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Re: [cdn-nucl-l] " Gas-main rupture "



I understand the sentiment but I don't worry about the gas line into my house any more than I do worry about the other managed risks at my home.  I suspect there are more electrical related deaths than gas related deaths.  No one was hurt in the Montreal incident.  So I assume we can manage the risks of any of these technologies.  If the overall cost gets too high because of the safety features, then it won't be used.  At any rate, the big driving factor for using gas, oil, etc for heating is efficiency.  My high efficiency gas furnace is 97% efficient I think.  Why not, given that heat transfer can be 100% efficient in principle.  But if you use a heat source to do work (ie pump electrons up hill) the heat engine efficiency is typically 30 to 40%.  Using electricity is quite an inefficient way to heat a house.  It does make sense to use electricity to run a heat pump, though, if the pipes can be economically installed in your back yard.

Bill

At 10:29 AM 02/06/2006, Randal Leavitt wrote:
Jaro wrote:

>Gas-main rupture
>The Gazette; PC
>Published: Friday, June 02, 2006

>
When we finally get to liquid fuelled reactors I wonder if we can have a
reactor in every house and pump the fuel to them through the old gas
pipes.  Boy, we sure do invent crazy systems!  Gas should be burned
centrally and the energy moved to our houses as electricity.  The idea
of a gas pipe running into my house is terrifying.

--
Randal Leavitt ---------- gnupg public key: bbbad04d
http://positiveenergy.blogspot.com/
http://de.lirio.us/rubric/entries/user/RandalLeavitt

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Bill Garland, Executive Director of UNENE and Professor, Dept. of Engineering Physics, Bldg. NRB 117, McMaster University,  Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8S 4L7, Tel: (905)525-9140 x24925 Fax: (905)528-4339 Email: garlandw@mcmaster.ca
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