PNEUMATIC VEHICLES

BY:

CHETAN.YUSN 4JD11ME010

A TECHNICAL SEMINAR

ON

Contents

1. Introduction2. History and Application3. Construction and Parts4. Technology Description5. Application6. Advantages7. Disadvantages8. Pneumatic Hybrids9. Conclusion

Why Pneumatics..??

Fuel Crisis

Cost of Gasoline

Abundant Usage of Automobile

Air is abundantly available in nature

Cheaper, Safer, more flexible, and more reliable than other forms of energy

INTRODUCTION:

The vehicle uses fluid system instead of the Internal Combustion engine.

Will help save the non-renewable sources of energy.

Will help in reducing the problem of global warming since Automobiles contribute to the problem the most.

History:

Pneumatic motors have been existed in many forms long back from two centuries, Ranging in size from hand held devices to some engines of several horse power some of them are:

1. Victor Tatin Aeroplane of 1979

It was designed by an French engineer called Victor Tatin , This was the First model of Airplane to take off on its own power after a run on the ground

The model had a span of 1.90 m (6 ft. 3 in) and weighed 1.8 kg (4.0 lb.). It had twin propellers and was powered by a compressed-air engine

Running under its own power it took off at a speed of 8 meters per second.

2. Muse de lair et de I’espace. (The first mechanically powered submarine)

The first mechanically powered Sub marine, in1863 called plunger, used a compressed air engine

3. Mekarski Compressed Air Tram

It was a single-stage engine in that air was expanded in one piston and then exhausted.

The air was reheated after leaving the tank and before entering the engine.

The reheater bubbled air through a hot water tank, picking up hot water vapor to improve the engine's range.

This was used in in congested streets and in tunnels, as compressed air produced no smoke or flames, and thus would not disturb horses or fill the carriage with soot and sparks like a steam engine.[4]

4.Compressed-Air Locomotive [TRAM] Used In Boring THE ROVE CANAL TUNNEL In FRANCE

CONSTRUCTION: Engine

Does mechanical work by expanding compressed air through either linear or rotary motion

These have been existed in man forms over past two centuries ranging in size from Hand held turbines to engines of up to several hundred horse power

Many engines improve their performance by heating the incoming air or the engine itself

One can buy the vehicle with the engine or buy an engine to be installed in the vehicle.

Typical Air engines use one or more expander pistons.

TANKS:

These are the major parts of this vehicle

These tanks are usually made up of carbon fibers, Kevlar , steel and aluminum

These should be prepared as per ISO-11439

These Tanks can be refilled at a service station equipped with heat exchanger or in parking lots plugging the car into the electrical grid via an on-board compressor.

BODY:

The body is built with fiber and injected foam.

Even though the use of sheet metal for car bodies is common but

fibers are highly recommended as they are safer and they doesn’t cut like steel and easier to repair (it is glued), doesn’t rust.

Currently used fiber is Hemp fiber to replace fiber-glass and natural varnishes,

to produce 100% non contaminating body work.

CHASSIS:

These forms the main base of the pneumatic vehicles.

Based on the experience in aeronatics MDI [ motor development international] has put together highly resistant, yet light chassis

These aluminium rods are glued together like in aircraft , these rods provides shock resistance and also reduce the manufacturing time.

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION: Reciprocating piston of pneumatic cylinder drives the

crank shaft.

Power system consists of electric motor and pneumatic cylinder. Shown in the below figure

1. The first piston takes in the ambient air and compresses it to approximately 300psi and 200 degree Fahrenheit into the compression chamber during the first cycle of the engine

2. When the piston pause, a small amount of compressed air from the tanks is released into the expansion chamber to create a low pressured, low temperature volume of about 140psi

3. Shortly before the valve to the exhaust cylinder is opened, a high-speed shutter connects the compression and expansion chambers. The sudden pressure and temperature difference between the low chambers creates pressure waves in the expansion chamber, thereby producing work in the expansion chamber that drives the piston to power the engine.

Working:

Application:

A wide spread application of small pnematic motors is in the hanf held devices, power rachet wrenches,drills,sanders,grinders,cuttters and so on.

As they offer greater power density ( a smaller pneumatic motor can provide the same amount of power as that of the electric motor), generate lesss heat and Can be used in more volatile atmospheres as they do not require electric power

Recently a company called “AIR ENGINE” has developed a rotary motor for use in automobiles, these engines are placed immedeateley beside the wheel of the vehicle and uses no intermediate parts to transmit motion which means almost all of motors energy is used to rotate the wheel.

ADVANTAGES:

Refueling can be done at home using an air compressor or at service stations.

Compressed air engines reduce the cost of vehicle production, because there is no need to build a cooling system, spark plugs, starter motor, or silencers

Some mechanical configurations may allow energy recovery during braking by compressing and storing air.

The engine can be massively reduced in size.

Lighter vehicles cause less damage to roads, resulting in lower maintenance cost.

The price of filling air powered vehicles is significantly

cheaper than petrol, diesel . If electricity is cheap, then compressing air will also be relatively cheap

DISADVANTAGES: When air expands in the engine it cools

dramatically (Charles's law) and must be heated to ambient temperature using a heat exchanger.

Conversely, when air is compressed to fill the tank it heats up: as the stored air cools, its pressure decreases and available energy decreases

Refueling the compressed air container using a home or low-end conventional air compressor may take as long as 4 hours, though specialized equipment at service stations may fill the tanks in only 3 minutes

These vehicles provides more noisy while working

PNEUMATIC HYBRIDS

To Overcome some of the dis advantages of pneumatic vehicles the scientists have found some hybrid technology and used them,

Firstly this is not a vehicle that solely runs on air, but instead it utilizes a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine mated with an electric engine replacing and an compressed air tank. These hybrids are mainly depend on a different type of breaking system called REGENERATIVE BREAKING SYSTEM

REGENERATIVE BREAKING SYSTEM:

This is a type of breaking system that converts the kinetic energy produced while stopping he vehicle into a storable energy form rather than allowing it to dissipate as heat, which is in the case of conventional energy form.

Under breaking the fuel the supply would be shut off and the vehicle would be stopped slowly via engine (compression) braking, but rather than losing the air that would be compressed by the pistons in the cylinder it would then be collected.

In this case the IC engine acts as the air compressor for the system and then stores it in a high compression storage tank for a quick burst of additional energy when necessary

The main disadvantage of this system is that compressed air has extremely low energy density making it fairly inefficient during long drive but this is very useful in urban environment, where the constant stop and go cycle repeats.

CONCLUSION:

Even though the vehicle is in its early stages of

development, It holds a lot of promise and provides scope for further research.

It eliminates the use of non-renewable fuels like gasoline,

diesel petrol etc, and Thereby preventing pollution caused by millions of automobiles all over the world. This could be the future of automobiles and step to a healthier environment

Now the responsibility is entrusted upon us as engineers of tomorrow to develop the concept and make it feasible so that it reaches the common man and we get a better environment to live in.

THANK YOU…

QUESTIONS