Alternative Fuel By Pathmaprasad s/o Ramachandiran I. Variable Valve Timing and Lift II. Cylinder Deactivation III. Direct Fuel Injection IV. Forced Induction Technologies V. Start Stop System VI. Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) VII. Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder (OPOC) VIII. Hybrid Technologies New Engine Technologies Variable Valve Timing and Variable Lift is currently implemented. Although they increase the efficiency, the systems especially variable lift systems are very complex and expensive. Hence, researchers are developing engines without camshafts. The opening and closing of the valves are done electronically Koenigseggss technology http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/christian_von_koenigse ggs_camshaft- free_free_valve_engine_smaller_more_powerful_more_efficient_24 576.asp
I. Variable Valve timing and Lift Also known as variable displacement engine In a multi-cylinder engine, this system shuts off a few cylinders when the power requirement is low such as a) Idling in traffic jam and traffic light b) Cruising at a constant speed. This technology was started by Cadilac in 1981 but was abondoned as it was very problematic and prone to unpredictable failure. A few other automakers tried this tecnology in the 90s but abondoned the project Currently, cylinder deactivation is being developed by Volkswagen with the name of Active Cylinder Technology(ACT). http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/petrol/active-cylinder- technology-act
II. Cylinder Deactivation Direct injection is the technology where the fuel is injection directly into the combustion chamber at high pressure (10 20MPa) Its an old technology but abandoned because it cost more (higher pressure and injector must withstand heat of combustion) It is being developed and implemented as it has the following advantages a) Finer spray of fuel at high pressure results cleaner combustion b) The cooling effect of fuel vaporization does not dissipate before spark, hence engine is more resistant to knock. c) Operate at higher compression ratio which improves the efficiency of the engine. d) Best example will be TSI from VW and SkyActive from Mazda e) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvysuD5MFow III. Direct Fuel Injection Allows more compressed air into the cylinder compared to naturally aspirated engine with the usage of turbocharger and/or supercharger. Small engine with turbocharger can be equally powerful as a big engine and also have the efficiency of a small engine at lower power. Combination with direct injection technology can allow for higher compression ratio, increasing efficiency. New types of turbocharger such as variable geometry turbocharger can operate efficiently at all engine speed as compared to traditional ones. Bigger V6 and V8 engines are being replaced by smaller inline 4 turbocharged ones. Ford EcoBoost, Jaguar IV. Forced Induction A technology where the engine is programmed to switch off when not in use. Needs a more powerful battery and a more durable starter. Currently, this technology can be easily incorporated in direct injection engines Mazdas i-stop, the computer stops the engine when one piston is just past the top of the compression stroke. To restart, fuel is injected into the cylinder, the spark plug is fired, and the engine is instantly running again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DVMG2jjFk V. Start Stop System Combination of Spark Ignition and Compression Ignition When high power is required, the combustion is initiated by a spark. When power demand is low, the combustion is initiated by high pressure and heat of compression. But the fuel is injected earlier than the compression stroke It all sounds complicated, but the payoff can be a 20-percent improvement in fuel economy without the particulate traps and the NOx catalysts that diesels need. To make HCCI work, we need very good control of the combustion process with a faster engine-control computer and combustion- pressure feedback says GMs Hancock Example will be Mercedez Dies-Otto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwNhEaI6oXE
VI. Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) It is like a flat four engine. Instead of having cylinder head, there is another set of piston moving opposite of the conventional piston. The second set of piston is connected to the crankshafts using longer connecting rod. In the OPOC engine, the intake and exhaust ports are at opposite ends of the cylinders. As the pistons move, the exhausts are uncovered before the intakes and turbochargers blow air through the cylinders to push out the exhaust gas and fill them with clean air. Since the engine needs positive pressure to do this, the turbochargers have electric motors to power them at low rpm when exhaust energy is low. Uses direct fuel injection system. 12% to 15% better efficiency (less friction, less heat loss through cylinder head) Perfectly balanced engine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y8QqeuvArE
VII. Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder (OPOC)
Vehicles with two or more power source. Petrol-Electric are the common hybrid systems. Used to improve fuel consumption, emission and performance. There are a few ways where an efficient combination can be achieved namely a) Parallel hybrid b) Power split hybrid (Series-Parallel hybrid)
VIII. Hybrid Technologies
a) Series Hybrid Mild hybrid Internal combustion engine and electric motor coupled together Speed of both motor and engine will be the same but the output torque will be the sum of both. When only one of the two sources is being used, the other must either also rotate in an idling manner, be connected by a one-way clutch, or freewheel Honda Insight is an example of parallel hybrid system. Batteries can also be recharged using regenerative braking.
b) Power split hybrid (Series-Parallel hybrid) The cars drive system is coupled to a smaller efficient engine and an electric motor with a battery. Power to the wheel can be mechanical or electrical The car can be powered by the battery alone (at startup and low speed) and the engine starts up to charge the battery when power in battery is low. The car will be powered by both the battery and engine during high power requirement (acceleration, speeding etc) During heavy power requirement (climbing hill), both battery and engine power the drive system plus the engine charges the battery at the same time. While braking, the engine shut off, and the regenerative braking is used to charge the battery. Example is Hybrid Synergy Drive in Toyota Prius http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CFxQGWAaho
I. Compressed Air II. Battery Electric Vehicle III. Biofuel IV. Solar V. Ammonia Fuel VI. Hydrogen Alternative Fuel Expansion of compressed air to run the pistons High efficiency Conventional air compressor and carbon fibre tank Expanded air (low temp) can be used for air-conditioning
I. Compressed Air II. Battery Electric Vehicle Use electric motor to drive the vehicle Electric motor powered by "flooded" lead-acid, absorbed glass mat, NiCd, nickel metal hydride, Li-ion, Li-poly and zinc-air batteries. Zero emission Uses domestic electricity to recharge batteries
Fuel that is renewable (derived from bio materials) Ethanol, Biodiesel, Most modern cars are designed to run on gasoline are capable of running with a blend from 10% up to 15% ethanol mixed into gasoline. With a bit of modification, gasoline engine can run on pure ethanol Ethanol is a bit expensive than petrol Fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) can be used to replace diesel The biodiesel has higher cetane number, hence the timing has to be adjusted before diesel engine can run on biodiesel Biodiesel has cleaner emission than petrol engine III. Biofuel Its an electric car that is powered by solar. Current solar technology are not sufficient to run a car but they can be used as a secondary power for a car. Research are being carried out extensively to improve the solar technology as well as car design to make use of solar power effectively. IV. Solar V. Ammonia Fuel Ammonia fuel can be can be used in Spark Ignition engines. Due to higher octane number, it needs a higher compression ratio and combustion temperature.
There are two methods to harvest energy from hydrogen which are combustion and fuel-cell conversion Combustion operates similar to a internal combustion engine where the hydrogen will be spark ignited. The differences between a hydrogen engine and a traditional gasoline engine include hardened valves and valve seats, stronger connecting rods, non- platinum tipped spark plugs, a higher voltage ignition coil, fuel injectors designed for a gas instead of a liquid, larger crankshaft damper, stronger head gasket material, modified (for supercharger) intake manifold, positive pressure supercharger, and a high temperature engine oil. In fuel cell conversion, the hydrogen will be used to produce electricity and power the electric motor. The chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen At the anode a catalyst oxidizes the fuel, usually hydrogen, turning the fuel into a positively charged ion and a negatively charged electron. The electrolyte is a substance specifically designed so ions can pass through it, but the electrons cannot. The freed electrons travel through a wire creating the electric current. The ions travel through the electrolyte to the cathode. Once reaching the cathode, the ions are reunited with the electrons and the two react with a third chemical, usually oxygen, to create water or carbon dioxide. VI. Hydrogen