BBC 4 - THE DIESEL

[Eric Mc]

Episode of "Timeshift" tonight presented by Mark Evans. Should be good.

[outnumbered]

Wonder how much hurried editing they've had to do on the bit at the end that showed how amazingly non-polluting diesels are these days

[Elroy Blue]

Get the majority of the population driving diesels, then declare it 'bad' and start ramping up the tax. It has begun.

[Eric Mc]

Anybody actually watch this?

It was pretty good, I thought.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Decent watch

Could have done more on the injection systems mind, quite a lot of stuff inbetween having a swirl chamber for IDI and moving to DI. No mention once of moving to turbo chargers to get the powers up, because diesels were naturally aspirated to begin with (I think).

I did like the part about how diesels were promoted for their environmental friendliness and now we have learned that they also have some harmful emissions.

I am sorry. But what? Only a complete rube (read short sighted idiots) didn't know diesel also kicked out some horrible fumes that have harmful effects, especially on a local level. A lot of people know it now in light of VW, but a lot of people knew it years and years ago. Its not suddenly a new, unexpected problem!

[Eric Mc]

Yes - omitted any references to turbocharging - but turbos aren't unique to diesels I suppose.

I liked the fact that the Junkers Ju86 bomber got a mention.

[motco]

I seem to recall that historically it was acceptable to use diesel engined fork lift trucks in a factory environment as the exhaust gases, whilst unpleasant, were said to be essentially harmless in a large factory environment. Can't remember where I read it though...

[Eric Mc]

Factories full of asbestos - probably.

[motco]

Eric Mc said:

Factories full of asbestos - probably.

Actually, Eric, you are nearer correct than you could know! I worked for Hoover at Perivale in my early working life and the fan pulleys on some upright cleaners had moulded 'cores' of insulating and heat resisting phenolic materials (Bakelite) to electrically isolate the pulley from the armature shaft. The particular moulding compound was so heavily filled with asbestos fibres that it was like a grey flock. The moulding machine operators simply must have inhaled airborne fibres whilst doing their jobs. Diesel fork trucks were the least of the hazards...

[Eric Mc]

To be honest, that was my line of thinking. As we tighten up ever more strongly on pollutants and health hazards at work, older materials and practices that were once deemed acceptable gradually get banned - and newer materials and practices emerge as the next "health threat".

[megaphone]

Watched it on catch up last night, really enjoyed it, learn't a bit too. Timeshift is always on record.

[niva441]

Caught up with it last night. Good to see Mark Evans back on television and a think a well pitched program. Interesting timing with the VW revelations, almost as if someone in the BBC knew what was happening in the world. Although I suppose that program would have a very different emphasis.

[jet_noise]

At last watched this. Excellent program. Reason for commenting is the thermal efficiency of the huge marine diesels. 50%. Extraordinary,

as you were,
Jet

[Otispunkmeyer]

jet_noise said:

At last watched this. Excellent program. Reason for commenting is the thermal efficiency of the huge marine diesels. 50%. Extraordinary,

as you were,
Jet

Pah.... Go look at the trucks currently doing the US DoE SuperTruck program. They're breaking into the mid-50's% efficiency. (Granted, not the engine on its own, but the whole system including Rankine cycle heat recovery from the exhaust).