This is Alex Kovnat's Typepad Profile.
Join Typepad and start following Alex Kovnat's activity
Alex Kovnat
Recent Activity
> .... close to 60% of the current GHG
> emissions (and rising) are from coal
> fired power plants.
Then we should build more nuclear power plants.
Study finds light-duty gasoline vehicles responsible for about half of PM2.5 mass, 14% of PM10 in road tunnel
Contributions of various primary sources to tunnel PM mass. Credit: ACS, Bozlaker et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers led by a team from the University of Houston have characterized the platinum group elemental composition of PM2.5 and PM10 emissions—mainly from gasoline-fueled light-duty ...
I cannot emphasize enough what an abomination it is, to flare gas when we are told that the world is coming to an end from global warming, or some other adverse consequence of carbon dioxide buildup in our atmosphere. I applaud efforts to use gas that would otherwise be wastefully flared. We must demand an end to flaring now.
Dutch/Russian effort to commercialize new process to convert flared gas to gasoline via a DME pathway
The independent Dutch research organization TNO is working with the Russian A.V. Topchiev Institute for Petrochemical Synthesis (TIPS) on marketing a new technology developed by TIPS to convert flared gases into hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline. The new method offers a range of benefits compa...
If the carbon dioxide situation is that serious, we should bite the bullet and utilize nuclear power more. Not so much for ships, but for electric power generation. For ships, if we are to utilize any cryogenic liquid fuel, I would rather use liquified natural gas in combination with advanced gas turbine engines.
Shipping industry eyeing hydrogen fuel cells as possible pathway to emissions reduction; work by Germanischer Lloyd and DNV
Germanischer Lloyd’s concept hydrogen-fuel cell container feeder vessel is fueled by liquid hydrogen. Source: GL. Click to enlarge. Although technical and operational efficiency improvements in conventional propulsion systems may lower CO2 emissions from ships by as much as 20% across the g...
@Dave Mart: The "bottom of the barrel" could be hydrocracked (using hydrogen derived from now-plentiful natural gas) to yield various useful products. Or, if its no longer needed for ships, it could be burned on site to generate electric power. The free-market (modified of course by emissions regulations) will find an answer, if we let it.
If we use liquified natural gas for ship fuel, perhaps ship operators should consider gas turbine engines, like the General Electric LM2500's used by the world's navies for ships ranging from light frigates all the way to flat-deck cruisers (aircraft carriers for Harrier-like "jump jets" and helicopters). Said gas turbines could use waste heat boilers or regenerators (like on the U.S. Army's gas turbine powered tanks) to improve the system's energy efficiency.
Hopefully, the improvements in efficiency described in the article above will be applied to all kinds of merchant vessels, i.e. container ships, tankers, roll on-roll off ships, as well as bulk carriers.
New fuel-efficient bulk carrier concept design; DNV estimates new tankers, bulkers and container vessels will be up to 30% more energy efficient by 2020 than newbuilds today
The Green Dolphin. Click to enlarge. The Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and development partners DNV and Wärtsilä have unveiled a new Handysize—i.e., ships with a cargo-carrying capability of less than 60,000 metric tonnes—bulk carrier concept design: the Green D...
Anybody caught texting while driving, should be grounded for a year. There is no excuse whatsoever for such behavior. Yakking away on a cell phone is bad enough already.
Study shows nearly half of Europeans text while driving
A new study has found that nearly half of European drivers admit they have read texts while driving, a highly distracting habit proven to contribute to traffic accidents. (In the US, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit th...
To wastefully flare any combustible gas to the atmosphere at a time when the auto industry is being required to meet 50+ MPG fuel economy standards, is an abomination. Marathon should use excess flammable gas to fire a gas turbine and generate some electricity. Flaring of gas anywhere in the world, thus creating more CO2 and wasting energy, has got to stop!
US and Marathon come to agreement on refinery flaring
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice announced an environmental agreement with Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Company that already has significantly reduced air pollution from all six of the company’s petroleum refineries. In a first for the refining industr...
Propane is definitely NOT the kind of stuff you want in the bilge of a boat. But remember, boaters have used gasoline for decades. My father had a sailboat with a gasoline inboard auxiliary engine. I remember how he would run the bilge blower for a few minutes before starting the engine. You would use the same precautions with propane.
Lehr to introduce propane-fueled outboard engine at the Miami International Boat Show
Lehr, Inc., a company that patented the use of propane canisters to fuel small engines, is introducing the first OEM marine outboard engines that run on propane. Benefits of the propane engine include: Up to 50% lower fuel cost and more cost effective to use and maintain; No gasoline polluti...
I wish those Netherlands researchers all the best in mastering the art of synthesizing light olefins directly from CO + H2, instead of having to go through the process of CO + H2 --> Methanol --> light olefins. Right now, the Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation would like to build a facility that would use the latter process. But if it proves feasible to produce olefins directly from CO + H2, it will be more efficient in utilizing natural gas or biomass in producing the basic building blocks of the polymer industry.
Researchers develop new catalysts for a direct Fischer-Tropsch to olefins (FTO) process
Researchers in the Netherlands have demonstrated the direct conversion of synthesis gas through a Fischer-Tropsch process to C2 through C4 light olefins with selectivity up to 60 wt.% using catalysts that constitute iron nanoparticles (promoted by sulfur plus sodium) homogeneously dispersed on ...
Will Cadillacs using this new engine design run on 87 octane regular gasoline, or will they require premium (93 octane) gas, which costs 20 cents a gallon more?
But then, if you're socioeconomic status is Cadillac rather than Chevrolet or Ford, I suppose that doesn't matter.
GM to introduce new 2.0L direct-injected turbo engine in Cadillac ATS
The direct injected 2.0 L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with an estimated 270 horsepower (201 kW), will be among the powertrain options available in the all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS compact luxury sedan. Click to enlarge. GM will debut a new high-performance 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinde...
I have a question for anybody familiar with Norway: Have any large numbers or percentage of their trucks been converted from Diesel to LNG/CNG? Seems like you would reduce NOx just as much that way, as by using LNG for ships.
Wärtsilä completes conversion of tanker Bit Viking from heavy fuel oil to LNG
The converted Bit Viking. The twin LNG tanks are mounted on the deck. Click to enlarge. Wärtsilä Corporation has completed the conversion of the 25,000 dwt product tanker Bit Viking from heavy fuel oil to liquefied natural gas (LNG) operation. The conversion enables the Bit Viking to qualif...
Seems to me that isobutanol would be just as valuable as an automotive fuel by itself, or as a gasoline blending component. I'd like to see how various mixtures of isobutanol, ethanol and gasoline would work out.
Honeywell’s UOP receives $1.1M FAA contract to demonstrate technology for conversion of isobutanol from Gevo to aviation biofuels
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, was awarded a $1.1 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) via the US Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center to develop and demonstrate technology that will produce renewable jet fuel from isobutanol supplied by Gevo, Inc. (Earlier post...
I am concerned that thinner sections of higher strength steel will be more vulnerable to corrosion than thicker sections of lesser-strength steel. If you lose even a hundredth of a millimeter to corrosion, you have weakened a component a lot more if you start with a very thin section, than if you start with a thicker section.
Nissan introduces new 1.2 GPa ultra high tensile strength steel with high formability; reduction in body weight of up to 15 kg
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Nippon Steel Corporation and Kobe Steel, Ltd., has developed Ultra High Tensile Strength Steel rated at 1.2 gigapascals (GPa). From 2013, this new, highly formable steel will be produced as steel plates for use in cold pressing structural body parts....
I believe its all well and good that Honda is offering the CNG-version of the Civic in 35 states, not just four like they have up until now. Purchase of the CNG-Civic by businesses and government agencies (federal, state and local) should be encouraged.
But if we really want to see more use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, Honda and other automotive manufacturers should offer pickup trucks, vans (i.e. Oddessy) and vehicles like school buses with CNG-engines.
An advantage of using CNG in a larger vehicle like a truck is, one has more room to play around with. Hence it might be feasible to combine CNG with either hydraulic or electric apparatus to recover braking energy and provide launch assist. This would further reduce CO2 emissions.
New Honda 2012 Civic Natural Gas goes on sale 18 October at Honda dealers in 35 states, up from 4
2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas. Click to enlarge. The all-new 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas (formally known as the Civic GX), the only dedicated natural gas-powered passenger vehicle manufactured and sold in the US, will go on sale at qualified Honda dealerships nationwide on 18 October with a ...
Henrik: China deserves our gratitude for not abandoning nuclear power, as Germany has decided to do. Nuclear power plants cannot be built as rapidly as coal-fired power plants, so given the understandable aspirations of the Chinese people for a better life than they had under Mao, China will be burning a lot of coal for a while. Hopefully some of their coal-fired power plants will in time be replaced by nuclear power.
Accelergy and Yankuang Group to conduct feasibility study for large-scale hybrid coal-to-liquids plant in China; targeting 68,000 barrels of fuel per day
Pathways for producing liquid fuels from coal. The Accelergy/Yanjuang plant would combine the indirect (F-T) and direct pathways. Source: EMRE. Click to enlarge. Accelergy Corporation (earlier post) is partnering with the Yankuang Group, one of the largest coal companies in China, on a feasi...
One must be careful when presented with claims about this motorcycle or that attaining "63.5 mpg US", or some other fuel economy figure. Is that with 87 octane regular gasoline like most cars, or do you need 89 or even 93 octane premium which costs 20 cents a gallon more?
Honda develops new 700cc and 125cc engines and dual clutch transmission for two-wheelers
Newly developed 700cc engine (second-generation Dual Clutch Transmission). Click to enlarge. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has developed new 700cc and 125cc engines for two-wheelers, as well as an accompanying lightweight, compact second-generation Dual Clutch Transmission, featuring a smooth, direc...
I have a question about the reheat-cycle steam turbine propulsion system on the Mitsubishi LNG tankers. Are there any feed water heaters using extracted steam like in fossil fuel power plants? Having worked for a utility consulting firm years ago, I know that coal-burning steam turbine power plants use reheat and have something like 7 or 8 stages of feedwater heating.
MHI completes development of new-generation LNG carrier; reductions in size and weight, with more capacity and 20% lower fuel consumption than conventional ships
Top: rendering of the continuous tank cover type LNG carrier Sayaendo Series. Bottom: Conventional Moss-tank carrier. Source: MHI Tech. Review. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed development of a new-generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier marking ...
If reducing carbon dioxide from ships is that important, than let's build nuclear powered merchant ships.
IMO environment meeting adopts mandatory energy efficiency measures for international shipping; first mandatory global GHG reduction regime for an international industry sector
Mandatory measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from international shipping were adopted by Parties to MARPOL Annex VI represented in the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), when it met for its 62nd session from 11 to...
I'm not overwhelmingly enthusiastic about coal, but I'd like to put in a suggestion: If there's lots of natural gas available from "fracking", then we should consider co-processing of natural gas and coal (along with biomass such as wood, if available) to produce liquid fuels. Natural gas is rich in hydrogen (being predominantly CH4), while coal is deficient in hydrogen. So if we co-process coal and natural gas in a syngas-producer, we may be able to get a CO-H2 mixture with the right proportion of H2 without using steam in the gasification process.
Another possibility is to reform natural gas to produce hydrogen, then use the hydrogen to hydrogenate coal.
Groundbreaking set for TransGas Coal-to-Liquids project
The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority (MCRA) and its partner TransGas Development Systems, LLC will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony on 9 May 2011, to launch the construction phase of the Mingo County coal-to-liquids project, to be called Adams Fork Energy. (Earlier post.) The Adams Fork Ene...
If the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is so serious a matter as to justify the ever-intensifying campaign of regulatory aggression against the auto industry, then it is also a serious enough matter to STOP THE WASTEFUL FLARING OF NATURAL GAS.
It is shocking that we are told to accept ever more expensive technology, and possible compromises with the room and performance we are accustomed to from our cars, while trillions of cubic feet of natural gas are wastefully burned in the atmosphere every year. So even if the GTL process mentioned above doesn't turn a profit, it may well have socially redeeming value just from the standpoint of eliminating gas-flaring.
Demonstration plant for small-scale offshore GTL on site at Petrobras refinery; production targeted for September
A recently-arrived integrated 6 barrel per day (bbl/day) microchannel GTL (gas-to-liquids) demonstration plant, designed to test the feasibility of small-scale offshore GTL, will produce a raw FT (Fischer-Tropsch) liquid and wax which can be further processed to provide a range of products or in...
I would suggest co-processing biomass with natural gas if available, so the resultant synthesis gas output from the gasifier will have closer to the optimum hydrogen to carbon ratio.
Optimized catalyst for biomass gasification for production of synthetic fuels
Schematic diagram of the biomass-gasification-reforming system. Credit: ACS, Wang et al. Click to enlarge. A team from the Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences reports on a pilot-scale biomass-gasification-re...
If carbon dioxide is that much of a problem, why not use at least some degree of hybrid-electric functionality on ALL cars?
2012 Buick Regal to offer eAssist mild hybrid technology
Regal with eAssist. Click to enlarge. GM is applying its eAssist mild hybrid system to the 2012 Regal, making it the second Buick model after LaCrosse to feature the second-generation light electrification technology (earlier post), which is GM’s current default mild hybrid system for electr...
Natural gas in hydrogen-rich, heavy oils are carbon-rich. So one option is to combine the two, i.e. use hydrogen derived from reforming NG, to hydrogenate heavy crudes before refining begins.
But seriously, if the need for carbon dioxide reduction is so great as to justify 35, 45, ... 60 or more miles per gallon CAFE, it would be best to simply tax coal and oil as heavily as we have to, and let the ingenuity of the American people (and peoples of other nations) figure out the best way to live with it.
Study finds that switch to heavy and synthetic crude oils could double or triple refinery emissions
Increasing crude processing intensity and energy intensity with worsening oil quality. OQ: Crude feed oil quality. PI: Crude processing intensity. EI: Refinery energy intensity. Observations are annual weighted averages for districts 1 (yellow), 2 (blue), 3 (orange), and 5 (black) in 1999-20...
I would prefer that more people were in favor of nuclear power. I can see no good that can come out of totally rejecting nuclear power as an energy option.
Pike survey finds US consumers favor renewable energy, hybrids and EVs; disfavor cap and trade
Survey results for favorable impressions of energy and environmental concepts. Source: Pike Research. Click to enlarge. According to a new survey from Pike Research, US consumer support for renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, is high while support for cap and trade as a carbon ...
As long as propane is available, we might as well use it. Roush should also consider combining propane or CNG power, with a hydraulic- or electric-hybrid transmission arrangement.
ROUSH CleanTech developing LPG cutaway chassis for Frito-Lay
ROUSH CleanTech has begun development of a liquid propane autogas fuel system for the Ford E-350 dual rear wheel (DRW) cutaway chassis. While this vehicle is used extensively by Frito-Lay, the first customer for the fuel system conversion, other fleets will also be able to utilize this technolog...
If the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is so great as to justify 35 or more miles per gallon CAFE, then its great enough to justify American public transit agencies purchasing this Hyundai compressed natural gas hybrid bus.
Unfortunately, the same kind of activist personalities who demand such high CAFE for other people's cars, may also deny us the benefits of said hybrid-CNG bus in the name of buying American, saving jobs, or reducing the trade deficit. It would be truly a frustration if our urban transit agencies were not allowed to purchase this bus, just to satisfy these peoples' power and ego trips.
Hyundai introduces Korea’s first CNG hybrid bus
The Blue-City CNG hybrid bus. Click to enlarge. Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea’s largest automaker, unveiled the nation’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) hybrid bus, “Blue-City”. This is the first time a major automaker independently developed both the system and body for such a vehic...
More...
Subscribe to Alex Kovnat’s Recent Activity