Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "Two Bit da Vinci" channel.

  1. He explained why these new refineries are not being built.
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  2.  @waynek805  I wrote this in another post: There will be a huge impact of solar & wind farms, grid storage batteries and pumped hydro storage to produce electricity, not to mention the introduction of hydrogen for trains, ships and industry (the only eco fuel that can replace fossil fuels for industry) by nitrogen cooled nuclear reactors. These innovations will mean many oil refineries will close. Only the best crude that is cheaper to extract and cheaper to refine will survive for: lubricants, medical and plastic and other products.
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  3. The idea is initially to use hydrogen in piston ICE engines in heavy vehicles. Then use fuel cells with electric motor drive. The Wankel rotary engine's efficiency rises about 23% when using hydrogen fuels. Mazda are introducing a rotary range extender in their MX-30 EV. They have made provision of running it on hydrogen in the future to make it 100% clean running.
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  4. Using an internal combustion, 80% of the energy in fuel tank is wasted, they are that inefficient. The problem with hydrogen and E-fuels is that they will prolong the death of this outdated means of propulsion.
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  5. If hydrogen is produced in the home, it can be used in a gas boiler to heat hot water and space heat at 90%b plus efficiencies.
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  6.  @waynek805  You lack analytical skills.
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  7. The dam wall in France is a road. So you can drive over it..
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  8. In a renovation or new build the heating or a/c can be downsized greatly offsetting the insulation costs.
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  9. Add a Tesla PowerWall battery and you will have bills not worth thinking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB6jyy0Joq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLzlrGGuxQ
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  10. Also, a simple contactor that cuts out less essential appliance, like heating, when a short period operation essential appliance cuts in.
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  11.  @barryjdwyer  Yep Current sensing relays that clip into the DIN rail in the main panel. Set the current switching on the front of the relay. All neat inside the panel. You can buy induction hobs that run on a 13A plug, or a 16A hard wired circuit. A 16A current sensing relay on say a few bedroom heaters will cut them out when the hob is on when drawing more than say 4 amps. Keeps the current draw within the main fuse limit.
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  12. In the UK you cannot work on gas unless you are trained with a permit. If you do you may be in court. Modern gas appliance have gas fail safe controls. I prefer electric induction hobs to gas.
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  13.  @freeheeler09  zikes
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  14. The magnets in permanent magnet motor lose their magnetic charge over time. This was not mentioned in the vid.
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  15.  @engelag  The world is moving to solar, wind and grid storage batteries. Hydrogen produced by wind/solar or high temp nitrogen reactors, will be used for industry - and trains and ships. Most oil is used for burning. That will end.
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  16.  @waynek805  You lack knowledge and understanding. Not worth going any further with the likes of you as becomes circular.
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  17. If a car is made from one or two di-cast parts, what happens in crash repair?
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  18. If this technology becomes widespread the implication is enormous for trains. Expensive to install and maintain, and troublesome, ugly overhead wires can be replaced with hydrogen trains. A number of hydrogen fuel cell trains are operational in Germany.
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  19. The maximum amperage that can run through a 3-pin standard British plug is 13A - regulated by the in-plug fuse with only 13A max fuse value available. Any higher than 13A then the appliance has to be hard wired in. That delivers a max of 3,000 watts (3kW). The same amperage on 120v (USA) delivers approx half the power. The UK/EU system delivers twice as much power. In the USA they run 240v into homes, but split it for 120v and 240v appliances - different plugs. To the rest of the world that is crazy for a domestic home. They need to go over to all 240v in homes, dropping the high current (amps) 110v, and adopt the British 3-pin plug, as it is the best, and safest, by far (do not reinvent the wheel). Then USA 100A electrical supplies run in to homes can cope with most appliance in a home. By the way, EV chargers sense the current then automatically reduce current draw when approaching the max limit of supply.
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  20.  @RichardBorn-ke2ui  You are right on 6kW EV chargers over larger kW versions. 7.2kW usually in the UK. Your knowledge of electrical systems, never mind the ability in assessing them, is slim to say the least. It is well recognised that the British 3-pin G Type plug/socket is the best in the world by a mile. I doubt you have the ability to analyse, as no one would ever put the terrifying toy like US plug as being superior, or equal, to the British plug. Then...running two voltages into a home? Yikes! Also, earth leakage safety devices are mandatory in British main panels, reducing serve electric shocks. You are in California? Enjoy the brownouts and blackouts. I hope you are happy with third world grid and electrical systems.
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  21. Until they lose their charge. Then the motor is useless.
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  22. Excellent idea. Needs more research but the idea is right, take the heat away. A spin off is that it could power much of the USA.
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  23. I would not describe it as a failure. It morphed as new tech became available.
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  24. Hydrogen for car use still has transportation problems, which battery vehicles do not as electricity runs via cables. So battery appears the better bet for cars - battery technology is improving. For volume consumers like trains and ships, the hydrogen can be produced on site using nuclear produced electricity. Also there are problems about taking hydrogen into train tunnels. Many will not allow combustibles in metro tunnels and stations. It looks like Liverpool may be the first to use hybrid 3rd rail/battery electric trains in metro tunnels.
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  25. I hope NASA get royalties from each plane, so taxpayers claw back their money.
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  26.  @TwoBitDaVinci  Far too often wealthy private organisations have taken publicly funded R&D for free then making millions/billions from it in offshoots. An example is the B47 airframe that received public money for R&D for a military bomber, that became the civilian Boeing 707. Read: The Road to the 707 The Inside Story of Designing the 707 by William Cook, 1991.
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  27. Range extenders are by nature are part time engines. Most of the time the car will be charged from the grid. So engine efficiency does not have to be brilliant. What is important is low size and weight for packaging and smoothness - and storing the engine out of the way in a car. The Mazda MX-30 series hybrid has a Wankel range extender - a generator - designed specifically for constant speed running maximizing efficiency. Wankels are more efficient lasting longer when running at a constant speed. Electric motors turn the wheels. This is proving to be a decent combination. BTW, Wankel engines are about 23% more efficient when burning hydrogen. For sure the Wankel engine is not as good as a Liquid piston engine but this is great start.
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  28. All is not how it first appears. 10 gallon = 300 kWH. But the internal combustion engine ensures that 75% of that energy is wasted. So, to equal the Cybertruck in energy storage you would need 40 gallons (152 litres) not 10. Big difference. BTW, an Audi A3 has a tank capacity of 50 litres.
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  29. An island was proposed on Dogger Bank in the middle of the North Sea, on a sand bank that has just enough water above it for most ships to sail over. Large ships sail around Dogger. It is idea for a wind farm and island. But the idiotic British prime minister has just approved fracking.
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  30.  @scottslotterbeck3796  What didn't you understand about what I wrote?
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  31. The British do not use British Thermal Units (BTUs) any longer. They use kW and kWH
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  32. The new Class 777 hybrid metro train introduced on Merseyrail Liverpool, today, 23 Jan 2023, have advanced regen braking rarely using the friction brakes.
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  33.  @dianapennepacker6854  "Are you talking about using magnets to slow down and recouping some of the energy." Yep. A battery will only capture around 25-33% of the electricity captured by regen braking. Supercaps can absorb almost 100%. With trains that captured electricity can go back into the overhead wires or 3rd rail.
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  34. 13 years ago I met an interesting American in my local bar in London. He was visiting on business. After a number of drinks he relaxed a lot. He was into shale oil. The levels of shale in northern USA and Canada is amazing. I pointed out it is not economically viable to extract the oil from the shale, as it needs a lot of heat to do so. And also that it depends on the percentage of oil in the shale. He said one or two nuclear power stations dedicated providing the heat can make the USA & Canada 100% self sufficient in energy, with continuing on proven existing transport technology - petro fuels. He said that the USA/Canadian shale needs little heat to extract the oil. In that time renewable energy has advanced brilliantly - and also the technology on its application at the user end. Thankfully, so far has not materialised. But, it is a backup if world energy takes a nose dive.
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  35. Search on Youtube: Volts for Oil | Fully Charged Electricity used to refine oil, when wound down as all move over the EVs, the electricity turns over to charging cars.
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  36. In the UK iron natural gas pipes have been largely replaced by plastic. Older iron pipes are used as conduit running new plastic pipes thru them at a higher pressure. Also the UK, and other cities around the world, are full of combi boilers in small houses and apartments, which is the space heating and on-demand hot water in a small white box on the wall. The packaging is exceptional. Converting from natural gas to hydrogen is the best way. Heat pumps require a hot water storage cylinder and a large heat pump taking up large volumes of space in a small apartment. We have extensive natural gas pipe networks which are there waiting for hydrogen.
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  37.  @kurthanushek5520  Nonsense. Sounds like propaganda. The existing gas networks are perfectly suited for hydrogen. As you alluded to, hydrogen can be produced via green electricity. Lots of solar and wind electricity is made during the slack periods enabling easy storage. Also hydrogen can be produced cheaply using nitrogen cooled reactors, as the Japanese are doing right now - this channel covered it. Hydrogen can be produced say at train depots by green electricity entailing no hydrogen transportation. Clean hydrogen trains can replace filthy diesel. A country like the UK can be 100% green electricity, and very quickly - the project to do so has been accelerated. If you got the prime point I made, which is that heat pump equipment with associated large hot water storage cylinders (tanks in USA), is just far too large and cumbersome being totally unsuited to millions of homes. I have a natural gas combi heat generator (boiler) in my place, that supplies the space heating and on-demand hot water. A white box on the wall. It is hydrogen ready.
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  38. @ My reply was deleted.
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  39. The Stirling engine has always been just around the corner, but never came. It has reciprocating pistons so cannot be highly efficient. I did read a rotary version was made in some R&D. That would be a great advance. For automotive use it is too big and heavy. Great for a hybrid in a large vehicle like a truck, bus, train or ship. It actually powers submarines. The Stirling is limited to niche applications. But worth a vid on it.
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  40. There will be a huge impact of solar & wind farms, grid storage batteries and pumped hydro storage to produce electricity, not to mention the introduction of hydrogen for trains, ships and industry (the only eco fuel that can replace fossil fuels for industry) by nitrogen cooled nuclear reactors. These innovations will mean many oil refineries will close. Only the best crude that is cheaper to extract and cheaper to refine will survive for: lubricants, medical and plastic and other products.
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  41. These are suitable for lowering and raising heavy weights in old mine shafts.
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  42.  @Ethan.Lamoureux  It is best to have laws and a system that only allows trained professionals touch gas pipes and equipment.
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  43. So the hydrogen production has to made in the same plant of as the HTTR nuclear plant, producing hydrogen and electricity as a by-product.
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  44. The East and West coast states are the wealthier states who would be greatly implicated. They will not like that, and they are also mainly Democrats by tradition. I see turmoil.
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  45.  @engelag  wrote; then they may invest in converting some of our refineries to handle light, sweet oil. The usage for oil is going to drop substantially over the next 5-10 years. Demand will drop off.
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  46.  @rifleman4005  What point are you on about?
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