The Energy Blog

Hy-Drive to Install Systems on 100 Trucks with Data Monitoring System

Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd., Toronto, (TSX-V: HGS), has launched its Integrated Product Team (IPT) Partnership Program under which it plans to install 100 Hydrogen Generation System (HGS) units of its Clean Burn Technology(TM) on selected partner trucks by year-end. The IPT program has been initiated to maintain an existing market penetration momentum and generate a controlled case study to serve as a verifiable reference. The program will involve a series of existing customer fleet operators already familiar with the company and technology, as well as a number of new IPT partners.

Under the program, each unit installed will be equipped with a PeopleNet(TM) system. This system is capable of tracking mileage to the tenth of a gallon and controlling the data for variables such as excess idle times, truck speed, and elevated RPM's. Monitored results will provide the Company with a significant level of statistically verifiable field data on HGS performance. . . .

Hy-Drive is an energy technology firm that has developed a proprietary, patented hydrogen generating system. The Hy-Drive system generates and injects hydrogen gas into a regular internal combustion engine.

A previous post described similar technology, hydrogen fuel injection (HFI), being developed by Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Company (CHEC).

Perhaps PRV Performance, previous post, should incorporate hydrogen injection into its product, they are working on adding water injection, which might use a similar configuration.

PRV Induction Improves MPG, Emissions, Horsepower at Comparable Costs to Conventional Technology

PRV Performance, Golden, Colorado, is developing PRV induction, Pintle-Regulated Venturi fuel Induction system which replaces the intake manifold on an engine and provides throttling, fuel injection and homogeneous mixing of the air and fuel at each cylinder. The system has demonstrated fuel efficiency improvements of 14% to 25%, torque and horsepower increases, and significant reduction of emissions.

PRV works as follows:

• Air enters the contoured Venturi via an air filter.
• Fuel vaporizes and expands in the low pressure throat.
• Fuel vaporization induces air flow into the Venturi entrance.
• Fuel vaporization in confined space thrusts mixed charge into the engine.
• Charge is always homogeneously mixed and cooled because the pintle regulates air flow at the confluence of fuel and air.

PRV describes the process as follows: PRV induction, with fuel injection directly at the Venturi throat, effectively mixes fuel and air due to the high velocity and reduced pressure at the vapor-liquid contact region, while pressure is recovered in the expansion section. Fuel vaporization in the confined Venturi volume amplifies air flow into the PRV entrance.

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine Improves Fuel Economy

MIT researchers have demonstrated how ordinary spark-ignition automobile engines can, under certain driving conditions, move into a spark-free operating mode that is more fuel-efficient and just as clean.

In a "homogeneous charge compression ignition" (HCCI) engine, fuel and air are mixed together and injected into the cylinder. The piston compresses the mixture until spontaneous combustion occurs. The engine thus combines fuel-and-air premixing (as in an SI engine) with spontaneous ignition (as in a diesel engine). The result is the HCCI's distinctive feature: combustion occurs simultaneously at many locations throughout the combustion chamber.

In a gasoline spark-ignition engine (left), combustion begins when a mixture of fuel and air is ignited by the spark plug. In a diesel engine (center), combustion begins when fuel is injected into hot, highly compressed air.  In a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine (right), well-mixed fuel and air are compressed until combustion occurs at multiple points throughout the combustion chamber. Diagram courtesy / MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment

That behavior has advantages. In both SI and diesel engines, the fuel must burn hot to ensure that the flame spreads rapidly through the combustion chamber before a new "charge" enters. In an HCCI engine, there is no need for a quickly spreading flame because combustion occurs throughout the combustion chamber. As a result, combustion temperatures can be lower, so emissions of nitrogen pollutants are negligible. The fuel is spread in low concentrations throughout the cylinder, so the soot emissions from fuel-rich regions in diesels are not present.

Low Level Heat Powers Low Cost Hydraulic Engine

Deluge, Inc. has developed a thermal hydraulic engine that is now ready for commercialization. The company has just successfully completed long term field testing of the technology, and has obtained patents on the design in nearly 40 industrialized countries world wide.

The Natural Energy Engine^™, requires no combustion, operates virtually silently, and generates no emissions. Developed over the past 10 years, it operates by utilizing low level heat energy, 180°F (82°C) is suitable for many applications, from solar, geothermal, or any other heat source, including waste heat from existing processes.

The main components of the engine system are quite simple – a piston/cylinder and a heat transfer system. The cylinder contains a piston and a working fluid, and depending on the application may have a module to reposition the piston after each stroke. The heat transfer system comprises heat exchangers, a system to circulate the heat transfer fluid (typically water), and a simple circulation controller. 

The key difference between a traditional combustion engine and the NE Engine is that the NE Engine relies on the transfer of heat to, and its subsequent removal from, a working fluid within the cylinder. As the working fluid is heated it expands, providing the pressure to drive the piston, and is subsequently cooled to complete the cycle.

“It is a thermal hydraulic engine,” says Brian Hageman, the inventor of the Natural Energy Engine. “It uses the same principles of expansion and contraction from heat as a thermometer, and uses the expansion to create powerful hydraulic pressure in a manner similar to an automobile’s brakes.”

The Company projects that engine configurations can easily be priced at 60-85% of power systems that produce equivalent output.

New Engine Design Increase Mileage at Low Cost

An article in The MIT Technology Review describes a new engine design developed by Daniel Cohn, a senior research scientist and his colleagues at MIT, that could significantly improve fuel efficiency for cars and SUVs, at a fraction of the cost of today's hybrid technology.

The engine combines an engine with a higher compression ratio than normal with a turbocharger and direct injection of a small amount of ethanol the combustion chamber at just the right moment. MIT researchers estimate that an engine equipped with the new technology would have fuel economies that rivals hybrids but would only cost about $1,000 to $1,500 more than a conventional engine rather than the $3,000 to $5,000 additional costs for a hybrid. A vehicle that used an engine of this type would operate around 25 percent more efficiently than a vehicle with a conventional engine. Ethanol would be stored in its own small tank having to be refilled only once every few months.

The Little Engine That Could

MIT researchers are developing a half-sized gasoline engine that performs like a full-sized engine but offers fuel efficiency approaching that of today's hybrid engine system--at a far lower cost. The key is carefully controlled injection of ethanol directly into the engine's cylinders when additional power is required from the engine.

These small engines could be on the market within five years, and consumers should find them appealing: By spending about an extra $1,000 and adding a couple of gallons of ethanol every few months, they will have an engine that can go as much as 30 percent further on a gallon of fuel than an ordinary engine. If all of today's cars had the new engine, current U.S. gasoline consumption of 140 billion gallons per year would drop by more than 30 billion gallons. Moreover, the little engine provides high performance without the use of high-octane gasoline.

New Induction Motor for Hybrid Vehicles

Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: RZ), a technology licensing company will announce a new 100-kilowatt AC induction based electric motor design called the Symetron(TM) P-100 in a press conference a the 22nd Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS-22) held October 23-28, 2006 in Yokohama, Japan. The Symetron(TM) P-100 is one in a series of high-horsepower motor designs Raser is developing to meet the demand for more onboard electric horsepower required by the next generation of strong hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.

The electric motors used in today's mild hybrid vehicles typically deliver 15-20 kilowatts of power utilizing permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) that require expensive rare-earth magnets to operate. Permanent magnet motors generally become even more expensive as the motors get larger.

Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Available Oct. 15, 2006

On Sunday, October 15, operators of more than eight million diesel-powered trucks and buses in the U.S. will be able to fill up with a new, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel (ULSD)that is 97 percent cleaner than the old formulation it replaces.

Cleaner diesel fuel will immediately cut soot emissions from any diesel vehicle by 10 percent. But when combined with a new generation of engines hitting the road in January, it will enable emission reductions of up to 95 percent, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF).

Diesel trucks move 94 percent of the nation's goods -- more than 18 million tons of freight each day. Half a million diesel buses take 14 million people to work and school. The new fuel opens the door for auto companies to begin offering cleaner diesel cars that deliver greater fuel economy.

A new 2007 diesel truck will emit just one-sixtieth the soot exhaust of one produced in 1988. And thanks to the new fuel, owners of existing diesel vehicles will have the option to install new emission controls that can reduce soot emissions by more than 90 percent.

Beginning on January 1st, 2007, new trucks' engines will have state-of-the-art emissions filters in place so technologically advanced that they will only be able to run on the new clean fuel. The new filters will capture and eliminate harmful emissions. The clean fuel, coupled with the new filters on every new truck, will work in concert to ensure that all new diesel rigs pass the "white handkerchief test," eliminating 98 percent of emissions and any hint of the smoke associated with diesels of the past.

Further information can be found here and here.

GE Ships First 60-hertz 7H Gas Turbine

GE Energy's first 60-hertz 7H gas turbine, one of the most efficient and advanced machines of its type in the world, has completed testing and is on its way to the Inland Empire Energy Center near Riverside, California. A few 50-hertz units have been sold in Europe but this will be the first installation of 60-hertz H System(TM) technology.

The 7H is the world's first combined-cycle platform with the capability to reach 60+ percent thermal efficiency.

The 7H, the first of two units planned for the 775-megawatt Inland Empire project, was shipped from GE's Greenville, South Carolina facility on September 15. Operating on natural gas, the two GE 107 H combined-cycle units at Inland Empire will produce enough power to supply nearly 600,000 households while reducing future carbon dioxide emissions by more than 146,000 tons a year, compared to a typical gas-fired power plant of a similar size. The new power plant is expected to enter commercial service by the summer of 2008.

Ammonia Powered Engine to Drive Pump

An Iowa alternative fuel engine manufacturer has reached an agreement with an irrigation pump maker in California to make the world's first ammonia-powered irrigation pump system.

Hydrogen Engine Center Inc. (HEC) is working with Sawtelle & Rosprim Inc. to integrate HEC ammonia-powered engines with Sawtelle's pumps to complete a prototype system for testing and evaluation. The prototype system is being designed to run 24 hours a day and is expected to be tested in California during the 2007 irrigation season. HEC intends to begin selling the finalized system into California during 2008.

The engines developed by HEC run on anhydrous ammonia, or NH3, which has been used by farmers for many years as a fertilizer. Ammonia contains more hydrogen per cubic foot than liquid H2. HEC considers ammonia the “other hydrogen".

HEC manufactures and sells its brand named Oxx Power internal combustion engines capable of running on a multitude of fuels, including ammonia, hydrogen, propane, natural gas, ethanol and gasoline.

DaimlerChrysler Pushes Diesels

In an article on the Autochannel a DaimlerChrysler executive says that clean diesel engines will be a cornerstone of America's energy solutions, and clean, renewable biodiesel fuel will be critical to the success of diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. market.

"Emissions of particulates -- an important issue in congested urban areas -- can be reduced more than 80 percent with modern, clean diesel engines running on biodiesel." said Loren Beard, Senior Manager - Fuels for DaimlerChrysler.

In the past two decades technology has improved the power, performance, efficiency and emissions of diesel engines. As a result, today's modern, clean diesel engines produce 80 percent reduction in particulate emissions and 70 percent reduction in NOx emissions at the same time providing 50 percent more power and 30 percent more torque.

DaimlerChrysler will market five diesel-powered passenger vehicles in the U.S. in 2007: Jeep Grand Cherokee CRDsports-utility vehicle with 3.0-liter diesel engine; Mercedes-Benz E320 luxury sedan with 3.0-liter engine and BlueTec emissions technology; and three new Mercedes-Benz utility vehicles, R320 CDI, ML320 CDI, and GL320 CDI. In addition, the Dodge Ram pickup and Dodge Sprinter van are also equipped with diesel engines for the U.S. market.

Ford Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine

Ford will be the first to deliver a hydrogen internal combustion engine powered vehicle to commercial customers later this year. The ICE will be used in E-450 shuttle buses later this year. Production of the supercharged, 235 hp, 6.8 liter hydrogen fueled V-10 engines has begun; the engine will be tested to same production standards as other Ford engines.

Advantages of hydrogen fueled engines include high efficiency, all-weather capability, and near zero emissions of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases (CO2).

This engine is specially prepared to burn hydrogen as a fuel but is based on the same modular engine series that powers many Ford products.

Simple Combustor Increases Efficiency, Reduces Emissions

Georgia Tech researchers have created a simple combustor (combustion chamber where fuel is burned to power an engine or gas turbine) designed to burn fuel in a wide range of devices ― with next to no emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO), two of the primary causes of air pollution. The device has a simpler design than existing state-of-the-art combustors and could be manufactured and maintained at a much lower cost, making it more affordable in everything from jet engines and power plants to home water heaters.

Called the Stagnation Point Reverse Flow Combustor, the Georgia Tech device, originally developed for NASA, significantly reduces NOx and CO emissions in a variety of aircraft engines and gas turbines that burn gaseous or liquid fuels. It burns fuel with NOx emissions below 1 parts per million (ppm) and CO emissions lower than 10 ppm, significantly lower than emissions produced by other combustors.

A comparison of Georgia Tech’s combustor with a traditional combustor: (L) A traditional combustor mixes fuel and air before they are injected into the combustion chamber. (R) Tech’s combustor injects the fuel and air separately into the combustor.

Hydrogen Engine Center Unveils Mini Oxx Three Cylinder 2.4L Engine

Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC) (OTC BB: HYEG.OB) today unveiled the new Mini Oxx(TM) three cylinder 2.4L engine at Aviation Industry Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. The Mini Oxx(TM) is a compact version of HEC's Oxx Power(TM) six cylinder 4.9L engine. The Mini Oxx(TM) will produce approximately 65 horsepower. Many applications exist for the Mini Oxx(TM) including luggage tractors and other airport ground support equipment.

"Seventy-two of the 81 parts used in the six cylinder, 4.9L engine are the same for the new three cylinder Mini Oxx(TM) and are interchangeable," said Ted Hollinger, president of HEC.  The engines include the same essential technologies and can be converted to use hydrogen when it is available. HEC has targeted production of the Mini Oxx(TM) to begin in the first quarter of 2007.

Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC) engineers, manufactures and sells a family of low-emission industrial engines and generator sets built to run on gasoline and a variety of other alternative fuels, including hydrogen. HEC is located at 2502 East Poplar Street, Algona, IA 50511. Visit http://www.hydrogenenginecenter.com/ for more information

Scuderi Engine Claims Highest Efficiency

The Scuderi Group has recently received quite a bit of publicity about its efforts to develop the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine – potentially the world’s most efficient internal combustion engine.

The engine achieves its improved performance by separating the functions of the four cycle engine into an intake/compression cylinder and a power/exhaust cylinder.  Gas is compressed in the compression cylinder and transferred to the power cylinder through a gas passage. The gas passage includes a set of valves, which maintain a precharged pressure through all four strokes of the cycle. These two cylinders perform their respective functions once per crankshaft revolution, while typically conventional engines require two revolutions of the crankshaft to perform these functions. As a result, the split-cycle design provides more flexibility in how engines are built. A video showing how the engine works can be found here.