>>> To the Group:
>>>
>>> The following link shows a couple engines using compressed air for
>>> fuel. I have also read an article about an Indian company doing
the
>>> same thing. Three different manufacturing companies in three
different
>>> parts of the world doing the same basic concept. Can anybody find
>>> anything basically wrong with what they are doing? I know that
the
>>> Wankel is used as a compressor. If the air is reversed it could
be used
>>> as an engine.
>>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXrnCYAlUFc_
>>> Norm DeBoer
>>
>>
>> The advantage of fuel over batteries, compressed air
>> and other fixed mass storage systems is that your
>> weight decreases.
>>
>> How much does a carbon fiber air tank weigh and
>> how much energy can you store in it?
>>
>> It might be good for a car where you can recover brake
>> energy.
>>
>> Jeff Martin
>>
>> Fill your air compressor tank to 100 psi. Turn off the compressor.
>> Time how long your air grinder runs. Another guess
>> is it will run for about 5 minutes at the most. Multiply by 10 for
1000
>> PSI.
>> 50 minutes. Double the size of the tank. 1 2/3 hours or 100 minutes.
>>
>> My guess is an air grinder is 1 to 3 HP at the outside. 10 to 20
thousand
>> RPM.
>>
>> Divide 50 HP by 3 HP or 16 times for the minimum HP needed for a small
>> car.
>> So the car will run for 6.25 minutes. Triple that for 3000 psi. 18
>> minutes.
>> I think you see where I am going with this.
>>
>> Paul Lamar
>
>
> I see your points Paul.. But, I imagine that air grinders are quite
> inefficient - single stage turbines, leaky. Targeted at being compact
> and light weight. It seems that a slow turning piston decompressor
> could be quite a bit more efficient.
>
>
> Matt-
And to play the green card, how efficient is your compressor, your power
lines and your coal fired generators etc. Also a real B if you run out of
air and air drives tend to be very noisy.
John
If you had a really long retractable air hose you could do pattern work.
Dan
TATA is the Indian company. They bought Rover and Jaguar from Ford last
year. A very big and capable company.
They claim a 125 mile range, and that will do for most folks, if a home
compressor and/or enough retail refilling locations are made available.
On a similar note Honda has a natural gas car, and a wall hanging
chiller/compressor you plumb into your house natural gas supply for
overnight recharges at about one dollar a night per fuel load. Sounds
like a winner to me.
Lynn E. Hanover
What do you pay per kw hour? Peek at your electric bill.
Paul Lamar
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