Why don’t they make compressed-air steam engine autos, trucks and etc?
David S asked:
This combines the ideas of the compressed air-car, multi-stage steam engine efficiency and regenerative braking. Electric power companies use steam engines to generate electricity because it is much more efficient. The efficiency of internal combustion engines has a mechanical efficiency of about 20%. Using a small steam engine, is more efficient, cleaner and simpler than an internal combustion engine however nobody wants to wait for the steam to heat up. Two 43 liter tanks of compressed-air would provide 15-20 miles while the boiler heats up. This solves the drawbacks of straight steam power. When the steam pressure becomes adequate the engine would automatically switch from air to steam pressure. During braking the engine would work backwards as a compressor forcing air back into the air cylinder tanks. The water in the boiler would keep from freezing by automatically heating the water with the fuel when the temperature was too low. SUV Results: 73.8 MPG @ 15 gal. water.
So far, this engine design appears to be a viable improvement. You should watch the Mythbusters episode “Air Cylinder of Death.” This episode proved that a scuba tank doesn’t explode so much as they take off like a rocket. Gas cylinders just have to be installed correctly. Boilers are also safe since the tubes are enclosed in an unsealed housing, a burst tube would simply let steam go out the exhaust. No chance of explosion.
The fuel used to heat the boiler could be heated by gasoline, oil, propane, natural gas, ethanol, diesel, alcohol or even hydrogen. The air to fuel mixture just needs to be adjusted to the optimum stoichiometric reaction.
Along with your opposing answer provide a possible improvement.
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Filed Under Other - Cars & Transportation |
Tagged With Air Cylinder, Mythbusters, Scuba Tank
Comments
5 Responses to “Why don’t they make compressed-air steam engine autos, trucks and etc?”
They stopped making steam powered cars one hundred years ago. And they still burn fuel!
there are cars being built today with steam engines, just not by the big auto makers. there is also a couple of air powered cars in prototype, and soon to be built in France. there are drawbacks to both though, for example with the steam car you have to boil water, which means you need a boiler, to contain the steam pressure. boilers do come apart rather violently. as for the air car, it also needs high pressure tanks to contain the air. you also need to re-pressurize the air tanks, and since they are also under pressure, they also tend to come apart rather violently. you would also have to have the tanks or the boiler re-certified every so often, and replaced on a regular basis.
Just what kind of fuel do you intend to use to heat the water into steam? Many electric power companies burn coal to make the steam to drive their steam turbine generators. It may be efficient on a large scale, but not on the smaller scale of an automobile. Coal is a very dirty form of fuel that creates soot and sulfuric acid as a by-product of burning. If you think the greenhouse gasses from automobiles are bad now, just think what they would be like if all the millions of cars on the road today were coal fired.
Internal Combustion engines are compressed air engines, igniting the fuel causes the air that is taken into the cylinders to expand in turn causing the piston to go down.
Diesel engines in over the road trucks use compression brakes which shut off the fuel to a few of the cylinders and keep the ex aughts valves from opening and create a braking action.
Power companies use the steam to turn turbines which are connected to generators.
WHERE WOULD THE TANK BE MOUNTED ????????????