INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATION IN ENGINEERING RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT ISSN :2348-4918
Air Driven Engine: A case study
Amit Kumar Jha¹, Maehul Rukhaiyar², Prof Ashok Kumar Gupta³
1 ajhamech@gmail.com, 2 rk.maehul@gmail.com, 3 ashokgagorni@gmail.com
1&2 Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
3 HoD - Mechanical Engineering Dept.
Lakshmi Narain College of Technology & Science (RIT) Indore(MP)India
---------------------------------------------*****------------------------------------------Abstract: Researchers all over the world have been striving hard to find a sustainable solution
to the future energy requirements. In this context, an engine using compressed air might very well
prove to be an effective solution. In the present study, a two stroke engine was modified to run on
compressed air and air-solenoid valve has been used, which has a provision of dwelling at ODC.
This would make the injection of compressed air a constant volume process inside the cylinder
contrary to conventional engines. In the proposed design, compressed air was supplied through a
distribution system in time sequence into separate cylinders of the engine by solenoid-actuated
valves located in spark plug holes. A valve timing disc, which modified the time interval over
which compressed air was admitted into the cylinder, in accordance with engine speed, was also
incorporated. The proposed engine was theoretically compared with an ideal Otto cycle in terms
of its efficiency and power generated. The results were found to be acceptable to put the proposed
engine into actual practice with ample scope left for future work.
Introduction: Air pollution is one of the
most serious problems facing modern
humanity and as is well known, one of the
greatest contributors to air pollution is the
automobile engine. In the vast majority of
automobiles now operating, the motive
power is obtained through operation of an
internal combustion engine with gasoline or
diesel as the fuel. The internal combustion
engine is not noted for its efficiency in
obtaining useful work from the energy
available through combustion and as a result,
many unburnt hydrocarbons are exhausted
into the air. Gases such as carbon monoxide
and nitrogen dioxide are harmful to animal
and plant life, thereby contributing to a
breakdown in the ecology of this planet
(Yancey, 2002). As a result, internal
combustion engines for powering motor
vehicles have been under attack and facing
severe criticism. Steps have therefore been
taken to increase the combustion efficiency
and filter exhaust from these engines with a
view to save the atmosphere through more
efficient and cleaner burning. The relative
success of such operations has, however been
slow and limited due to many problems
which arise.
Thus, efforts are being made to substitute the
existing energy wasteful and contaminating
internal combustion engines for an energy
saving and ecologically superior compressed
air engine. However, design in this area has
been somewhat limited because of the
reduced power output from such engines and
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their somewhat inefficient and complex
operation (Shofner, 2009).
The present invention provides a specific
apparatus for operating an engine using the
expansion of compressed air as the motive
power and thus, eliminates the usual
pollutants exhausted from an IC engine.
Moreover, this apparatus can even adapt a
pre-existing internal combustion engine for
operation on compressed air.
Thus, it was an object of the present study to
provide a reliable method for ready
adaptation of standard internal combustion
engine for operation with compressed air.
Another object of this study was to provide
an apparatus which would deliver a
constantly increasing amount of compressed
air to an engine as the speed of the engine
increases. A further object of this study was
to provide an apparatus which would create
pressures high enough above the piston in
order to give ample power output and also
generate more uniform torque on the
crankshaft of the engine. Another objective
of the study was to compare the IC engine
and compressed air engine from a
thermodynamic point of view and compare
their efficiencies under similar operating
conditions.
Literature Review
History
In fact, two centuries before that Dennis
Papin apparently came up with the idea of
using compressed air (Royal Society London,
1687). In 1872 the Mekarski air engine was
used for street transit, consisting of a single
stage engine. Numerous locomotives were
manufactured and a number of regular lines
were opened up (the first in Nantes in 1879).
In 1892, Robert Hardie introduced a new
method of heating that at the same time
served to increase the range of the engine
which in turn helped to increase the distance
that could be traveled at a stretch. One of its
new features was regenerative braking. By
using the engine as a compressor during
deceleration, air and heat were added to the
tanks, increasing the range between fill-ups.
However, the first urban transport locomotive
was not introduced until 1898, by Hoadley
and Knight, and was based on the principle
that the longer the air is kept in the engine the
more heat it absorbs and the greater its range.
As a result they introduced a two stage
engine. Charles B. Hodges will always be
remembered as the true father of the
compressed air concept applied to cars, being
the first person, not only to invent a car
driven by a compressed air engine but also to
have considerable commercial success with
it.
After twelve years of research and
development, Guy Negre has developed an
engine that could become one of the biggest
technological advances of this century. A
French engineer by profession, he has
designed a low consumption and low
pollution engine for urban motoring that runs
on compressed air technology. “air car” from
Motor Development International is a
significant step for zero emission transport,
delivering a compressed air-driven vehicle
that is safe, quiet, has a top speed of 110
km/h and a range of 200 km. Guy Nègre is
the head of Research and Development at
Moteur Development International (MDI)
cars, where the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV)
prototype has been in production since 1994.
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Compressed Air Technology
Air can be compressed into small volumes
and can be stored in suitable containers at
high pressures. Such air compressed into
containers is associated with an amount of
energy. When the stored compressed air is
released freely it expands thereby releasing
the energy associated with it. This energy
released can be utilized to provide useful
work.The compression, storage and release of
the air together are termed as the Compressed
Air Technology. This technology has been
utilized in different pneumatic systems. This
technology has been undergoing several
years of research to improve its applications.
Compressed air is regarded as the fourth
utility, after electricity, natural gas, and
water. Compressed air can be used in or for:


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Pneumatics, the use of pressurized
gases to do work.
vehicular
transportation
using
a compressed air vehicle
scuba diving
To inflate buoyancy devices.
Cooling using a vortex tube.
Gas dusters for cleaning electronic
components that cannot be cleaned with
water.
air brake (rail) systems
air brake (road vehicle) systems
starting
of diesel
engines (an
alternative to electric starting)
compressed air breathers (such as
Suisse Air)
pneumatic air guns
pneumatic screwdrivers
Two Stroke Engine
A two-stroke engine
is
an
internal
combustion engine that completes the
thermodynamic in two movements of
the piston compared to twice that number for
a four-stroke
engine.
This
increased
efficiency is accomplished by using the
beginning of the compression stroke and the
end of the combustion stroke to perform
simultaneously the intake and exhaust
(or scavenging) functions. In this way twostroke engines often provide strikingly
high specific power. Gasoline (spark
ignition) versions are particularly useful in
lightweight (portable) applications such as
chainsaws and the concept is also used in
diesel compression ignition engines in large
and non-weight sensitive applications such as
ships and locomotives.
All functions are controlled solely by the
piston covering and uncovering the ports as it
moves up and down in the cylinder. A
fundamental difference from typical fourstroke engines is that the crankcase is sealed
and forms part of the induction process in
gasoline and hot bulb engines. Diesel engines
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have mostly a roots blower or piston pump
for scavenging.
Fig. working of two stroke engine
There are no traditional valves in a twostroke engine. In a two-stroke the engines
fires once every revolution. This makes the
engine highly efficient and lightweight
compared to four-stroke systems. Rather than
entering through valves, the fuel/air mixture
enters through an intake port and exhaust
exits out of an exhaust port. In place of
traditional valves the two-stroke engine uses
the piston‟s position to force out exhaust or
suck in fuel mixture.
Reeds are vital to a two-stroke system. The
reeds are placed between the intake manifold
and the carburetor, open and close to allow
the fuel / air mixture to enter the case of the
engine and trap it, and ensure the proper
exchange of gasses in the engine. This
procedure might sound complex, but it is, in
fact, extremely effective and easy to
understand.
two outlet ports. Multiple solenoid valves can
be placed together on a manifold.
Solenoid valves are the most frequently used
control elements in fluidics. Their tasks are to
shut off, release, dose, distribute or mix
fluids. They are found in many application
areas. Solenoids offer fast and safe switching,
high reliability, long service life, good
medium compatibility of the materials used,
low control power and compact design.
A solenoid valve has two main parts: the
solenoid and the valve. The solenoid converts
electrical energy into mechanical energy
which, in turn, opens or closes the valve
mechanically. A direct acting valve has only
a small flow circuit, shown within section E
of this diagram. This diaphragm piloted
valve multiplies this small flow by using it to
control the flow through a much larger
orifice.
Solenoid valves may use metal seals or
rubber seals, and may also have electrical
interfaces to allow for easy control.
A spring may be used to hold the valve
opened or closed while the valve is not
activated.
Solenoid Valve
A solenoid
valve is
an electromechanical valve for
use
with liquid or gas. The valve is controlled by
an electric current through a solenoid coil.
Solenoid valves may have two or more ports:
in the case of a two-port valve the flow is
switched on or off; in the case of a three-port
valve, the outflow is switched between the
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amount of water to flow through it. This
water fills the cavity Con the other side of the
diaphragm so that pressure is equal on both
sides of the diaphragm. While the pressure is
the same on both sides of the diaphragm, the
force is greater on the upper side which
forces the valve shut against the incoming
pressure. In the figure, the surface being
acted upon is greater on the upper side which
results in greater force. On the upper side the
pressure is acting on the entire surface of the
diaphragm while on the lower side it is only
acting on the incoming pipe. This result in
the valve being securely shut to any flow and,
the greater the input pressure, the greater the
shutting force will be.
Fig. working of solenoid valve
A- Input side
B- Diaphragm
C- Pressure chamber
D- Pressure relief conduit
E- Solenoid
F- Output side
The diagram above shows the design of a
basic valve. At the top figure is the valve in
its closed state. The water under pressure
enters at A. B is an elastic diaphragm and
above it is a weak spring pushing it down.
The function of this spring is irrelevant for
now as the valve would stay closed even
without it. The diaphragm has a pinhole
through its center which allows a very small
In the previous configuration the small
conduit D was blocked by a pin which is the
armature of the solenoid E and which is
pushed down by a spring. If the solenoid is
activated by drawing the pin upwards via
magnetic force from the solenoid current, the
water in chamber C will flow through this
conduit D to the output side of the valve. The
pressure in chamber C will drop and the
incoming pressure will lift the diaphragm
thus opening the main valve. Water now
flows directly from A to F.
When the solenoid is again deactivated and
the conduit D is closed again, the spring
needs very little force to push the diaphragm
down again and the main valve closes. In
practice there is often no separate spring, the
elastomer diaphragm is moulded so that it
functions as its own spring, preferring to be
in the closed shape.
From this explanation it can be seen that this
type of valve relies on a differential of
pressure between input and output as the
pressure at the input must always be greater
than the pressure at the output for it to work.
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If the pressure at the output, for any reason,
rise above that of the input then the valve
would open regardless of the state of the
solenoid and pilot valve.
In some solenoid valves the solenoid acts
directly on the main valve. Others use a
small, complete solenoid valve, known as a
pilot, to actuate a larger valve. While the
second type is actually a solenoid valve
combined with a pneumatically actuated
valve, they are sold and packaged as a single
unit referred to as a solenoid valve. Piloted
valves require much less power to control,
but they are noticeably slower. Piloted
solenoids usually need full power at all times
to open and stay open, where a direct acting
solenoid may only need full power for a short
period of time to open it, and only low power
to hold it.
Solenoid valves are used in fluid power
pneumatic and hydraulic systems, to control
cylinders, fluid power motors or larger
industrial
valves.
Automatic irrigation
sprinkler systems also use solenoid valves
with an automatic controller. Domestic
washing machines and dishwashers use
solenoid valves to control water entry to the
machine. In the paintball industry, solenoid
valves are usually referred to simply as
"solenoids." They are commonly used to
control a larger valve used to control the
propellant (usually compressed air or CO2).
In the industry, "solenoid" may also refer to
an
electromechanical solenoid commonly
used to actuate a sear.
Besides controlling the flow of air and fluids
solenoids are used in pharmacology
experiments, especially for patch-clamp,
which can control the application of agonist
or antagonist.
Air Compressor
An air compressor is a device that converts
electrical power or gas into kinetic energy by
pressurizing and compressing air, which is
then released in quick bursts. There are
numerous methods of air compression,
divided into either positive-displacement or
non-positive displacement types.
Positive-displacement air compressors work
by forcing air into a chamber whose volume
is reduced to effect the compression. Pistontype air compressors use this principle by
pumping air into an air chamber through the
use of the constant motion of pistons. They
use unidirectional valves to guide air into a
chamber, where the air is compressed. Rotary
screw compressors also use positivedisplacement compression by matching two
helical screws that, when turned, guide air
into a chamber, the volume of which is
reduced as the screws turn. Vane
compressors use a slotted rotor with varied
blade placement to guide air into a chamber
and compress the volume.
Non-positive-displacement air compressors
include centrifugal compressors. These
devices use centrifugal force generated by a
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spinning impeller to accelerate and then
decelerate captured air, which pressurizes it.
The air compressors seen by the public are
used in 5 main applications:
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To supply a high-pressure clean air to
fill gas cylinders
To supply a moderate-pressure clean
air to supply air to a submerged surface
supplied diver
To supply a large amount of
moderate-pressure air to power pneumatic
tools
For filling tires
To produce large volumes of
moderate-pressure air for macroscopic
industrial processes (such as oxidation for
petroleum coking or cement plant bag house
purge systems).
Most
air
compressors
are
either
reciprocating piston type or rotary vane
or rotary screw. Centrifugal compressors are
common in very large applications. There
are two main types of air compressor's
pumps: Oil lubed and oiless. The oiless
system has more technical development, but
they are more expensive, louder and last less
than the oiled lube pumps. But the air
delivered has better quality. The best choice
depends of the application that the user
needs.
Valve actuation System
The Electronic circuit
The electronic circuit mainly consists of the
following components namely
1.
2.
Power supply
Power supply connector
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Voltage regulator
Resistors
Voltage divider
Infrared emitter connector
Infrared sensor connector
Transistor
Valve connector
Comparator
The supply voltage is 24V dc. This high
voltage is supplied to the voltage regulator. A
100K resister is used before the voltage
regulator inorder to reduce the high current to
the circuit. The voltage regulator regulates
the voltage and step down it to 5V dc, since
all the components in the circuit works only
on 5v dc. This 5v is given to all the
components in the circuit. The emitter is
provided with a 470 ohm resistor and the
collector is provided with a 10K resistor
which reduces the voltage further. A voltage
divider is used in order to divide the 5v to
2.5V to provide it to the comparators. The
transistor works as a switch.
The emitter is forward biased and the
collector is reversed biased. The emitter
sends infrared radiations continuously and
this is sensed by the sensor. Thus the circuit
is short circuited. Hence low voltage is given
to the comparator. When the power stroke
region is reached the path gets cut off and as
a result a high voltage is produced in the
sensor circuit and this is given to the
comparator. Comparator only provides the
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output when the input in the positive terminal
is above 5v. Thus during the power stroke
region the comparator is provided with a high
voltage and thus it provides a high voltage at
its output. This output is given to the
transistor through a 1K resistor. The
transistor acts as a switch. It conducts only
when a high voltage is applied to it, and
when this high voltage reaches it conducts it
to the 3/2 solenoid valve.
The solenoid valve has three terminals namely
1. Reference terminal
2. Input terminal
3. Output terminal
The input terminal is connected to the supply and the output terminal and the reference terminal
are shorted. The high voltage (5v) is given to the shorted circuit and thus the valve opens and the
pressurized air is allowed to enter the cylinder of the engine. Thus the engine works.
Fig. Circuit designed on PCB software
Sample Calculations
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Pressure at 9 bar and 3 kg load
Torque
= (w1-w2)*[(D+d)/2]*g
= (3-0.1) *[(0.12+0.012)/2]*9.81
Brake power „BP‟ =
BP
= (2*π*438/60) *[(0.12+0.012)/2]*(3-0.1)*9.81 W
=45.86 * 0.132 * 2.9 *9.81 watts
= 172.22 watts
Performance Characteristics
700
700
Speed(rpm)
600
600
500
500
400
400
300
300
200
200
100
100
0
0
0
2
4
6
8
Pressure(bar)
10
0
Fig. Speed versus Pressure
In Air Driven Engine, the speed is bound to
increase with increase in the inlet pressure.
The speed versus torque characteristics
shows a negative linear variation. The brake
power is observed to increase with increase
in the inlet pressure.
0.5
1
1.5 Torque(Nm) 2
Fig. Speed versus Torque
Conclusion: Nowadays continue need of
energy
is
increases,
but
basically
conventional source of energy is limited due
to that rate on price of petroleum is also
continues hiked day by day. To satisfy there
need alternate fuel or energy is required. But
while considering alternate fuel some of
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factors are to be considered like availability,
economy, and environment friendly etc.,
based on that CAT (Compressed Air
Technology) is best technology which tend
engine to zero pollutions. If further
improvement is carried out with stress
analysis, thermodynamic analysis, minimize
compressed energy loss and other losses then
efficiency of CAE may be further increases.
8. Hugh Currin “Air Engine Design for
Machining Class” April 11, 2007
References:
1. Haisheng Chen et al. “Air fuelled zero
emission road transportation: A comparative
study” ,Applied Energy 88 (2011), 24 June
2010
2. Amir Fazeli et al. “A novel compression
strategy for air hybrid engines” Applied
Energy 88 (2011) ,8
March 2011,pp:2955–2966
3. Ulf Bossel “Thermodynamic Analysis of
Compressed Air Vehicle Propulsion”
European
Fuel
Cell
Forum,Morgenacherstrasse 2F CH-5452
Oberrohrdorf/Switzerland, April 2, 2009
4. J.Gary Wood et al. “Design of a low
pressure air engine for third world use” 17th
Annual Intersociety
Energy Conversion Los Angeles, California
August, 1982
5. HE Wei et al. “Performance study on
three-stage power system of compressed air
vehicle based on
single-screw expander” science china,
technological sciences, August 2010,
pp:2299–2303
6. Thipse S S. Compressed air car. Tech
Monitor, 2008,
7. Bossel U. Thermodynamic analysis of
compressed air vehicle propulsion. European
Fuel
Cell
Forum
;
2009
<http://www.efcf.com/e/reports/E14.pdf>
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