Mad Max III would be cheap and suitable: power from pigsh*t? :)

Posted by borgboy 2008-07-26 16:03|| 2008-07-26 16:03|| Front Page Top

#8 Actually it is possoble to build thorium reactors and these don't produce plutonium.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-07-26 16:04|| 2008-07-26 16:04|| Front Page Top

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