Alcohol powered Jets

[pmulcahy11b]

Of course, there is Aurora, which is believed to be fueled by an exotic fuels mix (I've heard everything from liquid hydrogen/LOX -- basically rocket fuel -- to things like a liquid methane/benzene/hydrazine mix (even with my poor understanding of chemistry, that doesn't make sense to me), to a new member of the JP family designed specifically for the pulse-detonation-wave engine the Aurora is supposedly powered by.

That's if you believe in that sort of deep black project. I like to keep my mind open.

[DocSavage45B10]

If one has a nuclear reacotor and a supply of coal or natural gas for feedstock...

Synthetic oil has an unfavorable ratio of energy in to energy out compared to conventional oil. As oil supplies dwindle in the real world, the market may become more favorable for synthetic oil. For now, though, the real reason to use synthetic oil is that you have coal but not enough oil to meet your needs.

[pmulcahy11b]

I can't see alcohol used in a jet engine for much more than spraying into the exhaust to provide extra thrust (especially if the aircraft is equipped with an afterburner).

[Webstral]

If one has a nuclear reacotor and a supply of coal or natural gas for feedstock...

Or if one has any source of non-fossil fuel electricity and a supply of coal, you can justify making synthetic oil. I honestly don't know if natural gas can somehow be tweaked into longer-chain hydrocarbons. However, surely it would be possible to create liquefied natural gas with a little pressure and use that for some or all vehicle applications.

The availability of coal, oil, and natural gas in Colorado, plus nuclear electrical generation, gives Milgov a lot of options. With three million people available in Colorado in early 2001 according to Howling Wilderness, I can't help but wonder if 6000 troops for 100th ID is a bit low. Of course, if they are overwhelmingly combat arms deriving their support from civilians who work full-time for the Army but who aren't counted because they aren't soldiers, then 6000 goes a lot further.

[manunancy]

Tehre are gaz-to-liquid methods floating around but there aren't in much use there because the relative prices of gaz and oil doesn't make them interesting.

[Legbreaker]

...I can't help but wonder if 6000 troops for 100th ID is a bit low. Of course, if they are overwhelmingly combat arms deriving their support from civilians who work full-time for the Army but who aren't counted because they aren't soldiers, then 6000 goes a lot further.

Except as shown in the "Inchon" thread, the numbers include all members of the formation, including support.

The big hurdle I see with synthetics isn't so much the power requirements, suitable feedstock or even availability of the necessary equipment, but the absolute NEED for suitably trained and skilled technicians and scientists to make it work. Post nuke a team like that would be near impossible to put together, especially when we know nobody is able to gather relatively common reactor techs or hydroelectric engineers to get existing facilities back up and running again.

[DocSavage45B10]

Except that doesn't make sense as anything but authorial fiat. There are a LOT of engineers, scientists, and nuke specialists in uniform and in associated civilian research programs tucked in out of the way places. Preserving these people will be priority for any military organization.

Except as shown in the "Inchon" thread, the numbers include all members of the formation, including support.

The big hurdle I see with synthetics isn't so much the power requirements, suitable feedstock or even availability of the necessary equipment, but the absolute NEED for suitably trained and skilled technicians and scientists to make it work. Post nuke a team like that would be near impossible to put together, especially when we know nobody is able to gather relatively common reactor techs or hydroelectric engineers to get existing facilities back up and running again.

[Legbreaker]

But finding them and getting them together in the places they're needed (possibly including their families) is another matter altogether.
Communications post nuke are almost non-existent and many of these experts are likely to have other things on their minds besides staying in touch with the authorities or making themselves available, regardless of whether they're in uniform or not.

[DocSavage45B10]

Except the exchange isn't a surprise, there's months of conventional war leading to tactical exchanges in theatre before the real smashing begins. It requires a willful blindness an a level that breaks suspension of disbelief to have DoD and civilian agencies twiddle their thumbs during this period.

[Legbreaker]

It's worth reading these too threads Doc if you haven't already, especially the first one...

http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.phpt=3614

http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.phpt=3130

The T2K world is an utterly different place to the world you and I know now, and apparently THE nightmare situation according to Panther Al's friend.

[Panther Al]

He is still right though Leg.

No one could have predicted the way the exchange worked out, and with the slow buildup towards it - tactical then strategic nukes over a few weeks - there would be plenty of reason to start getting your eggs out of breakable baskets.

[DocSavage45B10]

Nuclear reactors are extremely critical to any reconstruction effort. Without them you're stuck with an essentially 1800s tech base, since the chemicals for anything more advanced requires massive inputs of power to produce, and the reactors are extremely effecient in terms of man-hours per kilowatt, which is huge given conditions on the ground (more to do, less hands to do it, ie labor shortage). Hydro-electric can work as well, but there are fewer really big hydro plants than there are reactors.

What keeps more of them (reacotrs) from being brought back on line wouldn't be a lack of oeprators, but the requirement for a large body of troops to secure it, and the fields to feed everyone. Security is problem 1.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Here's a chilling fact about nuclear reactors - I got this from the "A World Without Us" series, so take it with a grain of salt (I'm not sure how true it is but if it's true then, as I said, chilling):

"Spent" nuclear fuel is put in a cooling pond in a building on the facility where it cools for a long period of time. The pond's water is circulated by a pump that draws power from the NPP.

As the grid fails (due to EMP, wild load spikes, etc.) assuming the operators die or are evacuated or so forth, the untended systems will eventually fail-safe to a low power state. The cooling pond pumps in the spent fuel storage facilities will switch over to generator power which will last days, possibly weeks.

When the pumps fail, the water over the spent fuel rods will begin to boil off very, very quickly.

Within a few weeks, every completely untended nuclear power plant will be experiencing a mini-Chernobyl as the containment buildings catch fire, various gases build up and explode, and so on. Very nasty stuff.

[Graebarde]

Here's a chilling fact about nuclear reactors - I got this from the "A World Without Us" series, so take it with a grain of salt (I'm not sure how true it is but if it's true then, as I said, chilling):

"Spent" nuclear fuel is put in a cooling pond in a building on the facility where it cools for a long period of time. The pond's water is circulated by a pump that draws power from the NPP.

As the grid fails (due to EMP, wild load spikes, etc.) assuming the operators die or are evacuated or so forth, the untended systems will eventually fail-safe to a low power state. The cooling pond pumps in the spent fuel storage facilities will switch over to generator power which will last days, possibly weeks.

When the pumps fail, the water over the spent fuel rods will begin to boil off very, very quickly.

Within a few weeks, every completely untended nuclear power plant will be experiencing a mini-Chernobyl as the containment buildings catch fire, various gases build up and explode, and so on. Very nasty stuff.

Just read where the Japanese plant that was damage so bad is likely to experience that. They are having loads of problems there that are not being generally reported.

[DocSavage45B10]

It would suck to be standing near such a fire, but the by products have very short half lives. The remaining sludge and ashes will be very toxic and 'hot' for a very long time, but people could live in the town of Chernobyl today if anyone cared to.

Yet more arguments for the pebble-bed design and allowing the operators to recycle their fuel.

Anyone know if civilian reactors can be rigged to run on their own power, or are they stuck living on the grid