Air Powered Car Project


Air Powered Car Project report

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Air Powered Car Project

Air Powered Car Project


Abstract: Light utility vehicles are becoming very popular means of independent transportation for short distances. Cost and pollution with petrol and diesel are leading vehicle manufacturers to develop vehicles fueled by alternative energies. Engineers are directing their efforts to make use of air as an energy source to run the light utility vehicles. The use of compressed air for storing energy is a method that is not only efficient and clean, but also economical. The major problem with compressed air cars was the lack of torque produced by the "engines" and the cost of compressing the air. Recently several companies have started to develop compressed air vehicles with many advantages and still many serious bottlenecks to tackle. This paper briefly summarize the principle of technology, latest developments, advantages and problems in using compressed air as a source of energy to run vehicles.The principle of compressed-air propulsion [6] is to pres- surize the storage tank and then connect it to something very like a reciprocating steam engine of the vehicle. Instead of mixing fuel with air and burning it in the engine to drive pistons with hot expanding gases, compressed air vehicles (CAV) use the expansion of compressed air to drive their pistons. Thus, making the technology free from difficulties, both technical and medical, of using ammonia, petrol, or carbon disulphide as the working fluid. Manufacturers [5-9] claim to have designed engine that is 90 percent efficient. The air is compressed at pressure about 150 times the rate the air is pressurized into car tyres or bicycle. The tanks must be designed to safety standards appropriate for a pressure vessel. The storage tank may be made of steel, aluminium, carbon fiber, kevlar or other materials, or combinations of the above. The fiber materials are considerably lighter than metals but generally more expensive. Metal tanks can withstand a large number of pressure cycles, but must be checked for corrosion periodically. A company has stated to store air in tanks at 4,500 pounds per square inch (about 30 MPa) and hold nearly 3,200 cubic feet (around 90 cubic metres) of air. The tanks may be refilled at a service station equipped with heat exchangers, or in a few hours at home or in parking lots,