I've been doing a lot of research in the fuel and engine research and development. I've found several amazing ideas that seem to keep getting overlooked. As the price of gasoline keeps ascending thanks to economic conditions and growth around the world, many consumers such as myself are beginning to investigate and come up with ways to increase gas mileage. I'm not the first, you're not the first, and to the surprise of most, this hunt for gasoline gold has been going on since the 1930's. It has been constantly covered up and mysteriously vanishing into thin air just like our money into the gas tank. In this article, I'm going to address all the secret ways of gas mileage improvement that have been swept under the carpet, and introduce an idea of mine that is a combination of these efforts that could lead to a revolution in modern fuel and engine development called "vaporized petroleum air hybrid adjustable compression ratio engines".
History of the fuel and engine development game
The major secret that has been constantly covered up since the early thirties is the vapor carburetor. First brought to the public eye by Charles Nelson Pogue, he claimed 200 miles per gallon with his patented plans. He never produced the carburetor, however his plans were distributed all over the world. Even though he never produced it, claims of it's production have popped up throughout history only to mysteriously vanish. This is considered to be the first spark which ignited the following for many years to come. Up until 1968, all high mileage carburetor systems were simply in theory and created by what most consider "mad scientists" and were ostracized from the scientific community.
Finally, a reputable name to the industry joined the party. Ford stepped into the high mileage market and designed a system that possessed a different type of combustion chamber. Running at a very lean 26:1 air to fuel ratio on a 426 cubic inch V8, this engine could have revolutionized the world but never made it into production. I wonder why? If big industry finds out a way to increase gas mileage drastically, all of a sudden oil profits will plummet in my opinion. Another drop in the conspiracy bucket that simply does nothing but hold the scientific community back from discovering new technology. This was the first of many inventions to be denied acceptance into the mainstream markets.
So now the playing board is set, and big oil knows that consumers and big auto are searching for ways to increase gas mileage. Ironically, in 1973 the Shell Oil Company held a high mileage contest to see who could come up with the most efficient engine design. A highly modified Opel engine set the record at 376.59 miles per gallon. What happened to this motor? Why was it never put into production? Interesting enough, it was designed for an oil company contest of which the winners may have been compensated to sweep the design under the carpet. Another well played circumstance brought forth by big oil to keep the high MPG engines under cloak and holding back not only the scientific community but mankind's advancements as well.
Do you see a trend forming here? Keep reading, because it gets better. In 1974, Mechanix Illustrated published a humidifier system with claims to get 60 to 100 miles per gallon. Not much is known about this system and there is very limited information on the web today, but if you dig deep enough you can find anything. I would guess that this is a spin of the vapor carburetor, but used a humidifier type device where the fuel would be heated to a point that it would become vapor. Vaporized fuel is very potent, thus the high gas mileage claim could be just. Where is this design today? It's buried in the patent office under "Electric liquefied petroleum gas vaporizer".
The trend keeps building forth, that each time a new invention is created that yields more gas mileage, it is covered up or mysteriously disappears. The 1970's and onward, several systems have been designed that drastically increase gas mileage yet have never been put into production. In 1976, a modified Ford Pinto with a Nissan turbocharged diesel motor claimed 80 miles per gallon. In 1977, Tom Ogle of El Paso Texas ran his 1970 Ford Galaxie at 100 miles per gallon using a vapor fuel system. Most recently, some students in Kansas City developed a vehicle capable of 300 mpg. Sure it only holds one passenger, but the point is that these vehicles are being developed yet nothing is being changed. All of these advancements simply swept under the rug and disregarded.
Vaporized petroleum air hybrid engines with adjustable compression ratios
Title: "Vaporized petroleum air hybrid adjustable compression ratio engine design "
Author: Michael Berenis
Date: September 9, 2010
A simple solution to a much bigger problem, the vaporized fuel delivery systems have been pushed under the oil industry's billion dollar rug. How does the industry do it? Each time someone pops up with a claim for high mileage, big oil comes along and pays them off. According to Nowhereman2, several producers of the original vapor carburetor created by Charles Pogue have been paid off or given $100,000 per year jobs to simply stop producing this product. It sounds to me like the future of high mileage isn't in electric vehicles, hybrids, or even hydrogen vehicles; it's in vaporized petroleum air hybrid engines with adjustable compression ratios.
If you consider the properties of vaporized fuel, you can instantly see where the value is. When gasoline is in a vapor form, it is the only time it becomes combustible. Gasoline in a liquid form doesn't burn, only the vapors burn. When you introduce gasoline into the fuel injection system, the high pressure injectors with their extremely minuscule spray patterns atomize the fuel with a minimal amount of vaporization. With this style of fuel injection, atomization of the fuel in the combustion chamber is highly inefficient when compared to complete vaporization, as the fuel isn't completely vaporized thus reducing gas mileage drastically as excess fuel sticks to the cylinder walls, valves, etc. If it was completely vaporized, there wouldn't be so much carbon build up, a need to replace spark plugs as often, etc. and gas mileage would rise as only burnable fuel would be introduced into the combustion chamber.
Vaporized gasoline systems sound great, but they aren't perfected yet because every time someone comes up with one it gets swept under the proverbial rug. The only problem with vaporizing fuel is that it releases a chemical called heptane, which is a very low octane fuel that creates knock. If one was to use vaporized fuel, the heptane would need to be separated prior to being introduced into the combustion chamber. This heptane can be reduced by introducing charcoal filters as this is the current way of dealing with fuel vapors from excessive tank pressure. Would a charcoal filter be enough to remove octane from a fuel vaporization system? Possibly if enough R&D was invested.
In order to use a vaporized system, the atmospheric pressure must be considered; and in it's consideration a control of power could be issued. Using a vaporized system, it would be ideal to utilize a variable compression ratio engine setup in order to maintain a level playing field across varied elevations. By changing the compression ratio, you gain additional control over the engine's main function. If one combined the technology of vaporized fuel, the Scuderi air hybrid motor, and the MCE-5 variable compression ratio design, the ultimate in fuel mileage could be created by utilizing compressed air mixed with fuel vapor under a variable compression ratio.
Why combine these technologies, aren't they good enough on their own? Well, they are good enough on their own but there's always room for innovation. By compressing oxygen into a 100:1 compression ratio, pure oxygen becomes combustible. Now imagine if we introduced vaporized fuel into this combustion chamber at a variable compression ratio according to atmospheric values and fuel vapor injection rates. Engines could be creating a controlled power rating at amazing fuel mileage and drastically reduce environmental impact because we'd be using much less fuel than today's standard engine. If you want more power, electronic valve control could be utilized for control over compression ratio, fuel vapor saturation, and fuel vapor pressure. But it's not just their might that is impressive, it's their mass and simple design.
How much power could be created with a system like this? If the power from Scuderi's air hybrid is any indication, engines could be a fraction of their current size thus reducing weight and increasing gas mileage. If we adapt MCE-5's unique crank shaft design built on kinematics and low friction principles, we could reduce parasitic drags associated with conventional engine designs. If something like this would be designed, it would keep both the green party and the high power enthusiasts happy. High power, light weight engines that can be produced with minimal materials and manufacturing conversion cost, capable of drastic power improvements and minimal displacement.
Introduction into the market
It's a simple solution that could be easily introduced into modern manufacturing as it's still built on the same principles as modern internal combustion engines. You have a piston, crank, fuel, and mechanical energy instead of electrical. By using electrical vehicles, we're still not maximizing our use of energy and raw materials. Vaporized petroleum air hybrid adjustable compression ratio engines could possibly be capable of extracting the most energy per set volume of raw materials next to nuclear energy while maintaining the safety expectations of today's current engine market.
Of course safety isn't the only market value that the vaporized petroleum air hybrid adjustable compression ratio engine can satisfy. The engine market is well extended beyond the transportation sector into construction, military, marine, and remote energy generators. Personal transportation, recreational, and aircraft will also be widely accepting of this unique design thanks to it's extremely low profile and weight.
For manufacturing costs, the only provisional expenses would be creation of new dies, CNC programs, and other adjustments to today's current technology. It doesn't require advanced innovation like the electric car industry currently faces with modern battery technology. Built on basic principles, these engines could be designed and put onto the market at full efficiency within a fraction of the time required for current electric vehicles. Aside from the technology barricades, electric vehicles only put the electric company as the middle man; we're still not maximizing our power potential per set volume of natural materials being used.
Summary
It sounds like the vaporized petroleum air hybrid adjustable compression ratio engine is a solution for our modern energy crises. It won't only affect the automotive market, it will completely revolutionize the modern engine as we know it. Will it ever make it to market? Probably not, because this design like many others will be swept under the rug and added to the time line of "what-if's". But just think for a second if it did, how it would drastically change the world as we know it. Extremely high amounts of power could be derived out of minimal displacement while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts from both ends of the system. It doesn't just consume less fuel, it consumes less materials to construct it; which in turn reduces pollution in many forms.
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