klexx koncept: AIR POWERED VEHICLE; COULD THIS BE REAL

AIR POWERED VEHICLE; COULD THIS BE REAL

A compressed air car is a car that uses a motor powered by compressed air, which is stored in a tank at a high pressure such as 30Mpa (4500psi or 300bar) . Rather than driving engine pistons with an ignited air- fuel mixture, compressed air car uses the expansion of compressed air in a similar manner to the expansion of steam in a steam engine.

Gasoline is fast becoming a fuel of the past, considering the fact that the petroleum that is used in making it is gradually running out.

It pollutes the air that’s becoming increasingly unhealthy to breathe, and people no longer want to pay the high prices that oil companies are charging for it.

Automobile manufacturers have spent lot of time and money to find and develop the fuel of the future and the question is- what will this fuel be? Barring the various ideas that have been suggested by different sources, manufacturers think that, if achievable, air could become an even better energy source.

At a first glance, the idea of using air as fuel seems almost too good to be true. If we can use air as fuel, why think about using anything else? Air is all around us. Air never runs out. Air is none polluting, air is free.

The idea of using compressed air to power a vehicle isn’t new: early prototypes of an air-powered vehicle date as far back as the 19^th century, even before the invention of internal combustion engines.

A couple of laws of physics (gas laws) have stressed the fact that gases (air) can be made to store large amount of energy by means of compression.

OBJECTIVES

The basic objective of this research is to come up with a means to make use of air extensively as a fuel to power our vehicles. This ultimately creates an alternative energy source and invariably, a safer environment.

The discovery of crude oil as fuel was a very welcome discovery when it came up. Engineers, over time have done a lot in utilizing this natural resource as an important source of energy mostly employed today as a means of powering our various machines. The increasing exploration of oil makes scarcity of oil very imminent in the nearest future, hence the need for an alternate source of energy that can be used instead of petroleum. This research is borne out of a quest to seeing how air can be employed to fill this imminent void.

MATERIALS

1. A complete automobile engine (pistons, crankshaft, engine block, cylinder head and so on)

2. An air tank; often made of carbon fiber for weight reduction while maintaining strength. Carbon fiber safely holds air at a pressure somewhere around 4500 psi (www.wikipedia.com).