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Transport -
Part of ICET
package |
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TRANSPORT
APPLICATION OF
nGEN
SYSTEMS – retrofitting of low cost, compact nGen
Systems to replace engines in existing vehicles (cars,
buses, trucks, farm machinery, boats and eventually aircrafts),
drastically reducing their running costs, making them multi-fuel
capable and enabling a smooth transition to solar-derived fuels. |
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EFFICIENT
TRANSPORT FOR THE FUTURE
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 Over
the past 100 years with plentiful supplies of oil Transport has
made amazing advances in capabilities, yet the average American
car travels only 3 mpg more than the original
Model T Ford!
Peak Oil has now passed and for survival of the planet we
need to find more efficient means of Transport. |
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VEHICLE
CO2 EMISSIONS - GREEN HOUSE GASSES
PEAK OIL - Peak Oil has now
past and other fossil fuels will peak soon - so how do we run
our cars? Will car ownership become a thing of the past as we
find other means of transport?
POLLUTION - CO2 in form of
Green House Gasses is a major problem particularly in our cities
The chart below gives an idea of how much pollution come
from our cars while driving in our cities
CO 2 emissions for
vehicles driving in urban areas
It is a slightly different situation when
driving at top speed.
CO2 Emissions when
driving at Top Speed
 Source
A large percentage of driving is in Urban
Areas |
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QUESTIONS
At
end of Oil Era what will we replace our transport fuel with?
Will it be
nGen Systems
using Solar &
Compressed Air
Engines?
Will
nGen Systems
also produce extra
power to refuel
electric cars?
Carbon Footprint is huge
globally where do we find zero pollution fuels? |
External Combustion Engine -
Is this the key to future
transport?
The Internal Combustion
Engine (ICE) changed the world forever and is still
changing our climate!
However while it’s changed everything, at the heart of the
change remains the same obsolete polluting technology from
over a hundred years ago. It’s run its course.
Combustion of fuels for transport is a
major source of air pollution and remains a serious
problem in large urban areas. Typical engines burn
gasoline to power vehicles and emit carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and water vapor in the form of exhaust. But
what if there were a way to run an engine with a source
that’s not only cleaner than hydrocarbon fuels but also more
abundant? The goal is to use renewable
resources like solar and wind energy to compress the air
to run external combustion engine more efficiently and
leaving zero pollution!
Will the External Combustion Engine
provide the bases for new classes of transport means with
high efficiencies and low costs that none of the present
technology developments can match for land, sea and air
transport applications? |
Internal
Combustion Engine ICE
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External
Combustion Engine ECE
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Combustion takes place inside the engine |
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Combustion takes place outside the engine |
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Less than
30% efficient |
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More than
70% efficient |
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Use
petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG |
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Use of
compressed air (or other gases or combination of gases)
as energy carrier and storage medium. |
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Produces
high temperatures
(waste heat)
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Runs at
low temperatures |
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“Cool
Combustion” using the Giant Magneto-Caloric Effect to
drastically cool the air (or other gas) intake.
See
also |
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Produce
Green House Gasses |
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Low to
zero emissions |
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The
average American auto produces 333.8 grams
CO2 emissions per kilometre
(2.52 ounces of CO2 per mile) |
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Miles per
hour zero CO2 emissions at speeds of less than 35
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Toyota's
Prius Plug-in Hybrid emits 115.2 grams
CO2 emissions per kilometre
( 6.58 ounces of CO2 per mile) |
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Driven
faster, the CityCAT will emit 4.41 grams CO2 emissions
per kilometre (2.52 ounces of CO2 per
mile)
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fully solar in future with no emissions |
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Combustion take place inside the engine producing
harmful CO2 emissions |
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The
primary energy input is taking place outside the engine
by the heating of compressed air (or other gases, such
as combustion gases e.g. biofuels |
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Thermodynamic Analysis of Compressed Air
Vehicle Propulsion
Source
It is clear that
both compression and expansion must proceed close to the
isothermal limit. This can only be accomplished with
multi-stage compression and expansion processes and heat
exchangers for removal from or addition of heat to the
process air.
The overall energy utilization could
be increased if the waste heat generated during the air
compression process would be used for domestic water and
space heating such as
nGen Systems
The thermodynamics of heat exchange, mechanical and
aerodynamic losses, electrical efficiencies etc. need to be
considered. All these effects may reduce the overall
efficiency to 40% or less. However, such efficiencies may
still be attractive in a sustainable energy future when
renewable energy is harvested as electricity and
transportation needs must be satisfied from available energy
sources. With respect to overall efficiency,
battery-electric vehicles may be better than air cars, but
hydrogen fuel cell systems may be worse. However,
with respect to system and
operating costs, air cars may offer many advantages such as
simplicity, operating and life cycle cost, independence,
zero pollution and environmental friendliness of all system
components.
All in all, the compressed air car
seems to be a viable option for clean and efficient local
transportation. Further analyses, additional
research and development are most welcome to fully identify
the potentials of this unconventional source of
transportation energy. |
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