5 ms·

Not being at all qualified to comment (though I work for a power company), I'd think the hand crank air compressor wouldn't suffer from no spark or bad gas.

0cf8612b2e1e 1y ago
Stale gas was my guess for the plan. Maintaining an emergency system is one of those things that is easy to neglect.
- zdragnar 1y ago
  If stale gas is a concern, then all of the other steps in-between zero power and your full start are also screwed. Air compressors have more valves and gaskets that are vulnerable to oxidation, especially in salty environments, so I'd have thought the upkeep between the two, the two stroke would be easier.
  - LorenPechtel 1y ago
    But it's an emergency system, not a general operation system. Thus it's not going to be exposed to the salty environment most of the time. You could certainly put the whole thing in an airtight box. Look at how the military builds surface-based missiles these days: it's in a factory-sealed box. Molten salt batteries so they last for decades. (You don't see molten salt in most purposes because once it's been triggered it's lifespan is in minutes or even less. They're used in applications that only need to deliver power once.)
- lostlogin 1y ago
  It’s quite funny to think about. Having good, fresh fuel on an oil rig. They need an engine that can run on crude.
  - baq 1y ago
    Diesel will run on mostly anything if it’s running… including methane in the air intake, so you need to think quickly when presented with a generator that keeps running after cutting the fuel
    - vlachen 1y ago
      Oil leaking around a turbocharger rotor seal also makes for good diesel fuel, if you define "good" as an exciting uncontrolled disassembly of the engine.
  - lazide 1y ago
    Crude oil from various wells has properties varying from ‘thick, stinky, corrosive goo’ to ‘explosive, barely liquid, bubbly mess’. Also, rigs need to be careful about ignition sources, as methane leaks can be a common emergency condition for some wells/crude. It’s not the type of thing that using directly is economically feasible, even for emergency situations.

0cf8612b2e1e 1y ago

Stale gas was my guess for the plan. Maintaining an emergency system is one of those things that is easy to neglect.

zdragnar 1y ago
If stale gas is a concern, then all of the other steps in-between zero power and your full start are also screwed. Air compressors have more valves and gaskets that are vulnerable to oxidation, especially in salty environments, so I'd have thought the upkeep between the two, the two stroke would be easier.
- LorenPechtel 1y ago
  But it's an emergency system, not a general operation system. Thus it's not going to be exposed to the salty environment most of the time. You could certainly put the whole thing in an airtight box. Look at how the military builds surface-based missiles these days: it's in a factory-sealed box. Molten salt batteries so they last for decades. (You don't see molten salt in most purposes because once it's been triggered it's lifespan is in minutes or even less. They're used in applications that only need to deliver power once.)
lostlogin 1y ago
It’s quite funny to think about. Having good, fresh fuel on an oil rig. They need an engine that can run on crude.
- baq 1y ago
  Diesel will run on mostly anything if it’s running… including methane in the air intake, so you need to think quickly when presented with a generator that keeps running after cutting the fuel
  - vlachen 1y ago
    Oil leaking around a turbocharger rotor seal also makes for good diesel fuel, if you define "good" as an exciting uncontrolled disassembly of the engine.
- lazide 1y ago
  Crude oil from various wells has properties varying from ‘thick, stinky, corrosive goo’ to ‘explosive, barely liquid, bubbly mess’. Also, rigs need to be careful about ignition sources, as methane leaks can be a common emergency condition for some wells/crude. It’s not the type of thing that using directly is economically feasible, even for emergency situations.