Engine Runs On Liquid Air

There's a new kid on the engine block whose zero emissions just might give hydrogen fuel cells and  battery electric systems a run for their money.

The Dearman Engine Company (DEC) has started development on an innovative engine technology that uses liquid air as the primary fuel. Sure, liquid air sounds like an oxymoron, but DEC is operating on some bitterly cold, cryogenic levels. By cooling the air to minus 256 degrees Fahrenheit, the air liquefies.

Instead of petroleum, cryogenic air is injected into ambient heat inside the engine. It creates high-pressure gas that drives the pistons and only emits cold air as exhaust. 

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"You inject a heat-exchange fluid, such as anti-freeze and water, into the head of the piston just before you inject liquid nitrogen. The result is that all the expansion takes place inside the cylinder," DEC founder Toby Peters told Transport Engineer. "And because you've got this volume of heat exchange fluid, it is isothermal expansion – so it keeps the temperature the same, which is far more efficient."

The Dearman engine is like an internal combustion engine, only without the spark plug. When the cryogenic is injected, ambient temperatures rapidly heat it and return it to its gaseous form. This builds up pressure and pushes the piston down.

As the exhaust valve opens at the bottom of the stroke, the returning piston pushes the heat exchange fluid and air out out of the engine as cold air.

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DEC is working with Ricardo, a British engineering consulting agency, to bring the engine closer to commercial reality. A prototype engine proved to be more efficient than previous cryogenic engine designs and it powered a car at more than 30 miles per hour.

"The work to date has delivered and validated a proof of concept engine, which produces positive power, and confirmed that there are a number of suitable applications," said Peters.

[Via GizMag]

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