24-03-2011, 04:52 PM
Presented By
SIDHANT KUMAR PATRO
[attachment=10940]
Introduction
Compressed air has been used since the 19th century to power mine locomotives, and was previously the basis of naval torpedo propulsion. Yet even two centuries before that Dennis Papin apparently came up with the idea of using compressed air (1687).
In 1903, the Liquid Air Company located in London England manufactured a number of compressed air and liquefied air cars. The major problem with these cars and all compressed air cars is the lack of torque produced by the "engines" and the cost of compressing the air.
Recently several companies have started to develop compressed air cars, although none have been released to the public, or have been tested by third parties.
It cannot be claimed that compressed air as an energy and locomotion vector is precisely recent technology. In fact at the end of the 19th century the first approximations to what could one day become a compressed air driven vehicle already existed, through the arrival of the first pneumatic locomotives.
The first recorded compressed-air vehicle in France was built by the Frenchmen Andraud and Tessie of Motay in 1838. A car ran on a test track at Chaillot on the 9th July 1840, and worked well, but the idea was not pursued further.
Also in 1896, Porter supplied ten compressed air motor cars for the Eckington System in Washington, D.C. There was a tank on the front of the engine and it was recharged at the station.
Between 1890 and 1902 ten compressed air trams circulated in Bern, Switzerland.
Charles B. Hodges will always be remembered as the true father of the compressed air concept applied to cars, being the first person, not only to invent a car driven by a compressed air engine but also to have considerable commercial success with it.
After years of working on a system for driving an automobile by means of compressed air Louis C. Kiser, a 77 year old from Decatur USA has succeeded in converting his gasoline engine into an air compressed system. Kiser removed the entire gasoline line, the cylinder head, water-cooling system, and self starter. A special cylinder head is substituted and a compressed-air tank added in place of the gasoline tank.
In 1926 Lee Barton Williams of Pittsburg USA presented his invention: an automobile which, he claims runs on air. The motor starts on gasoline, but after it has reached a speed of ten miles an hour the gasoline supply is shut off and the air starts to work. At the first test his invention attained a speed of 62 miles an hour.
The first hybrid diesel and compressed air locomotive appeared in 1930, in Germany. The pressures brought to bear by the oil industry in the transport sector were ever greater and the truth of the matter is that they managed to block investigation in this field.
In 1976 Ray Starbard from Vacaville, California developed a truck that is able to drive on compressed air. He felt that he had invented the power system of the future, a system that would greatly change the automotive face of the world. ´It’s the car of the future, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind´
In 1979, Terry Miller decided that compressed air was the perfect medium for storing energy. He developed Air Car One, which he built for $ 1,500. Terry’s engines showed that it was feasible to manufacture a car that could run on compressed air. He patented his method in 1983.
In May 1987 an article was published about Miami inventor Ricardo Perez-Pomar. The 61 year old pneumatic engineer, originally from Cuba claimed to have developed an engine that will continuously refill the very tank of compressed air that powers it.
Currently the tram association in Bern Switzerland (BTG) is developing a locomotive according to the original plans. It is expected to be ready in 2010.
At present (2008) various persons and companies are developing compressed air motors applicable to transportation, apart from the many companies that produce and commercialize compressed air motors for industrial purposes.
Introducing air as fuel
Fossil fuels (i.e., petroleum, diesel, natural gas and coal), which meet most of the world’s energy demand today, are being depleted rapidly. Also, their combustion products are causing global problems, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and pollution, which are posing great danger for our environment, and eventually, for the total life on our planet. These factors are leading automobile manufacturers to develop cars fueled by alternative energies. Hybrid cars, Fuel cell powered cars, Hydrogen fueled cars will be soon into the market as a result of it. One possible alternative is the air-powered car. Air, which is abundantly available and is free from pollution, can be compressed to higher pressures at a very low cost, is one of the prime option since atmospheric pollution can be permanently eradicated. Where as so far all the attempts made to eliminate the pollution has however reduced it, but complete eradication is still rigorously pursued. Compressed air utilization in the pneumatic applications has been long proven. Air motors, pneumatic actuators and other various such pneumatic equipments are in use. Compressed air was also used in some of the vehicle for boosting the initial torque. Turbo charging has become one of the popular techniques to enhance power and improve the efficiencies of the automotive engines. It was also under study to develop a reciprocating automotive engine that completely runs on compressed air. There are at least two ongoing projects (In France, by MDI and in S. Korea) that are developing a new type of car that will run only on compressed air. Similar attempt has been made but to modify the existing engine and to test on compressed air. A single, horizontal cylinder, low speed proto type engine was modified to run on air, the detail specifications are given in table 1. Instead of a conventional connecting rod, a kinematic page link was used which has the provision of dwelling at the top dead center. Dwelling Connecting rod Assembly: As shown in figure 1, this assembly has three links namely A, B, and C. The page link A reciprocates, page link B oscillates which the page link C rotates as shown in figure 1 and transmits the rotation of the engine to the other parts. One end of page link B is attached to the page link A, and is fixed at the other end at point 1. This end can also be fixed at point 2 and 3. If it is fixed at point 1, the piston in the cylinder attached to the page link A, dwells at the top dead center for a rotation of 45 degrees of crank angle, while when fixed at 2, the dwell changes to 60 degrees and for point 3, it changes to 80 degrees of crank rotation. A practical constant volume can be obtained when the piston dwells for any angle at TDC. The swept volume inside the cylinder changes when the other end of page link B is fixed at points 2 & 3. As the swept volume changes, the compression ratio also changes. This leads to a new relation between compression ratio and angle of dwell, which states “Compression ratio is inversely proportional to the angle of dwell for this link”.
Modifications in injection system: Instead of convention fuel injection system, an electro –mechanical injection system was used for air injection. This consists of an externally operating cam with a roller follower, solenoid valve connected to a non-returnable valve assembly, which fits in the engine cylinder. Cam is so designed that it provides the dwell of 45 degrees as required by the page link when it is fixed at position 1 as shown in figure1. Cams with dwelling of 60 and 80 degrees are separately designed to match with the dwelling periods of the page link when fixed at positions 2 & 3. The cam through the follower triggers the air injection into the engine cylinder for the period equal to its dwell, during which the piston also dwells. The air injection through cam dwell synchronizes with the piston dwell.
Working Cycle:
Because of the dwell provided by the special connecting rod assembly, the diesel engine works on constant volume cycle instead of constant pressure cycle. During this constant volume, air is injected by the injection system into the engine cylinder.
Working of the Engine:
This Engine Works like a diesel engine. At the end of compression stroke, a very high-pressure air at room temperature is injected into the cylinder. Injection of air by electro-mechanical injection
System is governed by the cam dwell during which the piston also dwells. As the in cylinder hot and compressed air mixes with the externally injected relatively cold and compressed air, injected at relatively higher pressure than the inside pressure, the mixture tries to attain a common equilibrium temperature. As the temperature of this mixture falls down, expansion takes place.
The high inside mixture pressure imparts a very heavy blow on the head of the piston, which is then set in motion and the engine runs. No combustion takes place; it is the expansive forces, which make the engine run. Figure 2 shows the block diagram of the engine.
Experimental procedure of air car
Before starting the experiment, the electric supply to control the flow through the solenoid, is switched “ON”. The pressure regulating valve is opened and an operating pressure of the order of around 20 bars is initially given. The engine is then given an initial torque to set in motion. The cam through the follower triggers the solenoid valve and the high pressure air is injected in to the cylinder. As the air enters in, while the pistons is dwelling as explained in the engine operation, expansion takes place and the engine is set in motion. Amount of air flowing in the cylinder can be noted directly by the air flow meter and the operating or the injection pressures can be noted from the pressure gauge. Initial RPM is noted down, and load is applied on the brake drum. As the load is applied the speed falls down, to maintain it constant, inlet pressure is increased by regulating valve. All the tests are carried out at constant speed of 350 rpm. For the all the applied loads, the air flow meter reading, inlet air injection pressure reading from regulating valve, manometer head of Suction by the engine, exhaust temperature, operating inlet temperatures are noted down.
Compressed air technology
After twelve years of research and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. A French engineer by profession, he has designed a low consumption and low pollution engine for urban motoring that runs on compressed air technology
SIDHANT KUMAR PATRO
[attachment=10940]
Introduction
Compressed air has been used since the 19th century to power mine locomotives, and was previously the basis of naval torpedo propulsion. Yet even two centuries before that Dennis Papin apparently came up with the idea of using compressed air (1687).
In 1903, the Liquid Air Company located in London England manufactured a number of compressed air and liquefied air cars. The major problem with these cars and all compressed air cars is the lack of torque produced by the "engines" and the cost of compressing the air.
Recently several companies have started to develop compressed air cars, although none have been released to the public, or have been tested by third parties.
It cannot be claimed that compressed air as an energy and locomotion vector is precisely recent technology. In fact at the end of the 19th century the first approximations to what could one day become a compressed air driven vehicle already existed, through the arrival of the first pneumatic locomotives.
The first recorded compressed-air vehicle in France was built by the Frenchmen Andraud and Tessie of Motay in 1838. A car ran on a test track at Chaillot on the 9th July 1840, and worked well, but the idea was not pursued further.
Also in 1896, Porter supplied ten compressed air motor cars for the Eckington System in Washington, D.C. There was a tank on the front of the engine and it was recharged at the station.
Between 1890 and 1902 ten compressed air trams circulated in Bern, Switzerland.
Charles B. Hodges will always be remembered as the true father of the compressed air concept applied to cars, being the first person, not only to invent a car driven by a compressed air engine but also to have considerable commercial success with it.
After years of working on a system for driving an automobile by means of compressed air Louis C. Kiser, a 77 year old from Decatur USA has succeeded in converting his gasoline engine into an air compressed system. Kiser removed the entire gasoline line, the cylinder head, water-cooling system, and self starter. A special cylinder head is substituted and a compressed-air tank added in place of the gasoline tank.
In 1926 Lee Barton Williams of Pittsburg USA presented his invention: an automobile which, he claims runs on air. The motor starts on gasoline, but after it has reached a speed of ten miles an hour the gasoline supply is shut off and the air starts to work. At the first test his invention attained a speed of 62 miles an hour.
The first hybrid diesel and compressed air locomotive appeared in 1930, in Germany. The pressures brought to bear by the oil industry in the transport sector were ever greater and the truth of the matter is that they managed to block investigation in this field.
In 1976 Ray Starbard from Vacaville, California developed a truck that is able to drive on compressed air. He felt that he had invented the power system of the future, a system that would greatly change the automotive face of the world. ´It’s the car of the future, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind´
In 1979, Terry Miller decided that compressed air was the perfect medium for storing energy. He developed Air Car One, which he built for $ 1,500. Terry’s engines showed that it was feasible to manufacture a car that could run on compressed air. He patented his method in 1983.
In May 1987 an article was published about Miami inventor Ricardo Perez-Pomar. The 61 year old pneumatic engineer, originally from Cuba claimed to have developed an engine that will continuously refill the very tank of compressed air that powers it.
Currently the tram association in Bern Switzerland (BTG) is developing a locomotive according to the original plans. It is expected to be ready in 2010.
At present (2008) various persons and companies are developing compressed air motors applicable to transportation, apart from the many companies that produce and commercialize compressed air motors for industrial purposes.
Introducing air as fuel
Fossil fuels (i.e., petroleum, diesel, natural gas and coal), which meet most of the world’s energy demand today, are being depleted rapidly. Also, their combustion products are causing global problems, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and pollution, which are posing great danger for our environment, and eventually, for the total life on our planet. These factors are leading automobile manufacturers to develop cars fueled by alternative energies. Hybrid cars, Fuel cell powered cars, Hydrogen fueled cars will be soon into the market as a result of it. One possible alternative is the air-powered car. Air, which is abundantly available and is free from pollution, can be compressed to higher pressures at a very low cost, is one of the prime option since atmospheric pollution can be permanently eradicated. Where as so far all the attempts made to eliminate the pollution has however reduced it, but complete eradication is still rigorously pursued. Compressed air utilization in the pneumatic applications has been long proven. Air motors, pneumatic actuators and other various such pneumatic equipments are in use. Compressed air was also used in some of the vehicle for boosting the initial torque. Turbo charging has become one of the popular techniques to enhance power and improve the efficiencies of the automotive engines. It was also under study to develop a reciprocating automotive engine that completely runs on compressed air. There are at least two ongoing projects (In France, by MDI and in S. Korea) that are developing a new type of car that will run only on compressed air. Similar attempt has been made but to modify the existing engine and to test on compressed air. A single, horizontal cylinder, low speed proto type engine was modified to run on air, the detail specifications are given in table 1. Instead of a conventional connecting rod, a kinematic page link was used which has the provision of dwelling at the top dead center. Dwelling Connecting rod Assembly: As shown in figure 1, this assembly has three links namely A, B, and C. The page link A reciprocates, page link B oscillates which the page link C rotates as shown in figure 1 and transmits the rotation of the engine to the other parts. One end of page link B is attached to the page link A, and is fixed at the other end at point 1. This end can also be fixed at point 2 and 3. If it is fixed at point 1, the piston in the cylinder attached to the page link A, dwells at the top dead center for a rotation of 45 degrees of crank angle, while when fixed at 2, the dwell changes to 60 degrees and for point 3, it changes to 80 degrees of crank rotation. A practical constant volume can be obtained when the piston dwells for any angle at TDC. The swept volume inside the cylinder changes when the other end of page link B is fixed at points 2 & 3. As the swept volume changes, the compression ratio also changes. This leads to a new relation between compression ratio and angle of dwell, which states “Compression ratio is inversely proportional to the angle of dwell for this link”.
Modifications in injection system: Instead of convention fuel injection system, an electro –mechanical injection system was used for air injection. This consists of an externally operating cam with a roller follower, solenoid valve connected to a non-returnable valve assembly, which fits in the engine cylinder. Cam is so designed that it provides the dwell of 45 degrees as required by the page link when it is fixed at position 1 as shown in figure1. Cams with dwelling of 60 and 80 degrees are separately designed to match with the dwelling periods of the page link when fixed at positions 2 & 3. The cam through the follower triggers the air injection into the engine cylinder for the period equal to its dwell, during which the piston also dwells. The air injection through cam dwell synchronizes with the piston dwell.
Working Cycle:
Because of the dwell provided by the special connecting rod assembly, the diesel engine works on constant volume cycle instead of constant pressure cycle. During this constant volume, air is injected by the injection system into the engine cylinder.
Working of the Engine:
This Engine Works like a diesel engine. At the end of compression stroke, a very high-pressure air at room temperature is injected into the cylinder. Injection of air by electro-mechanical injection
System is governed by the cam dwell during which the piston also dwells. As the in cylinder hot and compressed air mixes with the externally injected relatively cold and compressed air, injected at relatively higher pressure than the inside pressure, the mixture tries to attain a common equilibrium temperature. As the temperature of this mixture falls down, expansion takes place.
The high inside mixture pressure imparts a very heavy blow on the head of the piston, which is then set in motion and the engine runs. No combustion takes place; it is the expansive forces, which make the engine run. Figure 2 shows the block diagram of the engine.
Experimental procedure of air car
Before starting the experiment, the electric supply to control the flow through the solenoid, is switched “ON”. The pressure regulating valve is opened and an operating pressure of the order of around 20 bars is initially given. The engine is then given an initial torque to set in motion. The cam through the follower triggers the solenoid valve and the high pressure air is injected in to the cylinder. As the air enters in, while the pistons is dwelling as explained in the engine operation, expansion takes place and the engine is set in motion. Amount of air flowing in the cylinder can be noted directly by the air flow meter and the operating or the injection pressures can be noted from the pressure gauge. Initial RPM is noted down, and load is applied on the brake drum. As the load is applied the speed falls down, to maintain it constant, inlet pressure is increased by regulating valve. All the tests are carried out at constant speed of 350 rpm. For the all the applied loads, the air flow meter reading, inlet air injection pressure reading from regulating valve, manometer head of Suction by the engine, exhaust temperature, operating inlet temperatures are noted down.
Compressed air technology
After twelve years of research and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. A French engineer by profession, he has designed a low consumption and low pollution engine for urban motoring that runs on compressed air technology
