Chapter 39-2 Chemical Reactions

When doomsday hits, logistics is the problem. Biodiesel is made by reacting oil with sodium hydroxide. So, where are they going to get that? They would just be chasing another resource.

I still think that Michael's super journal is not about the zombie outbreak. It is about the characters he was with. Something goes down that really rocks his sanity even more so than TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It).

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Originally Posted by Grognaurd

TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It).

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And here I am thinking that you discovered some sort of Aztec connection. O_o

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Originally Posted by Unit9014

...I have heard of a company just called Raydon that is a contractor for military training. I believe they make simulators and training equipment for everything from how to use different weapon systems to tactics etc. Maybe this is a hat tip to that company and a hypothetical 'underground' division making some shady enhancement drugs for soldiers that goes a little haywire? :tinfoil:

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Raydon Corporation is indeed a significant military contractor. They build weapons simulators and they make all of the convoy simulators that the Army uses. They're located in Florida. www.raydon.com

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Originally Posted by Unit9014

...with the fuel quickly disappearing, it is probably past time to start looking at alternative sources to power. How about making biodeisel from vegetable oil for a temporary fix? There has to be a ton of oil around I would imagine with all the restaurants using it for fryers and grocery stores having gallon jugs. As a more permanent fix they could have crews start collecting solar panels from homes to move to the colony. They mentioned they have some white pages, look up some solar and wind turbine companies and start setting up a stand alone grid within the colony maybe. Worse case scenario they could set up some homemade windmills to turn car alternators to recharge a grid of car batteries. That won't do much for very heavy equipment but it could power all the lights through the colony. With some power inverters it could also power fridges and freezers and medical equipment in the hospital etc. No fuel needed.

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Just to add to the fun, at this point in the story gasoline supplies are nearing the end of their shelf life. Gasoline breaks down and loses potency over time, eventually reaching a point where it just isn't volatile enough to power machines. Normal shelf life is up to one year, or up to two years if treated with chemical stabilizers. Diesel has a much longer shelf life, but it is also more susceptible to contamination from water, which forms in storage tanks through condensation. Bottom line, at some point all of the stored fuel in the WA universe will stop working so they need to start working on alternatives!

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Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch

Just to add to the fun, at this point in the story gasoline supplies are nearing the end of their shelf life. Gasoline breaks down and loses potency over time, eventually reaching a point where it just isn't volatile enough to power machines. Normal shelf life is up to one year, or up to two years if treated with chemical stabilizers. Diesel has a much longer shelf life, but it is also more susceptible to contamination from water, which forms in storage tanks through condensation. Bottom line, at some point all of the stored fuel in the WA universe will stop working so they need to start working on alternatives!

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Let's add some names and a radical idea: TMGG (The Matta-Gun Guy), Glenn, ingenuity and cold fusion. Think. Think again. And then pray that Datu did never see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpiVyTYn0Sg

Btw, is the reactor (?) in this video just a prop ... what is Dennis doing during his retirement?

/sigh

Ah ah ah bulllllssshhhhnnnneeeese

Wait.......Saul and Tanya might be infected, and not immune......THEY MIGHT DIE? KC WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAN?!?!! Also, gotta love Michael for sparking up the relationship with Pegs again.....Who da man?

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Originally Posted by Gooer

Wait.......Saul and Tanya might be infected, and not immune......THEY MIGHT DIE? KC WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAN?!?!! Also, gotta love Michael for sparking up the relationship with Pegs again.....Who da man?

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The idea of Tanya and Saul turning keeps nagging at me, too. :)

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Originally Posted by Grognaurd

When doomsday hits, logistics is the problem. Biodiesel is made by reacting oil with sodium hydroxide. So, where are they going to get that? They would just be chasing another resource.

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Agreed, like I said it would be a temporary fix, but as diesel becomes harder to find or starts to break down like you mention, then oil and sodium hydroxide may become easier to find than usable diesel fuel.

You can also convert diesel engines to run off straight vegetable oil, you do need to heat the tank to get the oil to the right temp, but it would be very doable even in a doomsday scenario with supplies that I'm sure could be found in LA... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D157-bJtY08&noredirect=1

Even with vegtable oil, consumption becomes a problem. A small diesel motor can run for quite a while on a small amount, but larger motors/machinery will require considerably more..thus defeating the purpose.

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Originally Posted by YetAnotherBloodyCheek

Maybe the time has come for some serious biomass gasification indeed...

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I've heard about this process; wasn't it fairly widespread in Germany during WWII? The hardware looks readily accessible, and the fuel supply is literally springing up all over at this point in the story. I wouldn't want to have outrun a behemoth in one of these, but it sure beats walking!