Well, so much for scientific research in Antarctica…it’s about to be a war zone.

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[–] 25 points 11 months ago (11 children)

Just for context, the US uses around 7 billion barrels per year. Can keep the SUVs going for the better part of a century.

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  • [–] 5 points 11 months ago (10 children)

    Assholes can roll coal for a century.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (9 children)

    What's weird is that Gale Banks, one of the godfathers of turbocharging and a huge name in diesel performance, is adamant that rolling coal is stupid. Especially in modern engines with lightening fast fuel control systems... more forgivable in older diesels with mechanical injection systems. But he says it's money and horsepower literally blowing out your exhaust, being a internal combustion engine enthusiast myself I don't understand wanting to leave performance blowing away in the wind; that's YOUR unburnt diesel blowing away! In THIS economy!

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (8 children)

    No matter the advances, the Otto cycle will always be 25% efficient, at most.

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  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago (7 children)

    Last I heard modern gas engines have reached a smidge over 30% thermal efficiency because the pure Otto cycle hasn't been used in decades. Mazda(?) recently announced an engine over 40% efficiency using an Atkinson design I think. Superchargers and more Turbochargers boost efficiency more by recycling waste energy.

    But I'm not sure any of that matters because diesels aren't Otto Cycle.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (6 children)

    diesels aren’t Otto Cycle.

    Are they not four-stroke?

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (5 children)

    All Otto cycle are 4-stroke but not all 4-stroke are Otto cycle.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (4 children)

    Such as Wankels, ok, just replace "Otto cycle" with 4-stroke in my original comment.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (3 children)

    Then your original comment is still wrong, because diesel engines are significantly more thermally efficient than 25%. Even modern gas engines tend to beat your 25% claim.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (2 children)

    I guess we're not on the same page on what a four-stroke engine is, as only one "stroke" of four is doing actual mechanical work.

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