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, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:09:28
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Simply because liquid hydrocarbon "battery" doesn't have to carry 70+% of the reactant: both CO2 and H2O have oxygen as more than 70% by weight. Liquid hydrocarbon batteries also don't have to keep the used chemicals on board in order to take home to recharge electricity.
If and when the Saudis really run out of natural hydrocarbon under the ground to tap, they probably will turn to tropical/sub-tropical desert solar power generation, then use the electricity and the CO2 dissolved in the gulf sea water to artificially synthesize liquid hydrocarbon for export.
The US Navy is already experimenting with artificial jet fuel synthesis onboard nuclear powered aircraft carriers, so as to reduce the combat group's dependency on supply ships.
There was a Bl**mberg article on cheap shale natural gas enabling artificial diesel synthesis via Fischer-Tropisch process at the cost of about $1.50 a gallon (i.e. about $2.50 at the pump after taxes and distribution cost), so some very large scale synthetic fuel plants are being built as we speak.
Down the road, half a century to a century from now, it is quite possible that the cost of solar, wind and Thorium-based nuclear power generation can provide energy to produce synthetic fuel at lower cost than find and pumping natural petroleum and refining it. It will be just like the transition from hunting for meat to raising animals for meat that took 2-3000 years ago, and the transition from fishing to farm raised fish that took place in the past century. The cheaper source will win the day.
Even in that scenario, however, IMHO, liquid fuel in the form of something stable like diesel will still be the "battery" of choice. Fuel cells will likely beat the internal combustion engine as the energy release end of the "rechargeable battery" cycle. Still waiting for a fuel cell that can digest the carbon in hydrocarbon instead of just stripping it away and only use the hydrogen part.
posted by 75.69.1...
, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:09:28, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:25:01, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:10:36, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:18:56
, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:39:02, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:15:12
, Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:15:05, Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:56:31
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