DieselStuff

Cummins With a 5 speed: The Way It Was Meant to Be

2008-07-10T18:26:00.000-04:00

While laid off from work, I got decided to ditch the 47RE automatic transmission in my truck with a 5 speed NV4500. It took about 2 days to get the automatic out and about a day to get the NV4500 in. All the parts for the swap were purchased from a guy in New Jersey who was parting out a 98 Ram 2500 24 Valve. Many of the parts were interchangeable. I put a brand new Southbend clutch and flywheel. The setup is rated for 450 HP and 1000 ft-lbs of torque. The new setup is like driving a dump truck. The truck just seems happier with the 5 speed. It was definitely built for towing, because I shift into second at 5 mph. First gear is pretty low.

The floor shifter console didn't come out too bad

Neither did the clutch pedal

The automatic and transfer case is still sitting in the bed. Gotta find someone to buy it or get a crane to take it out because its too damn heavy to lift by hand.

My 1984 300SD

2008-03-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

I bought this 300SD last July for a kind of weekend cruiser. I haven't driven it much, but it's in much better shape than my other two 300d's. It's kinda like driving a couch around, and it's not real quick (0-60 time of around 20 seconds), but it rides real nice. And with diesel currently around 4.30 a gallon, it's not that expensive to run at 30 MPG compared to my truck. Its got a few odds and ends that need a little attention, but it's my new favorite car. It also helps that the engine and a lot of other mechanical parts are identical to the 300D, because I have not one, but two parts cars.

A Tier 2 Bin 5 Rant

2007-11-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

I saw this video on YouTube of a 2008 F-350 with the 6.4L Powerstroke diesel shooting flames out of its exhaust. Apparently, this is not the only truck to have had this problem. Ford and International, the maker of the Powerstroke Diesel, are currently suing each other back to the Stone Age due to warranty and recall issues. In the 2007 -2008 model years, all diesels are required to run on ULSD, be equipped with particulate filters, and are required to use a low ash lubricating oil. The particulate filters are an interesting, and apparently troublesome component. When the filters become plugged with carbon particles, the engine richens the combustion mixture to increase exhaust gas temperatures to almost 1000 degrees. Although the systems vary from engine to engine, this can be accomplished by choking the intake air down so that combustion temps increase, leading to increased exhaust temps. This leads to increased fuel consumption and conditions, that are in my opinion, undesirable in a diesel. As an example, the highest EGT I've seen in my truck is 1024 degrees while climbing a 14% grade doing 90 MPH with 30 psi of boost. Once again, the EPA has taken a perfectly good concept and added so much prohibitive crap to it that it becomes a nuisance to run instead of an improvement. We just purchased a 2008 Chevy 3500 HD with the new LMM Duramax at work. It has a decent amount of power, however its fuel consumption has totally dumbfounded me. I averaged 7 MPG on the highway with NO LOAD! I thought they were supposed to be efficient. Guess not.

Why is the cost of diesel fuel so fucking high at the pumps?

It averages 3.57 per gallon while regular gas costs 3.13 where I am. Diesel is a byproduct of gasoline manufacture. Why would it cost more? Moreso, how can truckers and other large volume buyers be tolerating this? Anyone have any insights as to why this would be? Please enlighten me, I obviously am missing something.

Meanwhile, I'll be cruising in my 2001 Cummins 24V that has no egr, no pcv, no cat, and lotsa power at 22 MPG.

Cummins Exhaust Plus Shiny

2007-09-02T19:12:00.000-04:00

The truck is back from getting a whole new front end after I rear ended someone 2 miles from my house on the way back from Bayonne, NJ. Everything forward from the engine needed to be replaced, like the grille, hood, bumper, headlights, radiator, intercooler, AC condenser, and tranny cooler. I ordered an MBRP exhaust system for it about a week after the accident. I finally installed it two days ago right after driving it back from the body shop.

Much nicer front end, and they touched up all the scratches and dents on the fenders and doors.

Oooh....shiny

They body shop apparently couldn't figure out how the stock badges went together, so they put a nice gap in between the Ram and Cummins badges. They did them both like that on the each side, so it doesn't look too bad. I guess it gives the truck a more customized look, and a nice emphasis on the fact that there's a 24 valve Cummins under the hood.

The exhaust system is fucking sweet. My truck sounds like a Kenworth semi now. Installing it wasn't as bad as I expected. Removing the old system was more difficult than putting the new one in. Its a 4 inch system from the turbo back, and splits at the muffler for a pipe out each side.

This is the passenger side:

And here's the driver side:

The heat wrap on the pipe is to prevent the rear brake hose from resting on the pipe and possibly melting through it.

Here's the old exhaust system for comparison:

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

2006-10-15T03:20:00.000-04:00

I ordered an Edge Juice performance module with the Attitude Monitor for my truck. When I get back from Oswego, I plan on installing it. It advertises an added 120 horsepower and 350 extra ft-lbs of torque, with 5 adjustable levels that I can change on fly.

Level 0: no added horsepower, a 1.3 MPG increase in fuel economy
Level 1: 40 extra horsepower, 150 ft-lbs more torque
Level 2: 60 extra horsepower, 200 ft-lbs extra torque
Level 3: 80 extra horsies, 250 ft-lbs extra torque

After Level 3, I run the risk of destroying my stock torque converter If I push it too hard.

Level 4: 100 more HP, 300 ft-lbs added torque
Level 5: 120 extra horsepower, 350 pounds more torque over stock

We'll see exactly how much this makes my truck go faster.

Another added plus, it will tell me the exact fuel pressure going into the troublesome Bosch VP44 injector pump. The stock lift pump has a habit of dying on these trucks, and shortly after, the 2000 dollar injector pump will chew itself up from overheating and lack of lubrication. Just another added piece of mind.

Install pics to come. Hopefully I'll have time to bomb around before I get shipped off to South Korea at the end of the month.

The Mercedes Benz I-5 Revisited

2006-10-15T02:57:00.000-04:00

Lets take another look at the Mercedes Benz diesels....

My 1984 300D:

After I bought my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500, I planned on selling the Benz for whatever I could get for it.

Here's a brief description:

310,649 miles
Peeling clearcoat
Passenger window does not work
Dent in passenger side front fender
Minor body rust
A/C leaks
Rear half of exhaust system (resonator and muffler) fell off, but I still have it

After my little sister got her drivers license, my father was going to buy her a late model diesel Volkswagen, but when he saw the Benz sitting idle in the front yard, he had other plans.

My sister, who is a vegan hippie, was started her senior year independent study on alternative energy. She decided to base her project on biodiesel. The old 300D would be a perfect test platform for her homebrew biodiesel, as well as being a reliable and safe first car.

Its a heavy car, can't go excessively fast, and its fairly good in the snow. It'll also teach hear basic maintenence, its cheap to run and fuel, and it rides very nice.

The JZA's father gave all his children the option of buying their own cars, or driving his diesel Mercedes.

The diesel Mercedes are all mechanical, and they were built very ruggedly. If something went wrong with them, they were built to stay running instead of stopping upon failure. You can even push start them, and they can run without a battery. Just keep it full of fuel and change the oil once in a while. How many 22 year old cars do you still see on the road?

Rollin' In Style

2006-08-16T11:52:00.000-04:00

The DZA is now the proud owner of a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins Turbo Diesel. This is a big step up from any other vehicle I've owned, and I must say, I'm very satisfied with it so far. Its the first vehicle I've owned that was manufactured in this century, and also the first vehicle with saftey features such as airbags and anti-lock brakes. Its also the first vehicle I've had to take a loan out on, and the first vehicle I've purchased with a gurantee/warranty.

Mmmm... Sexy.....

Under the hood is a Cummins "B" series turbo diesel engine. Its a straight six diesel, which is unique for a heavy duty pickup truck. Both Ford and Chevy use V8 engines in their diesel trucks. It displaces 5.9 liters, which is almost a liter per cylinder. It starts without the use of glow plugs, only requiring a heater grid in the intake when its really cold. In this truck, the engine is rated for 235 horsepower and 460 ft-lbs of torque. With the addition of an aftermarket tuner, such as the Edge Juice Module, up to 120 hp and 350 extra pounds of torque can be produced. Thats just from plugging something in! The amount of aftermarket performance products for the Cummins engine surpasses the selection for Fords and Chevy's. There are people producing 600 hp and 1500+ pounds of torque at the rear wheels with just bolt-on components. The engine can handle up to 54 psi of boost pressure in stock form before the head needs to be o-ringed to the block. From the factory, the turbo puts out 22 psi. The B series engines have been known to surpass 350,000 miles before needing an overhaul, when properly maintained.

The sum'bitch comes from the factory with a 4 inch exhaust system!

Next to the Benz, for a reference.

I'm almost afraid to drive it. Compared to anything else I've driven, its probably the best looking. A grease conversion might be a possibility, and perhaps some performance tweaks. Wish me luck!

Friends Of Big Oil

2006-06-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

This is taken off of the Journey To Forever mailing list:

Friends of big oil

60/Sixty Plus Association (member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, associate of Competitive Enterprise Inst.
Front Group for BIG OIL)

Accuracy in Academia (Council for the Defense of Freedom front group, Accuracy in Academia (AIA) is Reed
Irvine. AIA is an outgrowth of Accuracy in Media.) http://www.hartwilliams.com/ava/ava0112.htm
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/gw/1582
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Accuracy in Media, Inc. = $4,075,000
Accuracy in Media
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Accuracy in Media, Inc. = $4,075,000
http://www.aim.org/who_we_are/faq.html TASSC Fred Seitz associated
http://www.aim.org/static/19_0_7_0_C

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty has received $160,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding Acton Institute For The Study of Religion and Liberty = $212,500
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Acton Institute For The Study of Religion and Liberty = $565,000
White Star Oil Fortune (Earhart Foundation) Funding Acton Institute For The Study of Religion and Liberty
= $166,500

Africa Fighting Malaria
Africa Fighting Malaria has received $30,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
Tobacco Whitecoat Roger Bate associated. (DDT is Chlorine Product, Olin Sponsor of Bate)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Africa_Fighting_Malaria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Fighting_Malaria
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Roger_Bate
http://www.aei.org/scholars/filter.,scholarID.76/scholar.asp
http://www.cei.org/dyn/view_Expert.cfm?Expert=105 http://timlambert.org/2005/09/ddt-use-in-south-africa/
CEI $25,000 Earhart earmarked to Roger Bate.

Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (TASSC Associated, member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, associate of
Competitive Enterprise Inst. Front Group for BIG OIL)
1994 sponsor of two felony fraud science hoaxes consucted by TASSC S. Fred Singer.
http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/92756807-6876.html
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Inst...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/92756102-
6120.html

American Council for Capital Formation Center for Policy Research
American Council for Capital Formation Center for Policy Research has received $1,309,523 from
ExxonMobil since 1998.

American Council on Science and Health (associated:TASSC Fred Singer, TASSC Patrick J. Michaels,
TASSC Alan Moghissi, TASSC )
American Council on Science and Health has received $110,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding American Council on Science and Health = $205,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding for ASCH = $865,500
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1998Q4/ashes.html "... Yet ACSH executive director Michael Fox is a
member of TASSC's advisory board, as are ACSH chairman A. Alan Moghissi and board members Victor
Herbert and F.J. Francis. Another 46 members of the ACSH advisory board also serve on the advisory board
of TASSC. ..."

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research has received $1,625,000 from ExxonMobil since
1998.
KOCH OIL Funding American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research = $50,000
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research = $6,251,000
White Star Oil Fortune (Earhart Foundation) Funding American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy
Research = $448,800
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research =
$7,022,124

American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies
American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies has received $105,000 from
ExxonMobil since 1998.
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Brookings Institution = $1,217,000
KOCH OIL Funding Brookings Institution = $829,400

American Friends of the Institute for Economic Affairs
American Friends of the Institute for Economic Affairs has received $50,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
White Star Oil Fortune (Earhart Foundation) Funding Institute of Economic Affairs = $542,291

American Legislative Exchange Council (TASSC Patrick J. Michaels associated)
American Legislative Exchange Council has received $1,189,700 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding American Legislative Exchange Council = $393,000
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding American Legislative Exchange Council = $1,545,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding American Legislative Exchange Council = $215,000

American Petroleum Institute : funded by the major oil companies BP, Chevron Texaco, ConocoPhillips,
Exxon Mobil and Shell Chemical.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Petroleum_Institute
API is a member of the National Wetlands Coalition and has provided funding to the Cato Institute, Citizens
for a Sound Economy and other organizations that oppose regulations aimed to prevent global warming.

American Policy Center / EPA-watch (TASSC Patrick J. Michaels, TASSC Bonner Cohen, TASSC A. Alan
Moghissi associated)
(member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, associate of Competitive Enterprise Inst. Front Group for BIG OIL)

American Spectator Foundation
American Spectator Foundation has received $15,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.

Americans for Tax Reform (Grover Norquist President)
KOCH OIL Funding Americans for Tax Reform Foundation = $20,000
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Americans for Tax Reform Foundation = $700,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Americans for Tax Reform Foundation = $525,000

Arizona State University Office of Cimatology
Arizona State University Office of Cimatology has received $49,500 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
Associated: Robert C. Balling Jr., Sherwood Idso, father of Craig and Keith Idso, is an adjunct professor at
the ASU Office of Climatology. All of the Idsos are associated with the (Greening Earth Society) Western
Fuels Association and the (Greening Earth Society) Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global
Change (associated TASSC A. Alan Moghissi).

Aspen Institute
Aspen Institute has received $61,500 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding Aspen Institute = $1,115,000

Association of Concerned Taxpayers (member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, associate of Competitive
Enterprise Inst. Front Group for BIG OIL)

Atlantic Legal Foundation (TASSC Michael Fumento, TASSC Frederick Seitz, TASSC A. Alan Moghissi)
Atlantic Legal Foundation has received $20,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding Atlantic Legal Foundation = $20,000
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Atlantic Legal Foundation = $1,530,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Atlantic Legal Foundation = $210,000

Atlas Economic Research Foundation : TASSC Fred Singer (shared offices with SEPP for nearly ten years)
Atlas Economic Research Foundation has received $680,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding Atlas Economic Research Foundation = $68,500
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Atlas Economic Research Foundation = $2,325,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Atlas Economic Research Foundation = $5,000
White Star Oil Fortune (Earhart Foundation) Funding Atlas Economic Research Foundation = $1,524,742
http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/ADTI_Frauds_01.html http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/Singer-Nightline.html

Blue Ribbon Coalition
Funders have included the Alaska Forestry Association, American Forest and Paper Association, American
Petroleum Institute, Boise Cascade, Battle Mountain Gold, Chevron, Colorado Mining Association, Crown
Butte Mines, Exxon, Honda (US), Idaho Mining Association, Louisiana Pacific, Marathon Oil, Polaris, Potlach
Corp, Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas, Ski-Doo, Suzuki, and Yamaha. (Blue Ribbon Magazine)

Capital Legal Foundation
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Capital Legal Foundation = $425,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Capital Legal Foundation = $150,000

Capital Research Center and Greenwatch (founded under the umbrella of the National Legal Center for the
Public Interest)
Capital Research Center and Greenwatch has received $190,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
National Legal Center for the Public Interest has received $215,500 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding National Legal Center for The Public Interest = $125,000
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding National Legal Center for The Public Interest = $63,000

Cato Institute : TASSC Fred Singer, TASSC Patrick J. Michaels
Cato Institute has received $90,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
KOCH OIL Funding Cato Institute = $12,999,240
SCAIFE OIL FORTUNE Funding Cato Institute = $2,057,500
White Star Oil Fortune (Earhart Foundation) Funding Cato Institute = $217,600
OLIN Munitions & Chlorine-DDT Funding Cato Institute = $832,500

Center for American and International Law
Center for American and International Law has received $177,450 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
There are several "Institutes" within the Center, one of which is the Institute for Energy Law (IEL).
ExxonMobil is a "sustaining member" of IEL, as is BP America. IEL's other "supporting members" include
ChevronTexaco and ConocoPhillips. Several ExxonMobil attorneys, as well as attorneys for ...

More on Hemp

2006-05-23T18:54:00.000-04:00

Its just mindblowing how many idiots there are in this country. Hemp has been labelled the most profitable crop that can be grown. Its potential for energy production, not to mention the reduction of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. How can a wonderful plant like this be illegal to produce, but the tobacco industry is allowed to exist?

http://biomassive.org/g2012/hemp/

http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/Magazines/the_most_profitable_crop.shtml

Legalize it, Motherfuckers

WTF, Hilary Clinton?

2006-05-23T18:50:00.000-04:00

Sen. Clinton: Cut Oil Imports by 50% by 2025

The D9 And Why Some People Hate Caterpillar

2006-05-22T15:51:00.000-04:00

The Caterpillar D9 bulldozer is Caterpillar's most notorious piece of equipment. It weighs about 54 tons and is powered by a 474 HP Cat diesel engine. Not only is it capable of razing an entire town with its 13 foot blade and optional ripper attachment, it also serves a very important position in the mining, forestry, construction, and waste management sectors.

Bong.

But some leftist hippies have labelled the Caterpillar Corporation as one of the most evil corporations in American History. The D9 has found a niche in many military applications, probably due to its ejaculation of raw intimidation and the ability to strike fear into any poor schmuck who is unfortunate enough to find himself in front of it. In the mid 1960's, the Israeli military bought a bunch of D9s and fabricated an armor system rendering them impervious to any type of small arms fire, RPG's, land mines, and sniper fire. The resulting armor conversions added about 15 tons to the D9, bringing its gross tonnage to 69 tons. The Israelis even took it a step further and installed crew operated machine guns, grenade launchers, and air conditioning in them, thus turning the bulldozer into a full blown war machine, which the Israelis lovingly refer to as "The Dooby". Being the savages that they are, the Israelis used the new and improved Killdozers to destroy entire Palestinian towns and raze Palestinian olive plantations. In urban warfare and counter-terror operations, the D9s has also been used in standoff situations with opponents barricaded in buildings. In order not to risk Israeli soldiers, the D9 shakes the house until the barricaded gunmen surrender. After the building is evacuated, the D9 razes the structure in order to detonate and bury any explosives that remain inside. Hamas chief bombmaker and the plotter of the Passover massacre, Case Aduwan, was killed in April 7, 2002, after he was tracked by the SHABAK and the YAMAM and a D9 destroyed the house he was hiding after heavy exchanges of fire. In Hebron, the IDF used the armored D9 to stop the local Hamas leader, Bassal Qawasameh, who shot at the D9 with machinegun, but was killed when the D9 demolished the house where he was hiding. One year after, Imad Qawasameh surrendered to IDF forces, after a D9 started demolishing his house. Armored D9 bulldozers have demolished many structures in Rafah, Gaza strip during battles with militants and operations to uncover smuggling tunnels. The destruction of hundreds of structures in Rafah is a highly controversial issue. The Israel Defense Forces claim that the destruction of buildings and tunnels is a security necessity and that most houses destroyed were used for terrorist activity. However, Palestinians claim that the destruction has left thousands of people homeless, and is done systematically in order to create a cleared "buffer zone" between Rafah and Philadelphi Route. Protests against this destruction have caused further controversy, through such as incidents as the death of civilians such as Rachel Corrie. According to Jewish Voice for Peace (a left-wing group whose goal is to prevent selling of Caterpillar equipment to Israel) "since 1967 Israel has used Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish nearly 9,000 Palestinian homes, leaving more than 50,000 people homeless. Since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, Israel has razed the homes of 12,737 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the past two years the Israeli army deployed Caterpillar bulldozers to uproot 1,000,000 Palestinian olive trees." However, many dispute JVP claimed figures, mainly because the IDF operates many different kinds of bulldozers and engineering vehicles, most of them are civilian tools on licensing.

Also Bong.

Caterpillar maintains that it has no say over what any of its customers do with its products once purchased, even though the hippies still won't stop bugging them.

Many people mistake Marvin Heemeyer's Killdozer for a Caterpillar D9, but it is in fact a Komatsu D335A. His improvised armor was based on the IDF design for their D9's.

As far as I'm concerned, Caterpillar can keep selling D9's until the Israelis and Palestinians wipe themselves out of existence.

Peace out.

Ultimo Destructo

2006-05-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

The Unimog is a multipurpose truck built by Mercedes Benz. They are 4 wheel drive, have a very high ground clearance, and a very low center of gravity. They are also equipped with portal axles and transmissions with up to 24 speeds, including creeper gears. Its like a combination of a truck and a tractor. They're rated for towing up to 40000 lbs. They can climb a 52 degree incline, descend a 56 degree incline, and traverse a 45 degree slope. Hummers and jeeps ain't got shit on this. They also are available with hydraulic circuits, an on board air compressor, front and rear pto's and front and rear three point hitches, which is what agricultural tractors use to pull implements such as plows, sprayers, manure spreaders and mowers. It can also take a 10 foot snowplow or 10 foot snowblower on the front. Its top speed is between 50 and 70 mph. This would make one hell of a plow truck. While contractors are out getting stuck in their F-350s when a 3 foot blizzard hits, this'll be clearing the roads with a quickness.

Maybe Canada Will Turn Out Useful....

2006-05-19T15:39:00.000-04:00

Another Greencarcongress article.

Production of Canadian Crude to Nearly Double by 2020 Due to Oil Sands
17 May 2006
Capp06
Forecast of Canadian Oil Sands versus Conventional Oil Production. Click to enlarge. Source: CAPP

Production of crude oil in Canada is set to nearly double by 2020, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ (CAPP) just-released annual Crude Oil Forecast.

This marks a significant increase from the projections last year, driven by increasing oil sands production.

Total Canadian oil production is projected to increase from 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2005 to 4.6 million bpd in 2015—an increase of 750,000 bpd from CAPP’s 2005 forecast. Growth after 2015 will bring total Canadian production to nearly 4.9 million bpd by 2020.

Oil sands production, which now exceeds one million bpd, is forecast to reach 3.5 million bpd by 2015 and 4.0 million bpd by 2020, accounting for more than 80% of Canadian production. In 2005, oil sands production represented 45% of total Canadian output.

Both in-situ and mining projects contribute to the growth in oil sands production, with a four-fold increase in production for each category.

Production of conventional crude oil has declined gradually in Canada since the late 1990s. Although the lifespan of conventional producing wells is being extended as marginal wells are economic due to higher oil prices, conventional production continues to decline.

The growing total production will need more pipeline capacity to meet demand from new and expanded markets. A number of new pipelines and expansions have been announced and potential shippers are assessing the alternatives to determine which projects they support.

The increase in our overall production is important but the changing mix of the Canadian crude slate from traditional conventional crude to oil sands heavy blends and synthetic crude is also a big issue for the industry. It’s critically important for pipelines and refineries to be able to process both the added volumes of crude and the new mix.
—Greg Stringham, CAPP Vice President, Markets and Fiscal Policy

Conventional heavy oil and bitumen oil must be diluted with a lighter commodity such as condensate/pentanes or synthetic crude to lower the viscosity and density of the crude, thereby allowing for efficient transportation through pipelines.

The main source of diluent so far has been condensates/pentanes produced in western Canada. These products are in decline, and will not provide sufficient supplies of diluent to match forecast growth of oil sands bitumen.

Accordingly, producers have been evaluating options to import condensate using either existing infrastructure such as railroads or through a condensate import pipeline. As an alternative, producers are also considering using synthetic for blending.

CAPP’s 2006 production forecast contains two supply scenarios based on the evolution of each scenario.

In addition, a constrained production case shows how delays in the growth of markets, pipelines, infrastructure, equipment and labour could potentially slow oil sands development.

The forecast does not factor in possible environmental constraints on growth in oil sands production, such as water availability.

New And Improved

2006-05-18T22:50:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I posted here, but I saw an article that caught my eye:

Taken from Greencarcongress.com

"A father and son team—Dr. Nikolay Shkolnik, an entrepreneur and inventor, and his son Alexander, a PhD student at MIT—have developed an engine architecture they claim will achieve 50% fuel efficiency (compared to the ~30% of existing engines) and drastically reduce pollutant emissions.

The architecture, based on a patent-pending “High-Efficiency Hybrid Cycle” (HEHC) thermodynamic cycle, borrows elements from Otto, Diesel, Atkinson and Rankin cycles. LiquidPiston, Shkolnik’s company, is implementing the HEHC cycle in a rotary piston engine: the LiquidPiston Engine.

(In April, LiquidPiston was named one of the four finalists in the ECOnomics Environmental Business Plan Challenge presented by GE & Dow Jones. The ECOnomics winner will be announced this month and receive a $50,000 prize.)

The HEHC Cycle. The basic cycle uses a discrete compression chamber, isolated combustion chamber, and expander chamber.

Air (with no fuel) is compressed to a high ratio (> 18) in a compressor cylinder of the engine. The resulting compressed charge is directed into an isolated combustion chamber, where fuel is injected and auto ignites.

Combustion occurs under truly isochoric conditions (volume stays constant) and is allowed to complete until all fuel is fully combusted. The combustion products then expand into the expander cylinder, which has large volume than the intake volume.

Optionally, a small amount of water may be used to facilitate cooling, lubricating and sealing of combustion chamber and pistons.
A small amount of water (an optional component) may be used in the system. Water may facilitate the cooling, lubricating, and sealing of combustion chamber and pistons."

If it ends up getting mass produced, it would be great. The design is not really size prohibitive. The engine could be used in applications from chainsaws to locomotives.

A Hopeful Future

2006-05-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

Audi's Diesel Insanity

2006-04-01T17:12:00.000-05:00

The engine in the Audi R10 Le Mans car is a 12 cylinder, turbocharged, all aluminium, diesel engine. It produces 650 horsepower and about 810 ft-lbs of torque, and its making history at the Le Mans races. I'm actually surprised that Mercedes Benz didn't come up with this first. I'm sure Audi could take their crazy new engine, take the horsepower down a few notches to about 350-400 hp, and put it in the A10 or S10 for a really sick high end performance diesel luxury.

For The Asshole In All Of Us...

2006-03-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

The Hummer H1 Alpha.

Complete with a GVWR of 10,300 lbs and a 6.6 liter Duramax Turbodiesel Engine.

Of course, if the 130,000 dollar sticker price is a little too much for you, there's always the older H1, with the 6.5.

Still badass.

I hear they're a pain in the ass to maintain, which they seem to require a lot of. Their fuel economy sucks ass, with 12.7 mpg on the highway for the H1 with the 6.5L. I'd imagine that the Duramax is a little bit better, but not by much. If I did have one, I would probably drive it on the weekends, possibly to the beach or the bars. I don't think I would like to drive something like this on a daily basis.

Biodiesel Rental Cars

2006-03-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

Where?

In California! Where else?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060301/sc_nm/life_biodiesel_dc

Wikipedia Entry on Fuel Oil

2006-02-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

Check it, bitches.

Biodiesel Micro-Reactors

2006-02-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2006/Feb06/microreactors.htm

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/02/microreactor_fo.html

This will change the energy industry. These reactors utilize what I call the "stackability" design. A single reactor will only produce a trickle, but when a bunch of them are used together in parallel, the array becomes capable of producing an exponential amount of fuel. Further research is going into the metallic catalyst, eliminating the need for a dissolved catalyst (lye) Therefore, the only two products required are alcohol and vegetable oil. Ethanol (the most easily produced alcohol) can be used without any additional guesswork.

Chrysler Diesels in America

2006-02-24T13:50:00.000-05:00

Article Here

Daimler-Chrysler is on the right track with diesel vehicles in the United States. Apart from their extremely clean cars, they are also planning to offer every single car and truck they sell in a diesel version. A diesel viper? A diesel half ton truck? I could see the future getting much more awesome.

Not a diesel, but

2006-02-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

Still badass. Someday, parhaps this '65 Impala Small-block with less than 60k miles will be mine. I only ever drove it once, and I'll say this: It's a landshark, it's a slushbox, it's got 4-wheel drum brakes, but by God, it's fucking butter. And you could have a menage-a-trois in the driver's seat, comfortably.

Project

2006-02-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

I have a 1990 F-350 Diesel thats sitting in my front yard right now. I'm thinking of pulling the engine, rebuilding it, and then building a diesel/grease powered generator set out of it. Generator heads are availiable online, and I think that International engines are pretty standard prime movers in the generator industry, so mating a generator head to that engine wouldn't be a problem. That engine can easily pump out 125 kilowatts of three phase electricity. Thats enough to run a few houses or maybe even a small machine shop. Another idea: I could build my own exhaust gas heat exchanger to go along with the genset. Around 600,000 BTU (conservative estimate) of hot water could be recovered from that engine that would normally be wasted. I could build an entire cogeneration plant for under 5000 dollars. My house could be excessively heated and powered on 3 gallons of grease per hour. We're talking every appliance in the house on full blast with the heat cranked up to 95 degrees. God bless America... and our energy gluttony.

Another Blast From The Diesel Past

2006-02-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

Here's another history lesson with Professor DZA.

The Lister Diesel engine was first manufactured in 1929 by The R A Lister & Co. It was a small, air cooled, hand cranked diesel engine. They were available in either one or two cylinder versions. The rated horsepower of the two cylinder version was around 15 hp. I have personally used one while at dive school. It was powering a Quincy 390 compressor. I had the joy of starting it by hand every single day when we were on dive ops. It started with out glow plugs or electricity of any kind, ran for 12 hours on 2 gallons of diesel fuel, and supplied breathing air for a hyperbaric chamber and 7 divers. I've been told that big dive companies like Caldive still use them every day on their dive boats. There's a reason for that. Reliability. They need their oil changed every 250 hours, and they need to be kept full of fuel. Thats it. There's very little to go wrong, and in the rare event that something does go wrong, its either the injector or the injector pump. There's a bunch of people who have made generators for them to run their houses during power outages, and yes, they will run on B100 very nicely.

Heres a picture of one:

The Big Three are getting pissed

2006-02-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

Another article I found. It seems that there is a patent dispute over the toyota hybrids (the Prius and Highlander). I wonder if Detroit and its fledgling automakers have anything riding on this.

U.S. to probe Toyota hybrid patents
Trade body to investigate whether automaker infringed on patent held by Solomon Technologies.
February 10, 2006: 10:28 AM EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. trade body is to investigate a complaint that Toyota Motor Corp.'s popular Prius and Highlander hybrid models infringed a patent, according to the body's Web site.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will look at a claim that the patent is owned by Florida-based Solomon Technologies Inc., it said.
Toyota's Highlander hybrid
Toyota's Highlander hybrid

Toyota (up $0.78 to $103.29, Research) shares edged higher in morning trading in New York.

Solomon Technologies filed a complaint with the panel last month saying the hybrid transmission in the two popular vehicles infringed its patent related to motor and transmission systems.

If the ITC agrees with Solomon, Japan's top auto maker could be banned from importing the systems and the Prius and Highlander hybrid models that they power. The ITC said opening a case does not mean it has made any decision on the merits.

A Toyota spokesman said it cannot comment on ongoing cases.

In September, Solomon applied to a Florida federal district court for an injunction against Toyota barring infringement and damages for unauthorized use of its patented technologies.

Toyota sold 110,000 Prius models and 18,800 Highlander hybrid SUVs in North America last year.