Filed under: Emerging Technologies
Improve mileage 50 percent by heating up gas
Put on your tin foil hats everyone, it's conspiracy story time. One upon a time, a Washington Post reporter took a ride in a car that gets 50 percent better fuel economy by heating gas to 350 degrees. The system improves mileage by turning gas into a vapor which leads to better combustion. The reporter almost didn't go for the test drive because he reasoned if this were true why wouldn't car companies do this now?
We have written about systems like this before. Experimental versions even appears in the Saab Biopower concept. There is a car in the X-Prize that has this technology. Heck, anyone that ever warmed up a car in the morning or used ethanol in the cold probably re-invented this. It's not a new idea. So why don't car companies use this technology? The Post says it might be safety concerns of vaporizing gasoline.
I don't know. How is vaporizing gasoline any less safe than igniting it? The Post also says there are lesser versions of this technology in cars already. Maybe this is proof that there is a vast conspiracy of oil and car companies working together to keep fuel saving technologies off the market? I guess this conspiracy story ends with the oil companies living happily ever after in profit land :D
[Source: Washington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike 3:25PM (8/29/2007)
I wonder if anyone has ever used a Coleman gas stove? sheesh Anyway, this has been done before. In mid 70s (78 IIRC) in San Antonio a guy actually had it working. I read the article in the San Antonio paper. He got well north of 100 mpg measured by weight of the car before and after the test drive. Problem was that to work in a standard ICE you had to create a reservoir with tightly controlled tempratures. Tough with 70s technology. Consider using this in a constant RPM engine for use in a serial hybrid though. Perfect solution. High milage, very low emissions (like NG), high energy fuel, and, for a constant RPM engine, very easy to do.
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brandon 3:29PM (8/29/2007)
It's a question of how to heat it and how to contain the heated gas. Vapors are much more difficult to control than liquids are!
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MikeW 3:55PM (8/29/2007)
Gasoline already turns into vapor inside the engine.
Higher injection pressure leads to greater atomization.
If heating the fuel is good, mercedes must be screwing you with a fuel cooler.
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Images/Feb06/24MercedesCLS350CGI/100024306a682.jpg
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Images/Feb06/24MercedesCLS350CGI/100029606c1211_002.jpg
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Images/Feb06/24MercedesCLS350CGI/100032906c1211_005.jpg
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detroit9000 4:07PM (8/29/2007)
Sounds like a good way to crack a piston ring or worse. Cars have to last for at least around 100k miles, or people won't buy them.
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steven 4:52PM (8/29/2007)
Maybe we can get Kipkay http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/08/29/video-dont-overcharge-your-lithium-batteries/ or Ianbruce http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/08/13/video-nail-drilled-through-a123-battery/ to create a video on what can happen if you heat up gasoline?
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Kevin 5:06PM (8/29/2007)
you have to heat it
then keep it hot
then control it
And all of this needs to be done the entire time form the first crank to the last spark. Other wise you would need two injection systems one for the cold liquid and one for the cold gas. Then there is the safety or perceived safety of a hot gasoline vapor under pressure.
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Chris M 5:09PM (8/29/2007)
The most it can do is get more complete fuel combustion, reducing the unburned hydrocarbons emitted from the engine. Unburned HC emissions are low even in regular engines, so the potential fuel milage improvement is limited. No way could it get a "50% improvement", though folks trying to sell such gadgets are prone to exaggerate a bit.
Of course, a badly tuned (or piston ring leaking) engine will emit lots of unburned hydrocarbons, but repair and tuning is what's needed, not a fuel vaporizer.
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Mike Z 5:52PM (8/29/2007)
I think a 50% improvement would be beyond the theoretical efficiency of the OTTO cycle.
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Joseph 6:56PM (8/29/2007)
The reason why this isn't true is very simple.
If it was, Hypermilers would've already done it!
Unless...maybe that is their conspiracy secret!
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Sree 9:43PM (8/29/2007)
We can use the heat coming out of the engine smoke to reheat the fuel pumped into the car...
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philmcneal 2:58AM (8/30/2007)
its called a freaking block heater, gosh...
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motorman 12:11PM (8/30/2007)
smokey yunick did this 30 years ago
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Yggdrasilly 1:43PM (8/31/2007)
The problem with this system is that you'd absolutely have to prevent any air from getting into the stream of superheated gasoline vapors until they're already inside the cylinder, waiting to be burned. Otherwise you'd get preignition somewhere in the fuel flow.
Bad Ju-Ju.
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Clint LeRoy 7:04AM (9/02/2007)
Actually the reality here is that in 1995 AL Gore endorsed a law that restricted gas mixtures above a 14.7 to 1 ratio. This was to allow environmental testing equipment back in the day to analyze emission testing in all 50 states. The Federal Government figured that this ratio would allow test equipment to adequately analyze the emissions of a running automobile. Where today's technology actually is able to diagnose emission testing beyond the 30 to 1 ratio. Thus limitations exist by the law that governs vaporization of fuel mixtures to nothing above 14.7 to 1.
The EPA-OBD II Law mandates that all Gasoline Powered Vehicles in the USA from 1996 to the Present must operate at 14.7 Parts of Air to 1
Part of Fuel. Any change whatsoever, even if Fuel Economy is improved, and Emissions are lowered, will result in a failed Vehicle Inspection.
Exemptions are granted for Natural Gas, Propane, and Hydrogen Powered Vehicles that are registered as Operating on Alternative Energy, but not Gasoline.
http://www.epa.gov/EPA-AIR/1998/December/Day-22/a32570.htm
[Federal Register: December 22, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 245)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 70681-70697]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22de98-18]
That should end the discussion of why we can't get this type of fuel mileage it is our own government who is restricting our capabilities. Try contacting your local government representative and tell them we need this ACT over turned and soon.
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ANGRY MOCHANIC 12:36PM (9/15/2007)
this is a bunch of unorganized mess on this page. when feeding fuel into the system you yield five emission gasses hc+co+c02+O2+Nox by adjusting the af mixture you can lower one side lean=low hc but in turn you increase your Nox excessively Nox being gases over 1500 deg. increases the temp of everything wich wears the motor and fries o2 sensors amongst other things. so yeah you can run lean but it wont last long and you can run rich but you wont get gas mileage. 14.7 keeps hc low and Nox low and the cat will turn the rest from hc co into h20 and co2 which are more friendly. so run lean if you want but its gonna emit greenhouse gases faster which is what we are trying to avoid in the first place
BUY YOSELF A BIKE!!!!
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Tim 11:44PM (9/20/2007)
I think there is another answer. Just think if we improve mpg 50% think of the taxes the state and local and federal government will lose. If everybody increased fuel mileage. Fuel would increase in price. Some states are experimenting with mileage tax for every car. It is 2007 we can't get 25 plus mpg.
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James Zumbo 10:17AM (9/21/2007)
Very interesting informative automotive blog
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James Zumbo 6:25PM (9/21/2007)
Very Interesting and Informative Automotive Blog.
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Shorty 3:37PM (9/25/2007)
ok, so are you all saying that even with new technology, there is a chance of the gas getting too hot and igniting ? What about this new Chip that allows to to save money and reduces emmissions ? I can sell this product, but I am looking for "expertese input" so to speak - about such a thing. The XairCHIP is EPA approved and uses Ultra-Flux h/E Technology ?? I am interested in your view here, as I would be concerned if this product had an unkown Safety issue.
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Vapsterinventor 5:26PM (10/13/2007)
To all you brainiacs out there, hear it from the horses mouth. This is Vapsterinventor, you seem to forget that the system running on a lean fuel mixture has to also run on a restricted air flow. This is done by a chip or a manual butterfly valve.
I only build'm and have third parties test 'em. For test results visit www.vaporfuelsystems.com
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