02-05-2011, 11:30 AM
Green Engine Seminar Report.docx (Size: 1.19 MB / Downloads: 307)
1] Introduction
The Internal Combustion Engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel (normally a fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and -pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine, such as pistons, turbine blades, or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance, generating useful mechanical energy.
Internal Combustion Engines have been the mainstay of economy since past two hundred years. The economy has grown influenced by developments in the field of IC Engines.
Statistics show that over half the total production of petroleum is used by automobiles. As these fuels are being burnt, very high amounts of Carbon di-oxide [CO2], Carbon Monoxide [CO], Un-burnt Hydrocarbons [HC], and Nitrogen Oxides [NO] are being let out into atmosphere. These poisonous gases are creating ozone layer depreciation, Green House Effect. Global Warming as a result will be very disastrous with scientists predicting that Earth’s polar ice cap will melt and ocean water levels will rise by 3 meters. This has led the observers to pinpoint IC Engines as main culprits.
Hence growing environmental awareness,Rising fuel costs, lack of equally easily usable resource, realization of fact that fossil fuels which supply almost over 75% of human energy needs are to run out in a hundred years from now has influenced, scientists, researchers and engineers to work on and develop better energy utilizing, highly efficient, cost-effective IC Engines also named as GreenEngines.
With many institutions in educational and corporate sectors investing their talent, money and time in development of new types of IC Engines also called ‘Green Engines’ the scary and grim situation has begun to look less scary and less grim and future for such types of engines looks very promising.
2]Types of Green Engines:
1) Turbocombustion Green Engineby Perfect Motor Corp., LA, USA.
2) Radial Internal Combustion Wave Rotorby Michigan State University, USA and Warsaw Institute of Technology, Poland.
3) Green Engineby Paradigm Energy Conversion Systems, USA.
4) Internally Radiating Impulse Structure Enginesby IRIS Engine Inc.
3] Construction & Working
3.1]Turbocombustion Green Engine:
Fig1: Turbocombustion Green Engine cut view
This Engine is a developmental research project by Perfect Motor Corp., LA, USA. A single cylinder engine consists of a piston mounted at 90 degrees to the rotor such that the combustion force is applied tangential to the rotor and at maximum pressure angle possible.
The Engine has a piston, a fuel intake valve, a spark plug, an exhaust valve, a cam-operated crankshaft and a rotor also acting as a casing which allows for expansion of hot gases and also allows the hot gases to directly transfer their energy to the rotor.
The Working of this engine takes place as such, the air-fuel mixture is sent in axially to the engine. In the intake cycle, the mixture is sent in through inlet valve. The piston compresses the mixture in its compression cycle and by the action of spark plug the fuel is ignited. Combustion of fuel takes place. Immediately the exhaust valve opens into the rotor where the combusting mixture expands and transfers its energy to the rotor. As the rotor rotates the energy is transferred to the main shaft or the wheel.
Fig2: Turbocombustion Green Engine parts
3.2] Radial Internal Combustion Wave Rotor:
Fig.3: Radial Internal Combustion Wave Rotor symbolic diagram
This Engine has been a research project by Michigan State University, USA and Warsaw Institute of Technology, Poland. It has been recently funded by US’s Dept. of Energy’s ARPA-E program to the amount of $2.5million.
The design does away with many of the components of a conventional engine, including pistons, camshaft and valves.
It is a piston-less rotary engine.The engine has a spinning disk with curved blades. As the rotor spins, the air-fuel mixture fills up the chambers. Pressure builds up when the inlet and outlets are blocked and the air-fuel mixture gets compressed. This mixture then ignites. This sends shockwaves within the chamber. As the gas escapes at high speed, it pushes against the blade-like ridges inside the rotor, keeping it spinning and generating power.