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Things to come

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HR2

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Now I know a lot of you youngsters love cars and power boats etcetera but have you thought of the future? YOUR future. In 20/30 years time the oil will probably be in short supply and at an astronomical price as well I suppose. So don't you thingk that burning the stuff in engines is a bit dumb and just burning money? Think of the things that we can make from oil

>>http://www.saskschools.ca/~carnduffelem/oilpages/uses.htm

If the oil runs out all those things disappear also. Can you live without them? If Oil is being used at it's present rate you may well have to unless they upgrade coal technology as a replacement. Oil should be saved for power generation and suchlike. After all we're all buggered if the lights go out ain't we?

That is why the government have suddenly woken up that Nuclear power is the ONLY way to gauruntee future power supplies. Wind power is no realistic answer. Can't generate unless there is a breeze can you? They are also damn great ugly monstrosities and visual blots on the landscape. So the only answer for when oil expires is water power, nuclear power, and possibly coal.

Think of the future...YOUR Future, because I have precious little of mine left
 
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AlexS said:
Oil ain't going to run out for a good while, coal even longer.

Gas however is a different matter.


You think oil will last a bit longer than 20/30 years? I doubt it somehow. The demand from U.S. China. India and emerging economies will soar. Just wait until Africa wakes up. THEN you'll worry about oil shortage. The demand from that continent will outstrip all the others put together.

As you say Gas is critical now so LPG should not be made for motor purposes. As for coal, we are sitting on 300 years worth and during that last war Germany made quantities of oil from it and also used the gas extracted to power motor vehicles as they did in Britain and elswhere.


If Mag the bag had not shut all the coalmines and now the technology exists, coal could power our nation for the long forseeable future.
 

eezypeazy

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In a previous existence, I worked for British Gas. Despite converting the UK to natural gas, BG continued research into coal gasification, and devised the technology to be able to do it from poorer quality coal and with less pollution. At least two plants were sold to China, then the technology report was written up and filed away.

Coal gasification can be done relatively cleanly; coal can fuel power stations relatively cleanly. The world's coal reserves will last far longer than gas and oil. Coal to very well be the source of fuel for the future.

The only problem I forsee is aeroplanes; there isn't a viable alternative to oil to fuel them. I predict that air travel could well become restricted to military use only, which is a bit of a problem for the tourism industry....

eezypeazy
 
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eezypeazy said:
In a previous existence, I worked for British Gas. Despite converting the UK to natural gas, BG continued research into coal gasification, and devised the technology to be able to do it from poorer quality coal and with less pollution. At least two plants were sold to China, then the technology report was written up and filed away.

Coal gasification can be done relatively cleanly; coal can fuel power stations relatively cleanly. The world's coal reserves will last far longer than gas and oil. Coal to very well be the source of fuel for the future.

The only problem I forsee is aeroplanes; there isn't a viable alternative to oil to fuel them. I predict that air travel could well become restricted to military use only, which is a bit of a problem for the tourism industry....

eezypeazy


Ah, but as I said EP, the Germans were making oil from coal in WW2 so if they could do it then it's possible now. After all coal is only solid oil. Same ingredients, same source.
 

theblackwatch

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eezypeazy said:
The only problem I forsee is aeroplanes; there isn't a viable alternative to oil to fuel them. I predict that air travel could well become restricted to military use only, which is a bit of a problem for the tourism industry....


Maybe we'll go back to holidays at Scarboro, Skegness and Bournemouth! ;)
 

Coxster

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theblackwatch said:
Maybe we'll go back to holidays at Bournemouth! ;)
That'll be great for Tom - a holiday just 10 minutes down the road ;)
 

eezypeazy

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HR2 said:
Ah, but as I said EP, the Germans were making oil from coal in WW2 so if they could do it then it's possible now. After all coal is only solid oil. Same ingredients, same source.
I may be wrong, but I think that getting oil from coal is going to be terribly inefficient. Then, having to refine the oil to produce lighter plane fuels and petrol, leaving behind the diesel and tars, will probably add to the inefficiencies....

Sorry, I keep having this "Heath Robinson"-esque vision of ain Airbus A380 complete with smokestack, boiler room, coal bunkers, sweaty stokers, and giant propellors.....

eezypeazy
 
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eezypeazy said:
Sorry, I keep having this "Heath Robinson"-esque vision of ain Airbus A380 complete with smokestack, boiler room, coal bunkers, sweaty stokers, and giant propellors.....eezypeazy

Eh...have you seen a quack about these 'visions' ? :shock:
 
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