Indian Talent, Global Content
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Indian Talent, Global Content |
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June 2009: What's in the breeze |
An Eco-friendly Car
It seems that almost every day we see the price of fossil fuels rising. Everyone is talking about possible replacements, using everything from bio-diesel to solar power. But how about a car that runs on trees? Before you start to scoff, this car is a reality. It has been designed and built by a small company, Precer AB in Karlstad, Sweden and uses, not an internal combustion engine as in a conventional car, but rather an external combustion engine. While the car does not actually run on trees, it uses the next best thing – it burns pellets, cheaply and easily made from almost any plant fiber such as renewable timber. The heat from this combustion is used to drive a Stirling cycle engine. This in turn generates electricity to charge the batteries that provide the drive force to the wheels. The Stirling cycle has been known for many years – the Rev, Robert Stirling, patented it back in 1816 – but it has never really been accepted as a viable alternative to the petrol or diesel engine. Until now, that is. Very basically, the Stirling cycle engine uses a fixed body of air or other working material, which is alternately heated and cooled. As the working material is heated, it expands and creates pressure, which is used to force down a piston in a cylinder in much the same way that the exploding fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine drives down a piston. The working material is then cooled, reducing the pressure, allowing the cylinder to return and begin the cycle again. One major advantage of the Stirling cycle engine is the absence of explosions; instead the fuel is burned continuously. This reduces any harmful by-products of the continual combustion – the resulting ash from the burnt wood pellets can be used for composting – and the engine is incredibly quiet. By nature, Stirling engines are relatively simple in their construction without the need for complicated valves, seals and lubrication. But the Stirling engine needs time to warm up before power is available and it runs at a nearly constant speed, unlike an internal combustion engine which can vary power simply by adjusting the amount of fuel fed to the engine. Precer’s car, called the BioRacer, displays all the advantages and, by clever engineering, has by-passed many of the disadvantages of the Stirling cycle. By combining the Stirling engine with a rechargeable electrical drive train, the BioRacer is both economical and quiet, but has power available right from the start. Power is supplied by the electric motor from the re-chargeable Lithium ion batteries. But after a few moments, the Stirling engine starts to produce power and is then used to recharge the batteries while driving. This is a significant advantage over other electrical cars that must stop regularly and plug in to a recharge outlet. Of course, the BioRacer can be recharged in this way if required, but unlike other hybrid or pure electrical cars, the generating system, powered by the Stirling engine, can actually be used to supply power to the electrical grid. So in effect the BioRacer, as well as being an ergonomically friendly, efficient hybrid car, can also be used as a power generator when parked at home. What’s more, with a little ingenuity, the otherwise waste heat from the burning pellets could be used to supply heat in the form of space and/or water heating for home use. Sounds a little too good to be true? But wait, as they say in the commercials, there’s more! With petrol prices, in Europe at least, hovering around $US 1.95 to $US 2.00 per liter, what would you say to a car that runs on wood pellets that currently cost around $US 0.36 per kilogram and that burns between one and two kilograms of pellets for each ten kilometers driven? Martin Larsson, CEO of Precer AB, is convinced of the technology developed with the BioRacer.
he told me. So, if Martin’s vision is correct, in the near future it will be possible to fill up your car and your own home power station with the same low cost, environmentally friendly fuel, drive off to work in your minimal emissions car and return to your warm home, take a hot shower, cook a meal and watch some TV without worrying about petrol, electricity or oil costs. Welcome to the future! Sidebar Information: The Stirling Engine: Precer BioRacer Specifications:
* Depending on customer desired configuration Link to Precer web site:
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