Let's start to consider each part of such an air engine separately. This engine is able to give from 500 to 1000 rpm and thanks to the use of a flywheel it has decent power. The supply of compressed air in the resonator is enough for 20 minutes of continuous engine operation, but you can also increase the operating time if you use car wheel... This engine can also be operated with steam. The principle of operation is as follows - a cylinder with a prism soldered to one of its sides has a hole in its upper part, which passes and swings through the prism together with an axle fixed in it in the bearing of the rack.
To the right and left of the bearing, two holes are made, one for inlet air from the reservoir into the cylinder, the other for exhaust air outlet. The first position of the engine operation indicates the moment of air intake (the hole in the cylinder coincides with the right hole in the strut). The air from the reservoir, having entered the cylinder cavity, presses on the piston and pushes it down. The movement of the piston through the connecting rod is transmitted to the flywheel, which, turning, takes the cylinder out of the extreme right position and continues to rotate. The cylinder assumes a vertical position and at this moment the air intake stops, since the holes of the cylinder and the rack do not match.
Due to the inertia of the flywheel, the movement continues and the cylinder is already moved to the extreme left position. The cylinder bore aligns with the left hole in the rack and through this hole the exhaust air is pushed out. And the cycle repeats over and over.
Air engine parts
CYLINDER - made of brass, copper or steel tube with a diameter of 10 - 12 mm. A brass rifle cartridge case of the appropriate caliber can be used as a cylinder. The tube should have smooth inner walls. A prism cut from a piece of iron must be soldered onto the cylinder, in which a screw with a nut (swing axis) is tightly fixed, above the screw, at a distance of 10 mm from its axis, a hole with a diameter of 2 mm is drilled through the prism into the cylinder for air inlet and outlet.
CONNECTING ROD - cut from a brass plate 2 mm thick. one end of the connecting rod is an extension in which a hole with a diameter of 3 mm is drilled for the crank pin. The other end of the connecting rod is designed to be soldered into the piston. The length of the connecting rod is 30 mm.
PISTON - cast from lead directly in the cylinder. To do this, dry river sand is poured into a tin can. Then we insert the tube prepared for the cylinder into the sand, leaving a protrusion of 12 mm outside. To destroy moisture, a jar of sand and a cylinder must be warmed up in an oven or on a gas stove. Now you need to melt the lead into the cylinder and immediately immerse the connecting rod there. The connecting rod must be installed exactly in the center of the piston. When the casting has cooled, the cylinder is removed from the can of sand and the finished piston is pushed out of it. We smooth out all irregularities with a small file.
ENGINE STRUCTURES - must be made according to the dimensions shown in the photo. It is made from 3 mm iron or brass. The height of the main drain is 100 mm. In the upper part of the main strut, a hole with a diameter of 3 mm is drilled along the central axial line, which serves as a bearing for the swing axis of the cylinder. The two top holes with a diameter of 2 mm are drilled along a circle with a radius of 10 mm, drawn from the center of the swing axis bearing. These holes are located on either side of the centerline of the rack, 5 mm away from it. Through one of these holes air enters the cylinder, through the other it is pushed out of the cylinder. The entire structure of the air engine is assembled on the main strut, which is made of wood with a thickness of approximately 5 cm.
MAXOVIK - you can pick up a ready-made one or cast from lead (earlier cars were produced with inertial motor, there is the flywheel we need). If you nevertheless decide to cast it from lead, then do not forget to install a shaft (axis) with a diameter of 5mm in the center of the mold. The dimensions of the handwheel are also shown in the figure. There is a thread on one end of the shaft for attaching the crank.
KRIVOSHIP - we cut out of iron or brass with a thickness of 3 mm according to the picture. The crank pin can be made from steel wire with a diameter of 3 mm and is soldered into the crank hole.
CYLINDER COVER - we also manufacture 2 mm brass and, after casting the piston, are soldered to the top of the cylinder. After assembling all parts of the engine, we assemble it. In brass and steel brazing, a powerful Soviet soldering iron and salt acid should be used for strong soldering. The reservoir in my design is applied from paint, rubber tubes. My engine is assembled a little differently, I changed the dimensions, but the principle of operation is the same. The engine used to work for me for hours, a homemade generator was connected to it alternating current... Such an engine may be of particular interest to modelers. Use the engine wherever you see fit and that's it for today. Good luck with the assembly - AKA
Discuss the article AIR ENGINE
Of all the modern alternatives to powered cars internal combustion the most unusual and interesting look vehicles working on compressed air
... Paradoxically, there are already many such vehicles in the world. We will tell about them in today's review.
Australian Darby Bicheno has created an unusual motorcycle scooter called EcoMoto 2013. vehicle does not work from an internal combustion engine, but from an impulse that is given by compressed air from cylinders.
In the production of EcoMoto 2013, Darby Bicheno tried to use only environmentally friendly materials. No plastic whatsoever - just metal and flaky bamboo, from which most of this vehicle's parts are made.
Is not a car yet, but it is no longer a motorcycle. This vehicle also runs on compressed air and has relatively high specifications.
The three-wheeled stroller AIRpod weighs 220 kilograms. It is designed to carry up to three people, and is controlled by a joystick on front panel this semi-auto.
AIRpod can travel 220 kilometers on one full supply of compressed air, while developing speeds of up to 75 kilometers per hour. Refueling the tanks with "fuel" is carried out in just one and a half minutes, and the cost of movement is 0.5 euros per 100 km.
And the world's first production car with a compressed air engine released Indian company Tata, known all over the world for the production of cheap vehicles for poor people.
Automobile Tata onecat weighs 350 kg and can travel 130 km on one supply of compressed air, accelerating at the same time up to 100 kilometers per hour. But such indicators are possible only with the maximum filled tanks. The lower the air density in them, the lower it becomes average speed.
And the record holder for speed among the existing compressed air cars is the car. On tests that took place in September 2011, this vehicle accelerated to 129.2 kilometers per hour. True, he managed to drive only a distance of 3.2 km.
It should also be noted that the Toyota Ku: Rin is not a production passenger vehicle. This car created specifically in order to demonstrate the ever-increasing speed capabilities of machines with compressed air engines in demonstration races.
French Peugeot gives new meaning to the term "hybrid vehicle". If earlier it was considered a car that combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor, then in the future the latter can be replaced by a compressed air engine.
Peugeot 2008 will be the first production car in the world to be equipped with an innovative powertrain in 2016 Hybrid Air... It will allow you to combine driving on liquid fuel, on compressed air and in a combined mode.
Yamaha WR250R is the first compressed air motorcycle
The Australian company Engineair has been developing and manufacturing compressed air engines for many years. It was their products that were used by engineers from the local branch. Yamaha to create the world's first motorcycle of this type.
True, Aeromovel trains do not have their own engine. Powerful jets of air emanate from the rail system along which it travels. At the same time, the absence of a power plant inside the train itself makes it very light.
Aeromovel trains now operate at the airport in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre and at the Taman Mini theme park in Jakarta, Indonesia.
One of the most significant problems of our time is the problem of environmental pollution. Every day, mankind emits a huge amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Every car powered by an internal combustion engine harms our planet and does ecological situation worse. Unfortunately, this is not all. The energy problem is no less acute, because oil reserves are not endless, gasoline prices are still growing, and there is no reason to decrease them. In search of alternative sources of fuel, many projects have been invented, but all of them are either too expensive or ineffective. Although one of them looks very promising. Judging by it, it is possible that ... air will become the new fuel of the future!
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Is it possible for a car to drive on air? Of course it is possible. But this air is not in the form in which we breathe it now - to move the car, you need compressed air. Compressed and high pressure air moves the engine pistons and the car moves! After it has worked in the engine, the air returns to the atmosphere absolutely clean. There is enough tank for 200 kilometers, and the speed is also quite impressive - up to 110 kilometers per hour! (Surprisingly, car engines compressed air have a very long history. For the first time this technology was applied back in the eighties of the nineteenth century, when Louis Mekarski patented his invention, called the "pneumatic tram".) This car is not only completely environmentally friendly, it will also significantly save money for its owner! One full charge of compressed air costs € 1.50 and the vehicle is ready to travel again in minutes. One and a half euros are practically equal at the price of two liters of gasoline. Calculate how much your car will travel on two liters - for sure the figure will be much less than 200 kilometers. After all, after small and simple calculations, the daily filling of the car with compressed air will cost at least 10 times less! The inventor of this interesting concept the tireless Frenchman Guy Negre, a former Formula 1 engineer, has been working on his project for over ten years. The original scheme of the engine, similar to a conventional internal combustion engine, made it possible to drive a car using compressed air stored in cylinders. The idea was borrowed by Nagrom precisely from the construction racing cars, in which a turbine powered by compressed air from a special cylinder is used for acceleration. Guy Nagre started with an original concept hybrid car, which at low revs would move due to air, and at high revs it would start a conventional internal combustion engine. This car was developed in the mid-90s, but the inventor decided to go even further. 10 years of hard work have resulted in several models that run exclusively on compressed air. At the heart of “ air car“Guy Negra is a motor that is very similar in design to a standard internal combustion engine. The engine has two working and two auxiliary cylinders. Warm air sucked directly from the atmosphere and additionally heated. Then it enters the chamber, where it is mixed with compressed air cooled to -100 degrees Celsius. The air quickly heats up, sharply increases in volume and pushes the piston of the master cylinder, which sets in motion crankshaft... The first prototypes of a purely air car created by the French from Guy Negra Motor Development International(MDI), were demonstrated in the early 2000s, and now, finally, it has come to a large-scale implementation of this wonderful development. Tata Motors Company, largest manufacturer cars in India, has agreed with MDI to start licensed production of a small three-seat eco-car powered by compressed air. The MiniC.A.T model is equipped with a 90cc carbon fiber cylinder. m. of compressed air. With one air refueling, the car can travel from 200 to 300 km, with a maximum speed of 110 km / h. With the help of the compressors installed at the gas station, it will be possible to refuel it in 2-3 minutes, while paying some 1.5 euros. Possible and Alternative option refueling using a built-in compressor connected to a conventional AC mains. It will take 3-4 hours to completely fill the “tank”. Despite the fact that electricity is produced mainly by burning fossil raw materials, the air eco-car turns out to be much more efficient than cars with internal combustion engine. In terms of efficiency, it surpasses ordinary cars 2 times, and electric cars - 1.5 times. In addition, it is distinguished by the complete absence of harmful emissions, as well as extreme simplicity in maintenance: due to the absence of a combustion chamber, the oil in the engine can be changed no more often than every 50 thousand kilometers. Eco-car MiniC.A.T will be produced in four modifications. They include a triple passenger model, five-seater taxi, minivan and light cargo pickup... The cars will sell for around £ 5,500 (roughly $ 11,000), which is quite affordable. Tata plans to produce at least 3,000 "air cars" annually. They plan to sell them in Europe and India, but if the project gains popularity, possibly all over the world. The initiative of the Indians was supported by American company Zero Pollution Motors, which announced an imminent withdrawal to American market cars powered by compressed air and built using Guy Negre technology. Zero Pollution Motors plans to produce CityCAT cars with an engine version (6-cylinder, 75-horsepower Dual-Energy), which allows operating in two modes: simply on compressed air, or with the consumption of a small amount of fuel to increase the air temperature in the cylinders and, accordingly, power. In this mode, the car consumes about 2.2 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers outside the city. CityCAT - a six-seater car with roomy trunk... The body consists of fiberglass panels attached to an aluminum frame. The car will be able to drive 60 kilometers in the city on one supply of air, and outside the city with small expense gasoline - 1360 kilometers. The speed of the car when working only on compressed air is 56 km / h, when using gasoline - 155 km / h. The estimated cost of the car is 17.8 thousand dollars. The first batch is due to enter the market in 2010. Hopefully, this is not the last step in the development of environmentally friendly modes of transportation. However, the reviews about the "air car" in the media gradually turned from enthusiastic into skeptical. About them - below.
In 2000, numerous media outlets, including the Air Force, predicted that in early 2002, mass production of cars using air instead of fuel would begin.
The reason for such a bold statement was the presentation of a car called e.Volution at Auto Africa Expo2000, which took place in Johannesburg.
The amazed public was informed that e.Volution can travel about 200 kilometers without refueling, while developing speeds of up to 130 km / h. Or for 10 hours at an average speed of 80 km / h. It was announced that the cost of such a trip would cost the owner of e.Volution 30 cents. At the same time, the car weighs only 700 kg, and the engine weighs 35 kg. The revolutionary new product was presented by the French company MDI (Motor Development International), which immediately announced its intention to start serial production of cars equipped with a compressed air engine. The inventor of the engine is French engine engineer Guy Negre, known as the developer of starters for Formula 1 cars and aircraft engines. The Negro said that he managed to create an engine that runs exclusively on compressed air without any admixtures of traditional fuel. The Frenchman called his brainchild Zero Pollution, which means zero emission harmful substances in atmosphere. The motto of Zero Pollution was "Simple, economical and clean", that is, the emphasis was placed on its safety and environmental friendliness. The principle of the engine, according to the inventor, is as follows: “Air is sucked into a small cylinder and compressed by a piston to a pressure of 20 bar. In this case, the air heats up to 400 degrees. Then hot air is pushed into the spherical chamber. In the "combustion chamber", although nothing burns in it, cold compressed air from the cylinders is supplied under pressure, it immediately heats up, expands, the pressure rises sharply, the piston of the large cylinder returns and transfers the working force to the crankshaft. You can even say that the "air" engine works the same as a conventional internal combustion engine, but there is no combustion here. " It was stated that the emissions of a car are no more dangerous than carbon dioxide emitted by human breathing, the engine can be lubricated with vegetable oil, and electrical system consists of only two wires. It takes about 3 minutes to refuel such an air vehicle. Representatives of Zero Pollution said that to refuel the "air car" it is enough to fill the air tanks located under the bottom of the car, which takes about four hours. However, in the future it was planned to build "air filling" stations capable of filling 300-liter cylinders in just 3 minutes. It was assumed that sales of "air vehicles" will begin in South Africa at a price of about $ 10 thousand. They also talked about the construction of five factories in Mexico and Spain and three in Australia. More than a dozen countries have allegedly already received a license to manufacture the car, and the South African company seems to have received an order for the production of 3,000 cars, instead of the planned experimental batch of 500 units. But after loud statements and general jubilation, something happened. Suddenly, everything calmed down and the "air car" was almost forgotten. The silence seems all the more ominous since the official site of Zero Pollution "stalled" some time ago. The reason is ridiculous: the page supposedly cannot cope with a huge stream of requests. However, the creators of the site vaguely promise to "improve" it someday. The advent of air vehicles on the roads was to pose a serious challenge to traditional transport. It is believed that green development was sabotaged car giants: Foreseeing the impending collapse, when the gasoline engines they produce will not be needed by anyone, they allegedly decided to "strangle the upstart". This version is partly confirmed by Deutsche Welle: “Car refineries and oil concerns unanimously consider the car with an air engine to be 'unfinished'. However, this can be attributed to their bias. However, many independent experts are rather skeptical, all the more so since a number of large automotive concerns - for example, Volkswagen, - already in the 70s and 80s, conducted research in this direction, but then curtailed them due to their complete futility. " Environmentalists share much the same opinion: “It will take a very long time to convince car manufacturers to start production of "air" engines. Car companies have already spent huge amounts of money experimenting with electric cars, which have proven inconvenient and expensive. They don't need new ideas anymore. " Zero Pollution - Zero emission engines. In addition, they are lightweight and compact. But Deutsche Welle draws attention to the fact that in various publications "a description of the engine and circuit diagram his works are full of inaccuracies and errors, and, in addition, the versions in different languages not only differ considerably, but sometimes directly contradict each other. Almost every edition has its own, different from others, technical specifications... The range of numbers is so great that one involuntarily wonders: do they really refer to the same car? Another strange pattern is that with each next publication, the parameters of the car improve: either the power will grow, then the price will fall, then the mass will decrease, then the capacity of the cylinders will increase. So, doubts here are quite appropriate and justified. However, there was not long to wait. Probably, already in the coming year, we will know for sure what this MDI-developed compressed air engine is - a revolution in the automotive industry or, in all senses of the word, a “blown” sensation ”. Meanwhile, it is quite possible that the intrigue with the "air car" will not be resolved in 2002 either. As a result of lengthy searches for information on the Web, one more or less "live" site was discovered, which promises mass production revolutionary cars in 2003. By the way, in the process of searching, a lot of interesting things were found on the "air" theme. It is curious that at the international toy fair held in February 2001 in Nuremberg, the Canadian company Spin Master offered customers a model of an aircraft equipped with a compressed air engine. The mini-tank can be inflated with any pump, and the propellers take the original toy into the heavens. In addition, there is a commercial offer on the Internet, apparently addressed to the Moscow government. In this document, one metropolitan company invites officials "to familiarize themselves with the proposal of the car company MDI (France) on the production of absolutely environmentally friendly and economical cars in Moscow." There was also a proposal by V.A.Konoshchenko, who reports on the car invented by him, running on compressed air, attaching a description of the device. Also caught my eye was the invention of Rais Shaimukhametov - "Sadokhod", which "is driven by compressed air: under the hood there is a small engine and a serial compressor. The air rotates autonomously from each other two blocks (left and right) of eccentric rotors (pistons). The rotors in the block are connected by a caterpillar chain through the running wheels. " As a result, there was a double impression: on the one hand, the story with the French "air car" is not completely clear, and on the other, there is a much clearer feeling that "air" transport has been used for a long time, and especially for some reason in Russia. And, moreover, from the century before last. There is evidence that a 33-meter submarine with a compressed air engine, designed by self-taught I.F. Aleksandrovsky, was launched in the summer of 1865, successfully passed a number of tests, and only after that sank. NEGRA'S MACHINE - BLOOLING SENSATION A dazzling idea - a compressed air car - turned out to be a myth Sergey LESKOV The known oil reserves on Earth will last no more than 50 years. They are trying to replace gasoline, which, among other things, is the main source of air pollution in big cities. And liquefied natural gas, and all kinds of synthesized gases and liquids, and even alcohol. For a long time, hopes were pinned on an electric car, but its technical characteristics are low, and the utilization of the energy source turned out to be a problem for the environment. And here is a new, stunning idea - a compressed air car. French engineer Guy Negro earned fame in automotive world its starters for Formula 1 cars and aircraft engines. There are 70 patents in his design dossier. This suggests that the Negro is not self-taught from among those who annoy everyone with their discoveries car companies the world. A few years ago, the respected Negro founded the MDI (Motor Development International) company, which was engaged in the development of compressed air engines. The first reaction of any expert is nonsense, whim and again nonsense. But back in 1997 in Mexico, the parliamentary commission on transport became interested in this development, experts visited the plant in Brignola and signed an agreement on the gradual replacement of all 87,000 taxis in Mexico City, the world's most gnawed capital, with clean-breathing cars. Two years ago at Auto Africa Expo 2000 there was a presentation of a concept car created by the Negra team called e. Volution. As promised, he used compressed air as fuel. In Johannesburg, on the wave of general interest, the start of the serial production of the wonder car with the Zero Pollution engine was announced in 2002. In South Africa, it was supposed to make 3 thousand e. Volution. The appointed year is in the yard. Where is the "air vehicle"? There are many publications on this topic, but the characteristics are jumping, as if we are not talking about technology, but about an Arab stallion. If you average all the protocols, you get the following portrait: e. The Volution weighs 700 kg, the Zero Pollution motor 35 kg. The car can travel 200 km without refueling. Maximum speed- 130 km / h. At a speed of 80 km / h, it can move for 10 hours. Estimated price - 10 thousand dollars. It takes energy to pump air into cylinders, and power plants are also a source of pollution. The authors of the project calculated the efficiency in the chain "refinery - car" for a gasoline, electric and air engine: 9, 13 and 20%, respectively. That is, the "air vent" is in the lead by a noticeable margin. The refueling itself takes about 4 hours, and the cylinders are hidden under the bottom. The principle of operation of the "air vent" does not differ from the internal combustion engine. No, due to the lack of fuel, only the combustion itself. Besides, there are no ignition systems, fuel injection systems, or a gas tank. The air in the cylinders is under a pressure of 200 atmospheres. The idea of the designers is as follows: part of the exhaust is sucked into a small cylinder and compressed by a piston to a pressure of 20 atmospheres. Air heated to 400 degrees is pushed into the chamber, which is analogous to the combustion chamber. It is supplied with compressed air from cylinders. It heats up - and as a result, the cylinder piston moves, transmitting the working force to the crankshaft. As we approach the announced release date, the inconsistency in publications on this topic is becoming more noticeable. It seems that Guy Negra's team is facing serious technical problems... To clarify the situation, Izvestia-Nauka turned to the most authoritative specialists in our country from the State scientific center"Research Automotive and automotive institute(NAMI) ". We calculated the operating cycle of this engine, - said the head of the gas cylinder equipment department at NAMI, Vladislav Luksho. - This is another attempt to deceive the fundamental laws of nature, to slip past the rules of thermodynamics. You can develop this idea: make the driver pump air with his feet. on compressed air is absurd, because its efficiency is very low. The energy obtained from mechanical compression per kilogram of weight is 20-30 times less than the chemical energy of hydrocarbon fuel. Gasoline has no competitors. Only atomic energy has higher performance. This e. Volution will be able to drive. only for short distances, as toys with pneumatic motors fly. ”Skeptical attitude to the compressed air engine does not mean at all, NAMI experts are sure of this, that attempts to find an alternative to the gasoline engine are doomed. gas engines on propane-butane, which are inferior in fuel heat transfer to a gasoline engine only 1.5 times. In continuation of the precepts of Chonka's friend Gladyshev, efforts are being made to master the biogas engine, which is obtained from all kinds of waste. Hydrogen has great prospects, and the ways of its use are very diverse - from additives to gasoline to liquefaction or use in the form of compounds with metals (hydrides). According to latest developments US, it is better not to burn hydrogen: it reacts in the fuel element, electricity which is converted into mechanical energy. Another option is alcohol, which is energetically "stronger" than gas, although "weaker" than gasoline. Alcohol engines are widely used in Brazil. True, in Russia it is not even worth talking about the introduction of this design - it is simply stupid.
What methods are used by auto manufacturers in order to attract the attention of consumers. The buyer is bewitched with fashionable futuristic design, unprecedented safety measures, the use of more environmentally friendly engines, etc.
Personally, I am not very moved by the latest delights of various design studios - even more so: for me, the car was and will remain an inanimate piece of metal and plastic and all the efforts of marketers to tell me how high my self-esteem should go to the sky after buying “our newest model »Is nothing but a shaking of the air. Well, at least for me personally.
More exciting for me, as a car owner, the topic - issues of economy and survivability. Fuel costs far from three kopecks, besides, there are too many followers of Vasily Alibabaevich from “Gentlemen of Fortune” in the vastness of the “great and mighty”. Auto manufacturers have been trying to switch to the use of alternative fuels for a long time. In the United States, electric cars have taken a fairly strong position, but not everyone can afford to buy such a machine - it is very expensive. Now, if budget-class cars were made electric ...
An interesting goal was set by the French manufacturers PSA Peugeot Citroen, they initiated an interesting program to reduce fuel consumption. This group of auto manufacturers is developing a hybrid power plant that could use just two liters of fuel per hundred kilometers. The engineers of the company already have something to show - today's developments allow saving up to 45% of fuel in comparison with an ordinary internal combustion engine: even with such indicators of two liters per hundred, it is not yet possible to fit, but by 2020 they promise to conquer this milestone.
The statements are quite bold and interesting, but it would be more interesting to take a closer look at this hybrid and equally economical setup. The system is called Hybrid Air and as its name implies, in addition to traditional fuel, it uses the energy of air and compressed air.
The Hybrid Air concept is not that complicated and is a hybrid three cylinder internal combustion engine and hydraulic motor- pump. As tanks for alternative fuel in the central part of the car and under the trunk space, two cylinders are installed: which is larger - for low pressure; and the one that is smaller, respectively, for the high. The car will accelerate on the internal combustion engine, after a speed of 70 km / h, the hydraulic motor is switched on. Through this very hydraulic motor and an ingenious planetary transmission, the energy of the compressed air will be converted into rotational motion of the wheels. In addition, an energy recovery system is provided on such a car - during braking, the hydraulic motor acts as a pump and pumps air into a low-pressure cylinder - that is, the much-desired energy will not be wasted.
According to the company's engineers, a car with hybrid installation The Hybrid Air, even though the mass is 100 kg higher than a traditional engine, will have fuel savings of at least 45%, and this is despite the fact that the sophistication in this field of motor construction is far from complete.
Expected that hybrid systems the first to be applied on hatchbacks Citroen C3 and Peugeot 208, and it will be possible to ride "air" in 2016, and French managers see Russia and China as the main markets for cars with a hybrid Hybrid Air.
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The fact that pneumatic vehicles can become a full-fledged replacement for gasoline and diesel vehicles is still in doubt. However, compressed air engines have their unconditional potential. Compressed air vehicles use an electric pump - compressor to compress air to high pressure (300 - 350 bar) and accumulate it in a reservoir. Using it to move pistons, like an internal combustion engine, work is done and the car is driven by clean energy.
1. The novelty of technology
Despite the fact that the car with an air engine seems to be an innovative and even futuristic development, the power of air was used in driving cars as early as the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. However, the seventeenth century and the development of Dani Papin for the British Academy of Sciences must be considered the starting point in the history of the development of air engines. Thus, the principle of operation of an air engine was discovered more than three hundred years ago, and it seems all the more strange that this technology has not found application in the automotive industry for so long.
2. Evolution of air-powered cars
Compressed air engines were originally used in public transport... In 1872, Louis Mekarski created the first pneumatic tramway. Then, in 1898, Howdley and Knight improved the design by extending the engine cycle. Among the founding fathers of the compressed air engine, the name of Charles Porter is also often mentioned.
3. Years of oblivion
Pay attention to long history air engine, it may seem strange that this technology did not get the proper development in the twentieth century. In the thirties, a locomotive was designed with hybrid engine, which ran on compressed air, however, the installation of internal combustion engines became the dominant trend in the automotive industry. Some historians transparently hint at the existence of an "oil lobby": in their opinion, powerful companies interested in the growth of the market for sales of oil refined products made every possible effort to ensure that research and development in the field of creating and improving air engines was never published.
4. Advantages of compressed air motors
In the performance of air engines, it is easy to see many advantages over internal combustion engines. First of all, it is cheapness and obvious safety of air as an energy source. Further, the design of the engine and the car as a whole is simplified: there are no spark plugs, a gas tank and an engine cooling system; the risk of leakage is eliminated charging batteries, as well as pollution of nature by car exhaust. Ultimately, provided mass production, the cost of compressed air engines is likely to be lower than the cost of gasoline engines.
However, it will not do without a fly in the ointment: according to the experiments carried out, compressed air engines in operation turned out to be noisier than gasoline engines. But this is not their main drawback: unfortunately, in terms of their performance, they also lag behind internal combustion engines.
5. The future of air-powered vehicles
A new era for compressed air vehicles began in 2008, when former Formula 1 engineer Guy Negre presented his brainchild, the CityCat, an air-powered car that can reach speeds of up to 110 km / h and cover distances without recharging. 200 kilometers It took more than 10 years to turn the starting mode of the pneumatic drive into a working one. Founded with a group of like-minded people, the company became known as Motor Development Internation. Her initial project was not a pneumatic car in full sense this word. The first engine of Guy Negre could run not only on compressed air, but also on natural gas, gasoline and diesel. In the MDI motor, the processes of compression, ignition of the combustible mixture, as well as the working stroke itself, take place in two cylinders of different volumes, connected by a spherical chamber.
The power plant was tested on a Citroen AX hatchback. On low speeds(up to 60 km / h), when the power consumption did not exceed 7 kW, the car could only move on the energy of compressed air, but at a speed higher than the specified mark power point automatically switched to gasoline. In this case, the engine power increased to 70 Horse power... On-highway fuel consumption was only 3 liters per 100 km - a result that any hybrid car will envy.
However, the MDI team did not stop at the achieved result, continuing to work on improving the compressed air engine, namely, on creating a full-fledged air car, without replenishment of gas or liquid fuel. The first was the Taxi Zero Pollution prototype. This car "for some reason" did not arouse interest in developed countries, which at that time were heavily dependent on the oil industry. But Mexico became interested in this development, and in 1997 signed an agreement on the gradual replacement of the taxi fleet in Mexico City (one of the most polluted megacities in the world) for "air" transport.
The next project was the same Airpod with a semicircular fiberglass body and 80-kilogram compressed air cylinders, a full supply of which was enough for 150-200 kilometers. However, the OneCat project, a more modern interpretation of the Mexican taxi Zero Pollution, became a full-fledged serial air car. Lightweight and safe carbon cylinders at 300 bar can hold up to 300 liters of compressed air.
The principle of operation of the MDI engine is as follows: air is sucked into a small cylinder, where it is compressed by a piston under a pressure of 18-20 bar and heats up; the heated air goes into a spherical chamber, where it mixes with cold air from the cylinders, which instantly expands and heats up, increasing the pressure on the piston of the large cylinder, which transfers the force to the crankshaft.
