Automobile Exhaust Recycling Could Help Fuel Your Car

It's no surprise that the price at the pump might be making you think twice about a little summer getaway, but thanks to engineers at Oregon State University, we might be one step closer to cutting those costs by solving one of the largest problems in worldwide energy use -- what to do with the wasted energy that flows out of automobile exhaust pipes everyday.

A revolutionary technology, which aims to capture and use that waste (as well as the same waste from factories, and "electrical utilities") is being developed at the university's engineering department, with its promising prototype recently published in the Applied Thermal Engineering Journal.

In addition to providing improved energy efficiency to a broad spectrum of technology, the invention could potentially reduce costs for cars. So far, the system is able to use the majority of the waste heat in the production of new electricity as well as cooling.

Hailei Wang, a research associate with the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at OSU, told ScienceDaily in an article about the prototype that "more than half" of the waste heat generated by industrial activities isn't used, and that the combustion engines of automobiles generally only run at a 25-40 percent conversion efficiency ratio.

He thinks the prototype could be the answer to the problem.

"This could become a very important new energy source and way to improve energy efficiency," Wang told the publication. "The prototype shows that these systems work as well as we expected they would."

Although similar products have been designed in the past, the OSU prototype has two advantages: its portability, and its ability to produce electricity through a "thermally activated cooling system." So far the new system can turn 80 percent of every kilowatt of waste heat into a kilowatt of cooling ability and about a 15-20 percent conversion efficiency ratio for producing electricity.

Wang also said that it could be possible for the system to be used in hybrid cars by using the waste heat from the gasoline to recharge the battery.

The engineers say that more tests are needed to perfect the system.

Comments

[vance99]

01:27 AM on 07/13/2011

When new products are manufactured from the raw material obtained from recycled products, it saves a lot of energy which is consumed for the production. When new products are manufactured from ‘virgin materials’, the amount of energy consumed is much higher. Besides, the energy required to acquire and transport the ‘virgin’ raw materials from their origins or natural sources is also saved. Add to that the energy which is required to clean and protect the environment from the pollutant waste products, especially those which are non-biodegradable (plastic) and fill up the landfill areas. http://www.mechanicapprenticeships.com/engineering-apprenticeships/

[Moose Luck 99]

04:02 PM on 06/16/2011

High mileage cars use exhaust heat fed PROPERLY to the intake.
Turbos do that better giving dynamic back pressure and transferring heat and air pressure to the intake.

Now we have the SCUDERI SPLIT CYCLE engine high efficiency and turbo adaptable.
Diesel torque curve gas engine with high revs also.

In the News | Scuderi Engine
AutoEvolution: Scuderi Engine Reduces Nissan Sentra's Fuel Consumption by Up ...
www.scuderigroup.com/in-the-news/

[RTIII]

09:36 AM on 06/16/2011

This isn't even close to a new idea.

What is new is _doing_something_ about it.

This has to be done at the industrial level because individuals can't manufacture the requisite system(s). And industry hasn't ever shown any interest in this area, and it's VERY hard to understand why.

[Mike Healy]

09:35 AM on 06/16/2011

OK now can we focus on a cure for cancer? Please? Oh and while you're at it how about that world hunger problem too?

[TexasPatriot1776]

09:09 AM on 06/16/2011

how about a solar panel car cover. your car charges all day while you're at work.

[Robert Nix]

09:39 AM on 06/16/2011

How about solar-power paint.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13424-solarpower-paint-lets-you-generate-as-you-decorate.html

[INVet]

09:00 AM on 06/16/2011

Ruducing entropy! :)

[Rude Monk]

08:38 AM on 06/16/2011

Go on Ebay and buy an HHO kit and install it yourself.
Want to build one?Check youtube.

[Robert Nix]

09:31 AM on 06/16/2011

Interesting.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/gas-mileage/4276846

[Rude Monk]

02:10 PM on 06/16/2011

You want to install a dry cell and EFIE chip.
Forget the corporate media.They're useless.

[DOHC Holiday]

11:42 AM on 06/16/2011

HHO is snake oil. I violates the law of conservation of energy. Even if you had 100% efficiency (which is impossible), you would still only get the same amount of energy out of the hydrogen that you used to break the molecular bonds in the first place.

[Rude Monk]

02:08 PM on 06/16/2011

Only comment if you tried it.
If you didn't,then everything you just said is irrelevant.

[aligatorhardt]

09:34 AM on 06/17/2011

Your time capsule is open- good for you. Let's discuss the science of electronics in the 18th century- that too is impossible. Oh wait, science progresses even though you don't? Hydrogen production is in use, and it can be done with flashlight batteries. The drawback has been the expense of platinum catalysts. Now carbon nanotubes are being used at greatly reduced expense. Keep watching the news. Hydrogen Technologies & Systems Center

[ejd1984]

08:15 AM on 06/16/2011

To me this sounds like the Hot Vapor Cycle Engine - HVCE
The Adiabatic Engine developed by Smokey Yunick 27 years ago.

http://schou.dk/hvce/

http://www.legendarycollectorcars.com/featured-vehicles/other-feature-cars/smokey-yunicks-hot-vapor-fiero-51-mpg-and-0-60-in-less-than-6-seconds-see-and-hear-it-run-in-our-exclusive-video/

http://web.archive.org/web/20080820005929/http://www.automotiveblogger.net/150-hp-50-mpg-two-cylinder-engine/

[ThaGovna]

09:07 AM on 06/16/2011

Although similar products have been designed in the past, the OSU prototype has two advantages: its portability, and its ability to produce electricity through a "thermally activated cooling system."

[gaydood]

08:05 AM on 06/16/2011

its nice to see the volt and leaf ads on tv

[houston we have aproblem]

07:58 AM on 06/16/2011

put a banana in the pipe, eddie

[RButler]

07:46 AM on 06/16/2011

Let's destroy the earth. All those blockbuster movies with the special effects and explosions just doesn't do it anymore. So, how about doing it for real?

[Jack Daniels Esq]

03:35 AM on 06/16/2011

Use a garden hose

[wsdave]

02:51 AM on 06/16/2011

Not impressed.

The technology already exists to pull 150 MPG out a typical NON-hybrid family sedan. This is a step backward.

[Pandoras Folly]

04:12 PM on 06/15/2011

you can also directly channel a portion of the car exhaust back into the engine cycle mixing it with fresh air delivering super heated air into the piston. Using this trick you can modify the gasoline engine to run much like a diesel and ignite the fuel/air mix using compression only no spark plugs required. more efficient too. just requires a Lot more computer control of the engine to get that exhaust/fuel/air mix right.

[RTIII]

09:40 AM on 06/16/2011

"delivering super heated air into the piston"

That's crazy.

The power from an engine comes from the expansion of gasses. Hot air isn't helpful.

Seems to me like you need a primer in internal combustion engine theory and practice.

Here's a simple example: What's the best time during daylight hours to run an ICE for a land-speed-record attempt?

Answer: Dawn.

Why?

Cooler air.

[Pandoras Folly]

11:12 AM on 06/16/2011

The ICE model i am talking about is call the HCCI Homogeneous charge compression ignition. Getting gasoline ICE engines to work without a sparkplug is more difficult than a diesel engine, which i am sure you know already usesthis method of ignition, the compression ratios have to be higher or you have to get the gases hotter in order to ignite. Fuel savings can be upwards of 30%. The big hurdle that gas engines have to jump is that the fule/air mix must be hot when it goes into the piston in order ingite from compression. There are several ways of getting this done one of the easier ways is Variable exhaust gas percentage mixed into the intake air stream. But anywhich way you slice it a LOT of specialized controls have to be implimented, multiple O2 and temperature sensors in the intake and exhaust and the return exhaust for each cylinder and a computer to balance all the levels so the engine doesn't stall or throw a piston. Will it get out of the labs? eh maybe. I think it would be simpler to drop the pressure on the incoming gas use some old charles' law of pressure, use the exhaust to heat the incoming gas without actually mixing them, then recompress the now really hot gasoling just before it get spat into the piston.

[Pandoras Folly]

12:09 PM on 06/16/2011

Yea no argument about long way around to the barn, but frankly most of the low hanging fruit has been picked in terms of econimization. I'm trying to find the news story, it was a novel ICE engine setup that came out of Australia about 3-6 years ago was more compact and got 30-50% better milage, something like that. Do you remember that story, gotta find that engine.

oh if i remember correctly one of the ways they compensated for the "hot air" issue on HCCI engines is they use a much higher air to fuel ratio so they inject the same out of oxygen with less fuel and get the same amount of power.

I've always been a fan of gas turbines myself ever sense i saw one of my dads friend give a demonstration where he used jet fuel, pure grain alc, and purified hydrogen peroxide to power a desktop model. Connect the turbine up to a generator, it to battery, and use electric motors to acually drive the vehicle, I think Jaguar is planning on doing that. a lot more simple to repair.

[aligatorhardt]

08:13 AM on 06/15/2011

Reduce pollution by not making it. Hydrogen production should be the subject of research, not prolonging the problems of using fossil fuels. This is a waste of money.

[Pandoras Folly]

04:11 PM on 06/15/2011

Thermo-depolymerization is carbon neutral and will allows us to use the waste output of current industries to create crude oil from : sewage, manure, plastics, rubber, wood, plant, fish, animal parts, wax, paper, etc. oil just has to creep above about $120-130 a barrel before its cheaper to make than drill for.

[Brian Adler]

08:09 AM on 06/16/2011

Is that really the threshold? That's great news if true.

[bandiesel]

06:43 AM on 06/16/2011

Everybody knows that hydrogen is not the solution, but just keep spreading these urban myths... - the present and future of zero emission mobility is the electric car, run with homegrown renewable energy. But the best solution is carfree development – making comunites carfree and investing into light rail. carfree developers are popping up all over the country.

[aligatorhardt]

09:27 AM on 06/17/2011

Deny the obvious if you like.  "Everyone" knows what Fox Noise tells them they know. The rest of us actually read the science reports. Try it sometime.

[aligatorhardt]

09:39 AM on 06/17/2011

Electric cars are fine, but what about big trucks and ships? Hydrogen from water is good for any size vehicle and we will not run out of water. The exhaust is pure water of drinking quality.