"Buerste" wrote: (clip) Would it be possible to mechanically
crack HCs into fuel on a large scale? How about pressing HCs through
rollers so precise that they would actually crush molecules to do the job?
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Remember the term "cat-cracking?" Refineries reduce the molecular weight of
crude oil to produce gasoline by chemical means, aided by catalysts. The
clearances between mechanical surfaces, such as rollers, are far greater
than the size of any molecule. If you tried to crush molecules with
rollers, they would just slip through the clearance created by the
roughness. The viscosity of motor oil in an engine does decrease somewhat
as the oil is used, because it is being "rubbed" by the metal surfaces,
causing some of the molecules to break down into shorter lengths. However,
it is not controlled, and it is very slow compared to cat cracking.