Alcohol powered Jets

[Panther Al]

Yes, evidently you can make jet fuel out of cellulose products...

http://www.strategypage.com/military...705202736.aspx

[Cdnwolf]

Hmmm now can it be used in helicopters?

[Webstral]

Mike Foxtrot! So there's a chance that a major disruption in the flow of petroleum won't destroy us.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I'm not going to say I'd allow such a thing in T2k but Lord knows it's a super cool idea.

I mean you still (no pun intended) have to make the stuff and get it to aircraft. Aircraft engines require other lubricants that you can't make out of CHOOH, etc.

But again it's very neat.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by raketenjagdpanzer

I'm not going to say I'd allow such a thing in T2k but Lord knows it's a super cool idea.

I agree, very cool. For me though it's a timeline thing - it's still just in the experimental stage in 2012, unlikely to see action in T2K.

[stg58fal]

Originally Posted by raketenjagdpanzer

I'm not going to say I'd allow such a thing in T2k but Lord knows it's a super cool idea.

I mean you still (no pun intended) have to make the stuff and get it to aircraft. Aircraft engines require other lubricants that you can't make out of CHOOH, etc.

But again it's very neat.

True, but IIRC, according to both the v1 and v2/2.2 timelines, there's a trickle of petroleum still coming out and being refined. I don't remember the exact quote, or which book its in, but it says something to the effect of 'theres need for lubricants is great enough that no one can afford to actually BURN any of the oil being pumped and refined'.

To me this seems like saying that there is some supply of new-production, petroleum-based lubricants to be had. Expensive and hard to find, yes, without a doubt, but they're there.

One thing I've wondered about for years, both in terms of T2k and IRL, is why is it that the Germans were making synthetic oil for the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe toward the tail end of WWII (admittedly, not in anything even close to the quantity needed, but still....), but after the war (WWII) no one seemed to ever want to do so again? In game, just making a couple barrels of motor oil, grease, etc., every week would make someone very, very rich. By T2k standards, anyway.

Maybe there's an adventure idea....some German chemist has been making synthetic crude oil/diesel/motor oil, what-have-you, and selling small quantities to support himself and further his research into improving the process. But now the word is out, and everyone wants him to come work for them. And some of the 'prospective employers' don't intend to ask nicely or offer a generous compensation package...

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by stg58fal

True, but IIRC, according to both the v1 and v2/2.2 timelines, there's a trickle of petroleum still coming out and being refined. I don't remember the exact quote, or which book its in, but it says something to the effect of 'theres need for lubricants is great enough that no one can afford to actually BURN any of the oil being pumped and refined'.

I'm not sure which the RDF Sourcebook covers but I think it's 1.0 (or 2.0 at the latest?) but there's quite a few a/c flying in the mideast - but then, they're right at the source so "wasting" production on JP5 isn't that big a deal out there.

But that aside, yes, you're right...the POL is focusing heavily on the "OL" part for the time being.

To me this seems like saying that there is some supply of new-production, petroleum-based lubricants to be had. Expensive and hard to find, yes, without a doubt, but they're there.

Agreed!

One thing I've wondered about for years, both in terms of T2k and IRL, is why is it that the Germans were making synthetic oil for the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe toward the tail end of WWII (admittedly, not in anything even close to the quantity needed, but still....), but after the war (WWII) no one seemed to ever want to do so again? In game, just making a couple barrels of motor oil, grease, etc., every week would make someone very, very rich. By T2k standards, anyway.

In reverse order, I agree with you entirely and it's probably because in 1946 onward until the late 1960s petroleum was pennies on the barrel (as it were).

Maybe there's an adventure idea....some German chemist has been making synthetic crude oil/diesel/motor oil, what-have-you, and selling small quantities to support himself and further his research into improving the process. But now the word is out, and everyone wants him to come work for them. And some of the 'prospective employers' don't intend to ask nicely or offer a generous compensation package...

...maybe on the side he's invented this "AvGas Alcohol" and could get the few flyable a/c Europe-side airborne again...

[Webstral]

Synthetic oil has an unfavorable ratio of energy in to energy out compared to conventional oil. As oil supplies dwindle in the real world, the market may become more favorable for synthetic oil. For now, though, the real reason to use synthetic oil is that you have coal but not enough oil to meet your needs.