Posted on 06/09/2004 11:39:14 AM PDT by ckilmer
Hate to burst the ol' bubble, but exactly how much energy is required to "create enormous heat and pressure".
Smacks of the perpetual motion machine, what? The answer is in fossil fuel burning efficiency.
The conversion process is 85-90% efficient with regards of the total energy put into the system -- that energy includes the energy stored in the "feedstock" (in this case, turkey waste). From my understanding, once the process is kick-started, it is pretty much self-fueled by the products generated (while still producing additional oil and natural gas for sale).
The total energy input into the system is 126.5 million BTU/hr, while the total energy output is 107.3 million BTU, which is 84.8% efficient. (They have additional plans to use water vapor to help heating that could increase efficiency to 90%.) However, when substracting the energy input from the feedstock, we get 2980% efficiency as compared t the amount of outside energy added to the system.
the problem is that they are lead by a list of investors that looks like the pentagon, the first Reagan White House and dozens of other deep pocket people. This story is half the story of what they have done to turn garbage into electricty or oil.
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this post makes no sense. con agra is an enormous investor in the project. (something like 30-60 mil) in fact i think they have a controlling interest in the missouri plant. government agencies that have invested in the company are the doe and the epa. the dod hasn't put any money in the project at all. there are a number of deep pocketed new yorkers who have put money into the company but they are believers in a appel.
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The biggest problem in the telling of this companies' story is that it proves that oil is not always made from fossil based products. It is unlikely that reporters will ever connect the dots.
why is this a problem?
Thermal conversion generates no pollution, and requires no energy beyond the electricity the plant produces for itself...
...production costs are low enough that the plant's income is outstripping its operating expenses.
This is hardly a perpetual motion machine. Once the waste products are used in this manner, they are gone forever. It is merely a far more efficient means of harvesting the full potential from the resources we already have available.
I have a process which turns beans into natural gas...
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beans beans the magical fruit
I think the article has a mistake. Should the output read 100 barrels instead of 100 gallons!!??
I suspect the mistake may be a couple of zeros. At $40 per barrel, this would be $4,000 per day GROSS. Costs of production not yet deducted. A $31 million dollar plant is a big investment for a gross revenue of $4,000 per day. At 5% interest, $31 million would earn you $4,305 NET per day.
Not so sure how this is paying for itself. Maybe costs will come down as they put up more plants. Or they are banking on future oil price increases.
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at 200 barrels a day the numbers start looking better. the peak capacity of the plant is 500 barrels a day.
I think the idea is that the mitigated disposal costs will offset the process. If they can make it work with car tires that will be a great leap forward.
It's a great point, and a hopeful one!
Thank you, I bookmarked it for further education.
" it proves that oil is not always made from fossil based products."
???? What does this mean ??
If something became a fossil, it was NOT converted into oil, so how is oil made from fossils ?
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