Boat of the future unveiled at Chester canal rally in June

[Québec]

Here it is in all its H-powered glory

[RLWP]

Reading through this reminded me of claims made for ceramic engines some time back. Apparently the technology exists to manufacture high-tolerance parts as well as teapots and other crockery. As metal engines have to be kept relatively cool, they aren't too efficient at burning their fuel. The argument ran that as ceramic engines can run at ludicrous temperatures with no ill effects, you get much nearer to 100% combustion, so more power and cleaner exhaust. Couple this with using a turbine instead of reciprocating engines, and you apparently reaped further benefits. So much so that it was boasted something the size of a large coffee jar would be the equivalent of a conventional 2l petrol engine.

 

I've never heard anything about this since. Internet trawls bring up either, "it's all bollocks", or "the petrol companies are suppressing this technology". You don't know who to believe...

 

Didn't ceramic engine technologies get killed off when emissions levels got set slightly too low. It meant that lean burn technologies, like ceramics, stopped developing and instead we went for higher fuel consumption and catalytic converters full of platinum.

 

Richard

[The Anonymous Bard]

Here it is in all its H-powered glory

 

Will they be doing one in a trad version?

 

[RLWP]

Here it is in all its H-powered glory

 

Sleeping on the Worcester and Birmingham as usual

 

Richard

Edited May 11, 2010 by RLWP

[Nine of Hearts]

Sleeping on the Worcester and Birmingham as usual

 

Richard

 

Poor thing, it was the victim of an experiment of mine, too. I went past it at full tilt knowing that it was unmanned and empty to see for myself what the effect of passing moored boats at speed was. It very nearly followed me. I won't be doing that again.

[RLWP]

Poor thing, it was the victim of an experiment of mine, too. I went past it at full tilt knowing that it was unmanned and empty to see for myself what the effect of passing moored boats at speed was. It very nearly followed me. I won't be doing that again.

 

It's lonely and wants attention. It's a wonder it didn't follow you home.

 

Richard

[Josher]

Will they be doing one in a trad version?

 

How about a Phyllis verson?

 

 

Its hydrogen diesel-electric engine can, in theory, give it a range of 13,000 nautical miles at 10 knots Hydrogen powered yatch

[barge sara]

How about a Phyllis verson?

 

 

Its hydrogen diesel-electric engine can, in theory, give it a range of 13,000 nautical miles at 10 knots Hydrogen powered yatch

 

So it wouldn't need to fill up all that often on the narrow canals.

Can it slow down past moored boats?

[luctor et emergo]

How about a Phyllis verson?

 

 

Its hydrogen diesel-electric engine can, in theory, give it a range of 13,000 nautical miles at 10 knots Hydrogen powered yatch

 

 

I like the torpedo tubes...

[Timleech]

Here it is in all its H-powered glory

 

Did they buy that in a BW auction, or was it loaned or given, I wonder?

 

Tim

[RLWP]

Did they buy that in a BW auction, or was it loaned or given, I wonder?

 

Tim

 

Donated according to this: B'ham University release

 

Richard

[Nine of Hearts]

Donated according to this: B'ham University release

 

Richard

 

I like the good professor's quote "We owe it to our children and our grandchildren to start investing heavily in future sustainable energy supplies. ..."

 

I shall tell my own children that I owe it to them to invest in such technologies, so no, they can't have an ice-cream as well.

[RLWP]

I like the good professor's quote "We owe it to our children and our grandchildren to start investing heavily in future sustainable energy supplies. ..."

 

I shall tell my own children that I owe it to them to invest in such technologies, so no, they can't have an ice-cream as well.

 

 

There's an awful lot of bollocks in that press release

 

Richard

[DHutch]

In my mind there are three major problems with hydrogen at the moment.

- One is that we cant really make it, certainly not without putting more in that you get out.

- Two is that we cant really store it, not economically, or without significant loss anyway.

- Three is we've not *that* good at using it, fuel cells and electric motors cost the earth on more than one sense.

 

Clearly all of these issues are being work on, and will continue to get better. But at the moment its a expensive form of battery.

 

 

 

He's a little bit biased but as my IC engines lecturer said, nature came up with a real good way of storing hydrogen. You simply bond it to a bit of carbon. All we need to do now it work on getting better at getting the energy out of it in increasingly cleaner ways.

 

 

 

 

Daniel

[magnetman]

This boat reminds me of one of my mum's favourite expressions -

 

 

Its not a thing of beauty.

 

 

 

 

Here it is in all its H-powered glory

Edited May 11, 2010 by magnetman

[RLWP]

In my mind there are three major problems with hydrogen at the moment.

- One is that we cant really make it, certainly not without putting more in that you get out.

- Two is that we cant really store it, not economically, or without significant loss anyway.

- Three is we've not *that* good at using it, fuel cells and electric motors cost the earth on more than one sense.

 

Clearly all of these issues are being work on, and will continue to get better. But at the moment its a expensive form of battery.

 

 

 

He's a little bit biased but as my IC engines lecturer said, nature came up with a real good way of storing hydrogen. You simply bond it to a bit of carbon. All we need to do now it work on getting better at getting the energy out of it in increasingly cleaner ways.

 

 

 

 

Daniel

 

He's right too. There is a tremendous amount of readily accessible energy in a petrol tank, especially compared to a battery for instance

 

Richard

[WotEver]

Its not a thing of beauty.

But its mother loves it.

 

Probably.

 

Tony

[The Anonymous Bard]

But its mother loves it.

 

Probably.

 

Tony

 

... and it does have a very nice conservatory!

[magnetman]

But its mother loves it.

 

Probably.

 

Tony

 

the term is used specifically to describe objects which 'do not lend tone' in their chosen environment

 

its never used to describe humans or other lifeforms

 

 

 

and this object does not have a mother

[Guest]

It's great to see innovation on our waterways - if we hadn't moved on we would probably still be pulling our boats around with horses and legging them thru' tunnels.

 

However I don't see this as a 'save the globe' initiative. I'm sure when powered boats came to our waterways there were concerns about availability of the fuel source and the emissions they created, however I suspect the development of powered boats was more of an evolutionary process.

 

Powering a boat with hydrogen feels a bit too revolutionary, and a bit too way ahead of it's time, hence it seems a bit 'of a joke' by some.

 

However the fossil fuels of the world are allegedly a limited resource and if an alternative isn't found, boating on our waterways is doomed, though this will be well after I 'peg it'.

 

The argument that fossil fuels are not limited may be true too, but it depends if the cost of extracting them can be justified, when at some point there may be an alternative that could be more cost effective,

 

Hats off to the developers for pushing a few boundries I'd say.....

 

(But really, it's no 'looker' is it......)

Edited May 11, 2010 by MJG

[RLWP]

the term is used specifically to describe objects which 'do not lend tone' in their chosen environment

 

its never used to describe humans or other lifeforms

 

 

 

and this object does not have a mother

 

It may have a mother, but I doubt it knows who it's father is

 

Richard

[Derek R.]

hmmmm, clean fuel for boats? Horses need year round maintenance, and can give off nasty emmisions, so I'm with Carl, but I'd add bow hauling as well, and perhaps current on rivers.

 

Nature - giving off nasty emissions?? Surely not, all must be kept clean and pristine. Perhaps the 3,000 ppmv+ of CO2 in ages past before mankind walked the Earth was caused by the neighbours. Don't mention Volcanic ash.

 

Are we a threat to nature - or is nature a threat to us? Respect and adapt to the environment, conflict is not required.

 

Derek

[carlt]

hmmmm, clean fuel for boats? Horses need year round maintenance, and can give off nasty emmisions, so I'm with Carl, but I'd add bow hauling as well, and perhaps current on rivers.

I've read this thread through several times and still can't find my opinion, on the topic.

 

Perhaps it's time to change my avatar, again?

[Josher]

Perhaps it's time to change my avatar, again?

 

[Pluto]

He's a little bit biased but as my IC engines lecturer said, nature came up with a real good way of storing hydrogen. You simply bond it to a bit of carbon. All we need to do now it work on getting better at getting the energy out of it in increasingly cleaner ways.

 

 

Daniel

Once you have such a product, the last thing you should do with it is burn it in the top of a cylinder. Internal combustion is, and always will be, inefficient compared to external combustion where it is possible to design efficient combustion spaces. One of the simplest ways to use such technology is the hot air, or Stirling cycle, engine, a virtually silent and highly efficient way of producing rotating energy. Kept to their simplest form, they are not a responsive engine for rapid changes in speed, but are ideal for boats or generators. They can also be produced using existing manufacturing plant, so why aren't they used. Perhaps because they were first designed circa 1820, and no PR or marketing person would want to promote old technology, even if it is better than what we use now.