Briefly,
Wrong, right, wrong, and right.
In order
>>Whereas you are entirely correct about the 2nd law here, there is a
>>serious error in that You have assumed that your cars engine is working
>>at 100% efficiency all ready, which as we all know isn't the case.
*Ah, no go back and read what I wrote: **Plus, your engine is nowhere near
100% efficient, and your alternator is not 100% efficient either. I never
assumed 100% efficiency*
>>The fact of the matter is that there are lots of opportunities to
>>increase the efficiency of converting fuel to power through recycling
>>heat, conversion/storage and optimization of air/fuel ratios etc. We
>>use these opportunities all the time in industrial applications.
I agree completely. I work on modern cars for a living, and they produce
more horsepower per cubic inch with better gas mileage than vintage cars.
This is not done with mirrors.
>>In most cases your generator/alternator is generating electrical power
>>that doesn't get used in normal driving in your average car, it might as
>>well get used for something, otherwise, it's wasted.
A common misconception and totally completely and without a doubt 100%
wrong. (Don't feel bad about this, I had an EE that did not understand this
either)
Basically an alternator or generator is a demand driven device. It only
produces enough current to A) run the car and B) recharge the battery. On
my car I have a 180 A alternator. Assuming that my car's battery is fully
charged, my alternator will typically put out right around 15A which is what
my car requires to run. If I turn on the headlights and blower fan that
number will go up to cover those loads (probably about 30A) If the
alternator were to put out more amperage than is needed, first off the
voltage would skyrocket (a function of the resistance of the battery),
secondly the battery would start boiling, and lastly in about an hour the
battery would be destroyed. Just because a alternator (or generator) is
capable of producing more power, that does not mean it produces max power
all the time, it does not. That extra 10A requires more power to the
alternator field, which makes the alternator harder to turn, which means the
engine burns more fuel. No free lunch.
>>I for one fail to see how an SU carb would use less fuel while taking in
>>gaseous H2, and I also fail to see how a fuel injected car would know
>>the difference either. By injecting H2, I think you would get more
>>"bang" for the same volume of fuel and "air", but don't see how any
>>volume of fuel is saved.
I agree completely. Now with a modern car with an oxygen sensor feedback
system, you might get a small gas savings, but you have to expend the energy
to create the H2 and O2, which isn't free.
Rick
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