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Discussion: gasoline, propane or diesel
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the_wise_one |
gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 12:28 AM EDT
Just wondering which would be a better longer lasting fuel source.. I know its possible to do propane conversions on most gasoline driven motors.. personally would like to have the option of both on my truck.. is this even possible?? What would be best for generators.. gas diesel or.propane?
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Sharpie41 |
1. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 1:00 AM EDT
I would say diesel, just for the fact of bio-diesel.Also propane wouldn't have longevity, once all the tanks are out, and with only primitive gear you couldn't refill them. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
shadowmancer |
2. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 1:02 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 9 2012, 1:13 AM EDT
Multi fuel engines exist, modifications are possible. Flexible fuel engines are one of the oldest types of automotive engine arround. The model T can run off gas, ethonol or other similar fuel or even a blend of these fuels. I've even seen an old T engine running off naptha. Generators eh ? Diesel in my opinion but that is personal preference due to the lower RPM's of a diesel generator. Lower RPM's would mean possible salvage and modification of the generator to other forms of mechanical energy. Diesel generators to should be functioning at 60 to 70% of their maximum load to avoid damage to the machine though with each style their are drawbacks and advantages. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
11ACRBlackhorse |
3. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 2:38 AM EDT
Diesel for a generator would be best.The motors last longer and can be easily converted to burn different oil products. Plus if you get a bare bones model they have less electronics to go bad on. Now Showdow covered the other great qualities and main short coming. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
womule2005 |
4. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 3:56 AM EDT
gasoline is very common in our world today, but i believe that is why it will be in short supply when production stops. more vehicles and machines use gasoline than diesel or propane so more people will need it when they arent making anymore.there are alot of diesel vehicles out there. trucks, semis, military vehicles, farm equipment. the diesel fuel supply is also relative to current demands. you may be able to find more diesel than gasoline, but if the military spends much time fighting the zombies they just may gobble up all the supply. propane supply is also pegged to the demand for it. but the good thing about propane is that most people probably wont turn to it as a fuel source for anything when SHTF. most of propanes use is for BBQ grills, heating homes (which wont change anything because homes are supplied by truck or pipeline so once the homes tank or line pressure drops nobody will use it since they cant get to it.) and a few other things. so, if you were designing a BOV today for TEOTWAWKI, converting it to propane COULD be an advantage so long as you know where to find it once TSHTF. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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shadowmancer |
5. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 4:41 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 9 2012, 4:42 AM EDT
As I said multifuel engines exist, they can run off propane, gas/ethonol and woodgas at the same time so choosing is a moot pointPropane is also available as a fuel option in multi fuel diesel engines i've been told. There is no ideal for cars but generators there is because of the RPM issue. If you take a 1200 rpm diesel generator apart it is possible to easily upgear waterpower to run it discarding the fuel entirely. Gas engines have to high of RPM's to do this easily with basic tools and materials. The problem with all internal combustion technology is lubrication not fuel. Lack of petroleum would cause machines to seize up. The majority of plant based oils degrade rapidly as lubricants when exposed to high heat. Without the heat of the engine oil such as canola oil (aka genetically modifed rapeseed oil) can be used to lubricate the parts. Regular rapeseed could be used but it stinks to high heaven when ignited we bread a non stinky type and named it canola oil lol. Rapeseed oil was one of the primary engine oils of the steam era. A rare few plant oils such as caster oil can be used as a replacement to a degree for engine oil but it is far from perfect as in its current form. When used it leaves behind a residue which would require the engine to be rebuilt after roughly 500 kilometers. Castrol takes its name from the caster oil as they initally produced this flawed oil for engine use. With further refinement and experimentation the gunk may eventually be bread out but as it stands now, it is useless in engines. Everyone always thinks of the fuel but never the oil. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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11ACRBlackhorse |
6. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 6:15 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 9 2012, 6:16 AM EDT
So true.Multi-fuel engines are more costly the others. Gas is the cheapest Now muti-fuel and gas require plugs w/all associated wires and parts. And the more voltage you need the less efficient they becomr compared to diesel. All types need oil but only diesel and multi-fuel can burn it's own lubricant if cleaned/filtered. Properly stored should outlast your fuel by years especially synthetic. Oil changes are required less often on a diesel too. Motor longevity is better too with a diesel. But fot a long term power system I would build windmills powered with behicle alternators. Already 12vt for direct charging of battery pack/bank. Can run lights, entertainment systems, small 12vt fridges, CBs, and tons of other stuff without expensive or hard to find inverters. Best to worse alternators Semi Diesel Pickup/car Diesel V8 gas V6 gas 4cylinder gas 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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shadowmancer |
7. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 7:02 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 9 2012, 7:06 AM EDT
Worst possible cars to salvage alternators from lolTribant Yugo Do you find this valuable? |
PedroAsani |
8. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 10:22 AM EDT
If possible, have it able to run on everything. A true hybrid would give you the most flexibility. Get a solar panel roof too, if you can. It won't power the engine, but it will mean that even if you run out of fuel, you can power the CB radio to monitor the ariwaves.You got a CB, right? Do you find this valuable? |
NotAlice |
9. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 9 2012, 10:55 PM EDT
" ...Yikes! CASTOR oil! You are aware that processing castor seeds will induce loose bowels just by inhalation. And if explosive diarrhea isn't bad enough, how about ricin poisoning? I'LL say it's "...far from perfect in its current form."! 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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shadowmancer |
10. RE: gasoline, propane or diesel
Jun 10 2012, 2:36 AM EDT
| Post edited: Jun 10 2012, 3:35 AM EDT
Yes I was aware of it Alice :) You have stated one of the main reasons it was abandoned, and why it shouldn't be taken up at all in its current form. Interestingly another reason the plant was abandoned is the supression of all related knowledge for ricin manufacture during World War I, they wanted to weaponize the oil. Castor oil has potential if we could manage to breed a suitable fertile plant that is...... so get to work all you plant scientists and botanists!! It is deeply flawed oil, but it has possible potential. Making a nontoxic variant of a plant has been done before we have taken harmful plants and made them into useful ones. The most well-known example of this is the Canola plant. Before the Rapeseed became the Canola the use of that oil in cooking and it's production could damage the human heart and kidneys. If a similar breeding program to the one that was used on the rapeseed was undertaken for the castor plant I believe that the end result may be a beneficial variant of the Castor plant. The resulting plant would only be useful if the resulting oil kept the same thermal properties as the oil of the parent plant and the new plant produced viable seed. The only way we will find out if the castor plant can be refined is to try. If this line of thought works it would not be the first time a weapon was converted into something useful and benifical for mankind. The first effective chemotherapy drug was mustard gas. It's just an interesting line of thought and possible research matter. Do you find this valuable? |
