On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:20:36 -0800, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:52:07 -0800, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:



NG isn't going to happen? Why?

It isn't any better than diesel.
The hot ticket for long haul big rigs is gas turbines. Ford or GM came out
with one years back but it was expensive up front and people were leary of
technology more so than today. The damned things burn about anything.



Only problem is, like jets, there thermal efficiency is DISMALL.

Not over the road.
That's the only applicatoin where they make sense.
They were actually pretty good ( about equally efficient) and I've got to
believe with the advances in techno;ogy over the last thirty years someone
could come up with something spiffy.

JC

JC

The magnificent 'Big Red' Ford's US experimental 600hp gas turbine
truck did a couple of coast-to-coast promotional trips in the early
sixties. And what a beast...it managed the trip at an average 40mph
delivering a eye-watering 2.9mpg. Well fuel was cheap then.

In the mid-nineties Volvo unveiled its Experimental Concept Truck
which had a constant speed gas turbine engine powering an electric
generator and traction motor. Thus the GT's greatest positive
attribute---i.e.best efficiency at a constant speed and load---were
fully utilised.

Now Turbine Truck Engines of Florida is sucking up R&D dollars on
development of their "detonation cycle" gas turbine with regenerators
(heat exchangers to preheat the intake air and reclaim some exhaust
heat) that they claim will increase fficiency by 30% or something like
that..

I'll believe it when I see it.
Currently the best technology out there for over-the-road transport is
propane augmented common rail turbo-diesel..
Not aware of any manufacturer using even that technology on a large
scale.