Obelix Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I think you'll find Rudolf Diesel invented his engine to run on oil. Water doesn't ignite under pressure. Originally it was peanut and other veg oils I recall, since there was an abundance of them at the time. Ever seen a hot bulb engine? They will run on just about any combustible liquid it seems. Shockingly inefficient though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spilldig Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Ok on that Phanerothyme, but I know I read it somewhere cos that's what inspired me to try the experiment with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Ok on that Phanerothyme, but I know I read it somewhere cos that's what inspired me to try the experiment with it. You realise that water doesn't combust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 ...and we are back to perpetual motion again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Ok on that Phanerothyme, but I know I read it somewhere cos that's what inspired me to try the experiment with it. You may have read about water injection, which is different. The water is used to cool the combustion chambers and increase the output, but it's not a fuel at all. I don't know how common it is today, but WWII fighter aircraft used it extensively, it was called "War Emergency Power". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcoblog Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Originally it was peanut and other veg oils I recall, since there was an abundance of them at the time. Ever seen a hot bulb engine? They will run on just about any combustible liquid it seems. Shockingly inefficient though. For a person who likes to be very precise about anything to do with science, I'd just like to point out that botanically speaking, a peanut is classed as a 'legume' ... not a 'vegetable'. Non-scientific persons (chefs) do sometimes call it a vegetable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 For a person who likes to be very precise about anything to do with science, I'd just like to point out that botanically speaking, a peanut is classed as a 'legume' ... not a 'vegetable'. Non-scientific persons (chefs) do sometimes call it a vegetable. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=vegetable "specific sense of plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcoblog Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=vegetable "specific sense of plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root" Peanut = legume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 In what way is a legume not a plant or part of a plant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I've heard that Diesel designed it for vegetable oils, and peanut oil specifically, but I couldn't find a good reference, so left it at "oil". He did design it with a sociological aims in mind though, so it's very plausible. Vegetable oils are much easier to come by as an artisan or craftsman, and an engine that ran on these oils would fit with Diesel's hopes. And yes, peanut oil is a vegetable oil, in case alcoblog had by some miracle caused you to pause for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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