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Auto Fuel
Efficiency Explained My lofty Goals with this
project
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Auto Fuel Efficiency Auto
Fuel Efficiency is one of my projects. In the simple form it’s
“Getting better gas mileage” or maybe “Uses no Gas!” There are no gimmicks here though. This is
about using sound technological theories and empirical results to create more
efficient internal combustion. What makes me think I can do it better than
the brilliant engineers at the big 3 motor companies? ·
I have
different objectives. Motor companies cannot use science that is not
completely understood because it could not be explained by academia. A
product “failure” in that marketplace could lead to a complete
financial meltdown for them. It would just be too risky. ·
I have no trade secrets to secure my
investment. I am one among many who are having great results experimenting in
this field. In the auto manufacturing world, trade secrets are the only way
to set one another apart. ·
I have no
corporate bureaucracy to negotiate. Just good ‘ol garage mechanic
ingenuity. ·
I have an open
mind in terms of the current understanding of physics and the explanation of
energy and matter. In the realm of academics and corporations, “That
which cannot be explained simply does not exist.” This isn’t new.
Nikola Tesla was shamed by his professors for his idea of alternating current
that would later supply power to the entire world. They called it a
“Perpetual motion scheme.” (This is still a pat answer among
skeptics in physics when the math doesn’t add up to an observation
– it must have been a wrong calculation or a wrong observation.) For
more information on MY understanding, read this abstract: David Pressler's Theory
of Unity . I have read his book, having received it in person, but I
don’t know where to purchase one. It is, in my opinion, some of the
most brilliant conceptual thought since Einstein. (Even Einstein had problems
with his own theories that David has helped shed new light on.) Many thanks
to David Pressler. ·
I do not need
to know that academia has an explanation for an observed and re-creatable
observation for it to have meaning. ·
I have a skill
set that includes logic, computers, applying technology to solve problems,
mechanics (I’m still a motorhead, even though I CAN program a
microcontroller,) and an ability to explain things. ·
I have no ties
with government or oil profits. ·
I am personally
fueled by disgust of corporate America (or other capitalist countries for
that matter.) ·
I have had a
weird passion for this since I was a kid. A solution: (Notice I didn’t say THE solution. We can’t even imagine what is in our future
if we keep an open mind.) Before discussing solving a problem, we
have to define the problem and that entails speaking a bit on the process of
internal combustion and its pitfalls. So, here we go. I’ll start with
some FACTS that may be expounded upon later: ·
The only thing
that “combusts” in an engine is fuel VAPOR. An explosion of gasoline in an engine
requires that gasoline evaporate, mix with Oxygen under pressure, and then
get the process started with a spark (a bit of energy to start a very quick
thermo-chemical reaction.) The rest is about the critical timing of these
events to push the pistons down in order. If you light a barrel of gasoline
on fire, only the very top, where the gas is evaporating, is actually
burning. Underneath, it’s just liquid fuel waiting it’s turn to
mix with Oxygen in the air. Meanwhile, the whole thing is heating up,
speeding up the process, evaporating quicker, and creating a giant plume of
smoke with a humongous flame, but the fact is still that the only thing to
burn is the fuel vapor. ·
It is the
expansion of hot gases that pushes the piston to create power. (Although that
may seem elementary, it is often overlooked in the energy “math”
of engines by physicists and chemists.) ·
Gasoline (well,
anything combustible) takes time to combust. Although it happens very fast to
us, it is still just a chemical/thermal reaction. ·
We must start
the reaction before the piston reaches the top of it’s travel so that
the full expansion effect is taking place when the piston is at the top. (Top
Dead Center.) This is what “timing” an engine is about and
depends on the type of fuel being “burned.” ·
That flame, or expansion
of hot gasses must be out (stopped accelerating) by 25 degrees after the
piston is at it’s top dead center (on it’s way down being pushed
by gases.) Why? Because if the flame is still burning and expanding, the
valves that open to let exhaust out will be burned up. The flame needs to be
OUT. ·
Here is what
most people don’t know. The flame doesn’t go out because all the
fuel is used up. It is extinguished (by design) because the air/Fuel mixture
becomes too RICH to burn anymore. In other words, there is not enough Oxygen
and there is too much fuel vapor. The reaction stops. THAT’S A GOOD
THING! Except for one thing…we just wasted a bunch of fuel. It does
this because while the vapor is combusting and creating heat at the beginning
of the process, more evaporation starts happening of the liquid fuel,
creating more fuel vapor. But THAT vapor is no longer useful for pushing the
piston because it’s too late! The piston is already pushed down and the
valves are starting to open up to let the gas out. This process all happens
in terms of milliseconds. However, that vapor DOES do a very good job of
extinguishing the flame and that really is a good thing considering the
alternative. ·
Hmm, so
let’s put in less fuel so that it all evens out in the end so that all
of the vapor is used up. Sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t work. For
one, when we lean the mixture, the temperature of the reaction increases. It
gets hotter. Aside from other issues why this may be an obstacle, the biggest
reason this can’t happen is that it creates MORE POLLUTION. Huh? Well,
air is mostly Nitrogen, so when the engine sucks in air to burn Oxygen, it
also breathes in mostly Nitrogen. Oxides of Nitrogen are the pollutants that
make city air look orange. It’s nasty. And it’s created because in
the world of chemistry and physics, when the temperature is above 2000
degrees F, it HAPPENS. That’s for another discussion and there is a lot
of info on the Internet about how to create Oxides of Nitrogen. We want to
NOT create them for the sake of our future generations. And so do the car
manufacturers (well, probably not for the reason I stated but because cutting
emissions cuts in to profits. Regardless of what they say, big corporations
DO NOT have a conscience about our future generations. They do it because it
is government mandated. Once again, we see that they and I have different
motives.) For the second reason, we’re just reducing the whole process
we described, choking our engine power. Even if we put less gas in, it still
takes a while to evaporate and combust (expand.) ·
This process
can’t happen too fast however, or we experience
“detonation.” By many people, combustion and detonation are one
and the same, but they are not. There is a wave of energy in front of the
expansion of gasses during detonation. And it breaks things in gasoline
engines. ·
Perfect
combustion of gasoline with Oxygen would create emissions of water and carbon
dioxide (CO2.) Perfect combustion does not exist. Even if it did, we would
still create CO2, which is the main cause of global warming. ·
Heat created in
an automobile engine is just wasted energy. ·
Perfect
combustion of Hydrogen and Oxygen would create nothing but water. ·
When we move
closer to perfect combustion, we become more efficient. ·
Being efficient
means getting the same power out of less fuel. It can also be looked at as
getting more power out of the same amount of fuel. So this whole mission can
also be looked at from a performance point of view. So,
what does all this say? What are we shooting for here? To improve the efficiency of the internal
combustion engine, we need to look for ways of doing the following: ·
Evaporate
liquid fuel as much as possible. Because it’s the only thing that
combusts. ·
Combust
completely (or start moving closer to it,) without increasing temperature. ·
Reduce the
temperature of the process, which
will decrease Nitrogen emissions and inherently be more efficient. (Notice I
said the “process” – making a bigger cooling system
isn’t what I’m talking about here. I mean not creating the heat
in the first place.) ·
Reduce the
amount of carbon in the process – it creates CO2. ·
Stop using fuel
to extinguish the flame. It has worked for a hundred years but it’s
wasteful. ·
Find or develop
new fuels. Power our cars with the sun or wind if we can. (We can! If I built
or bought a proper windmill and a large solar panel array, along with the new
“Tesla Roadster,” I
could go zero to 60 in 4 seconds up to 130MPH without directly paying a cent
for fuel. I’d lose all sorts of energy getting the raw power of sun and
wind to the wheels of the car…but it would be emission free (as in
ZERO) and I would be independent of “Big Oil,” for my car at
least.) I dream of that day for myself
and if anyone can help me make that happen as a testament to its viability,
you could be part of a solution too. Hats off to Tesla Motors! ·
Finding out
more of the things we DON’T YET KNOW. To see more on how I accomplish this, click HERE.
Helvey Technical Research and Consulting |
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