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[Nickbat]

http://www.airfuelsynthesis.com/

 

[Vamps]

This was on the news the other day, we are known to be tight up here.....

[Rods2]

My understanding is that is concept has been around for a good few years. The problem is that you cannot create or destroy energy only change it from one form to another.

If you use more energy to create it than it contains, then where does the energy to create it come from? Oil 

[Kevin Wood]

My understanding is that is concept has been around for a good few years. The problem is that you cannot create or destroy energy only change it from one form to another.

If you use more energy to create it than it contains, then where does the energy to create it come from? Oil 

Well, if you can get the energy from renewables then it's a potential way to store it and use it for something useful, however inefficient.  Better than having fossil plant on standby in case the wind drops.  I suspect it's not just inefficient, but woefully inefficient, though.

Still: Soundbite for the dumbass politicians: Make a litre of petrol out of thin air! just add 1.2 litres of petrol.

[Nickbat]

My understanding is that is concept has been around for a good few years. The problem is that you cannot create or destroy energy only change it from one form to another.

If you use more energy to create it than it contains, then where does the energy to create it come from? Oil 

Well, if you can get the energy from renewables then it's a potential way to store it and use it for something useful, however inefficient.  Better than having fossil plant on standby in case the wind drops.  I suspect it's not just inefficient, but woefully inefficient, though.

Still: Soundbite for the dumbass politicians: Make a litre of petrol out of thin air! just add 1.2 litres of petrol.

The important thing is that, if this is possible, they have found a way of manufacturing petrol - which is, in essence, just hydrocarbon. Electric cars need energy to make the electricity, there is always a cost. However, if naturally-formed oil becomes too expensive, or geo-politically restricted, it would be good to know that we have an alternative. Our society is based on oil, there's no getting away from it. Electricity won't cut the mustard for a long time, so maybe it's a way forward.

Updated: Reading through the website, the apparent reliance on wind farms and so forth makes me doubt the commercial viability. 

[Rods2]

The Germans made masses of synthetic oil and fuel from coal during WWII. The processes were invented in Germany in the early 1930's.

I agree like electricity, using synthetic fuel may make sense for aircraft and ships that need this energy density. It may indeed be a use for unreliable windmills and of course sensible nuclear power.

The US Navy have developed a system to produce aviation fuel for their nuclear powered aircraft carriers from sea water. So they are not reliant on supply ships to keep them flying. I think they intend to use them in their next generation aircraft carriers.

[tigers_gonads]

My understanding is that is concept has been around for a good few years. The problem is that you cannot create or destroy energy only change it from one form to another.

If you use more energy to create it than it contains, then where does the energy to create it come from? Oil 

Well, if you can get the energy from renewables then it's a potential way to store it and use it for something useful, however inefficient.  Better than having fossil plant on standby in case the wind drops.  I suspect it's not just inefficient, but woefully inefficient, though.

Still: Soundbite for the dumbass politicians: Make a litre of petrol out of thin air! just add 1.2 litres of petrol.

The important thing is that, if this is possible, they have found a way of manufacturing petrol - which is, in essence, just hydrocarbon. Electric cars need energy to make the electricity, there is always a cost. However, if naturally-formed oil becomes too expensive, or geo-politically restricted, it would be good to know that we have an alternative. Our society is based on oil, there's no getting away from it. Electricity won't cut the mustard for a long time, so maybe it's a way forward.

Updated: Reading through the website, the apparent reliance on wind farms and so forth makes me doubt the commercial viability. 

Strap a nuclear reactor to the thing then 

[tigers_gonads]

The Germans made masses of synthetic oil and fuel from coal during WWII. The processes were invented in Germany in the early 1930's.

I agree like electricity, using synthetic fuel may make sense for aircraft and ships that need this energy density. It may indeed be a use for unreliable windmills and of course sensible nuclear power.

The US Navy have developed a system to produce aviation fuel for their nuclear powered aircraft carriers from sea water. So they are not reliant on supply ships to keep them flying. I think they intend to use them in their next generation aircraft carriers.

True that.

The US Airforce has been testing a blend of this fuel on its heavy aircraft for a few years now.
Works pretty well from what I have heard 

[llewellyn237]

It takes hundreds of thousands of litres of compressed air and a few weeks to get a tonne of fuel.

Still only a twinkle in the scientists eyes...

[Rods2]

The Germans made masses of synthetic oil and fuel from coal during WWII. The processes were invented in Germany in the early 1930's.

I agree like electricity, using synthetic fuel may make sense for aircraft and ships that need this energy density. It may indeed be a use for unreliable windmills and of course sensible nuclear power.

The US Navy have developed a system to produce aviation fuel for their nuclear powered aircraft carriers from sea water. So they are not reliant on supply ships to keep them flying. I think they intend to use them in their next generation aircraft carriers.

True that.

The US Airforce has been testing a blend of this fuel on its heavy aircraft for a few years now.
Works pretty well from what I have heard 

They now have a specification for this synthetic / real fuel mix, which all USAF aircraft will have to be able to use. So in the event of war, they are not so dependent upon imported oil. Where the US has so much shale gas from fracking, there are plans to produce fuel from this.