For all that’s changed in the world of automobiles in the last century, there’s been one constant: the internal combustion engine. With a new fleet of hybrids running on everything from vegetable oil to electricity, vehicles with combustion engines seem destined for obsolescence. But what if that was no longer the case? What if there was a radical new way to bring combustion engines back to the technology forefront?
Combustion engines of today (and yesterday) have always been burdened with a limitation to their efficiency and output called knock. Pistons pressurize a mixture of air and fuel to ignite the combustion that provides power, with more powerful engine using more fuel, more air, and more space for compression. Problem is, too much air, fuel, and space results in early ignition and lots of problems, including a noisy clanging sound. This is knock, and it’s been a riddle to engineers since the internal combustion was first conceived.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) may have solved this riddle, and the solution is simpler than you might think. Their biggest breakthrough is introducing a third element to the fuel and air compressing in the cylinder. They’ve found that when ethanol is introduced into the mix, it acts as a cooling element. By continually coating the cylinder with a fine mist of ethanol, the ignition timing can be regulated and knock avoided.
Such a discovery has led to other innovations. Turbo-chargers have been around for a long time, and boost an engine’s performance by compressing air before it goes into the cylinder. Combining this with direct fuel injection (rather than port injection used in most cars today) was a recipe for knock that engineers avoided. With a little bit of ethanol, though, it has led to a more efficient engine.
Not just by a little bit, either. After running dozens of tests and building several prototypes, their engine – about half the size of current models – can produce the same output with up to 30% more fuel efficiency. Doing some quick calculations, that would put a nice dent of 120 million in the 400 million gallons of gasoline burned every day on American roads.
All of this is impressive but ultimately fruitless if the engine can’t be built on a mass scale and offered at a competitive price. But these guys work at MIT, remember, and have it all figured out. They estimate their engines would be priced at about $1,000 more than current models (compare that to the cost premium of a hybrid today – $3,000 to $8,000). Another plus is its sparing use of ethanol – the corn-based fuel’s downsides are its lack of efficiency when burned on its own and its production limitations, both of which are avoided here.
They’ve also taken the first steps towards production, incorporating their technology – Ethanol Boosting Systems – and looking for partnerships. Ford has already begun collaborations and hopes to help improve the technology by using it in future concept vehicles. If all goes well, these knock-proof engines could be on the road in the next five years.
The combustion engine has been one of the great discoveries in human history, but its limitations have frustrated the scientific population for years. Now it looks like these engines could take the next step and join other technologies in the race toward a cleaner atmosphere.
At AutoExtra.com, we strive to bring you the latest and greatest happenings in the automotive universe. Stay tuned for more on the cutting edge of fuel technologies and remember: We’re all you need.
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