Only the gasoline vapor burns -)

It is common knowledge that our internal combustion engines only burn the vapor not the actual liquid gasoline.  Have you ever wondered why then that the autos are designed to spray liquid fuel into the engine to run it 

Here are a few cool videos to get you thinking -

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDjixpLUK7c[/flash]

and

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEed43yimmM[/flash]

and

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCtd7WT6uEk[/flash]

The last video is a bit complicated and I feel that a much simpler system can be achieved but watching it still gave me some great ideas.

Here's a patent for one of the many systems developed -

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4177779.PN.&OS=PN/4177779&RS=PN/4177779

Here is a quote from the end of the patent -

"I have been able to obtain extremely high gas mileages with the system of the present invention installed on a V-8 engine of a conventional 1971 American made automobile. In fact, mileage rates in excess of one hundred miles per gallon have been achieved with the present invention. The present invention eliminates the need for conventional fuel pumps, carburetors, and gas tanks, thereby more than offsetting whatever the components of the present invention might otherwise add to the cost of a car. The system may be constructed with readily available components and technology, and may be supplied in kit form as well as original equipment. "


Happy tinkering -)

A little factoid that I would like to add is that ethyl alcohol which is made from corn

-  the vapor burns much cleaner than gasoline

-  has a higher octane rating

-  and best of all one acre of corn will produce between 250 and 300 gallons of pure ethanol.

If Mr. Ogle achieved 100 mpg+ in an old 71 V8 how much can we achieve with the lighter cars of today and using a fuel that we grow and produce ourselves -)

A vehicle getting 100 mpg could be driven between 25,000 and 30,000 miles on an acre of corn.  For me just 1/4 acre per year would be enough.  WOW!

http://soultutor.com/pdf/Energy/Fuels/Alcohol/Building%20an%20Ethanol%20Still.pdf

http://soultutor.com/pdf/Energy/Fuels/Alcohol/Fuel%20Alcohol%20Production.pdf

http://soultutor.com/pdf/Energy/Fuels/Alcohol/Alcohol%20Fuels.pdf

http://soultutor.com/pdf/Energy/Fuels/Alcohol/Alcohol%20fuel.pdf

http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/

if anyone builds this do come back and let us know how it works

my suspicion is that the 100 mpg claim is bunk, but that in certain engines mileage gains could be attained by leaning things out.

but leaning things out that far often results in huge amounts nitrous oxides in the exhaust which is not a good trade off.

Can you provide some links to your info about the nitrous oxides.  From my understanding when vapor burns it burns nearly clean,  Here are a few more videos for everyone -

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II1_Vg8dP64[/flash]

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqKEQLBg6a8[/flash]

[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDMDCT67xBM[/flash]

Judge for yourselves-)

This is taken from the Engine Manufacturers Association "The Use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Systems in Stationary Natural Gas Engines"

http://www.enginemanufacturers.org/file.asp?A=Y&F=20040801+The+Use+of+EGR+to+Reduce+Emissions+in+Stationary+Gas+Engines.pdf&N=20040801+The+Use+of+EGR+to+Reduce+Emissions+in+Stationary+Gas+Engines.pdf&C=documents

"One key advancement, begun in the early 1980’s, became known as “lean burn” combustion. Lean burn combustion, using up to 100% excess air, results in significantly lower NOx emissions compared to rich burn combustion which was the prevalent and standard engine technology of the time. Lean burn combustion has the added benefit of improving energy efficiency and life cycle costs for end users. Although more complex and costly to manufacture, lean burn combustion results in engine-out NOx rates that are some 90% lower than rich burn, from 15 grams/bhp-hr to 1-2 grams/bhp-hr, along with a 5-10% fuel economy improvement and up to a 50% reduction in specific maintenance costs."

Happy tinkering

This was taken from the Society of Automotive Engineers Pub "Lean Gasoline Engine Reductant Chemistry During Lean NOx Trap Regeneration"

http://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/files/Pub25504.pdf

"Engines that operate at lean air-to-fuel ratios ("lean engines") offer the potential to reduce fuel consumption and, thereby, lower greenhouse gas emissions.[1] A difficult problem to address when commercializing vehicles with lean engines is the control of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. For  stoichiometric combustion, the three-way catalyst technology commonly found on gasoline-engine vehicles  controls emissions of NOx as well as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions; however, the three-way function is only effective in the low-oxygen exhaust conditions associated with stoichiometric combustion. Lean combustion results in oxygen-rich exhaust where the reduction of NOx is difficult."

So it appears that Brice is correct on the nitrous oxides when lean "liquid" gasoline is used.  I also found this -

"One other method of NOx reduction is to run a richer fuel mixture. By adding more fuel, the amount of air is displaced, reducing NOx. The leftover fuel is handled by the exhaust catalyst, converting the CO and HC into CO2.  With a liquid fuel engine, the addition of more fuel also lowers the combustion temperature by the condensing effect.  Here the fuel is evaporating and absorbing combustion heat.  With a vapor fuel, the reverse if true.  If the engine is running lean (over λ=1.2), the exhaust actually begins to cool down, thus reducing exhaust and combustion temperatures.  Now we understand the rational of "Lean Burn"!

http://franzh.home.texas.net/lean.html

Here's a good image of the optimum air-fuel ratio of 1.25.  The currently accepted stoichiometric (when 100% combustion of fuel happens) mixture of air to fuel is 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel.  This ratio is considered a 1.0.  So leaning the vapor to 18.5 parts air to 1 part vapor will results in a 1.25 Lambda ratio and very clean burn.

In 1980 while in the service on a short leave before deployment a friend and I built an evaporative Carb and installed it on a 1968 Fire bird 400cdi testing it on the back roads in Florida. 98mpg and lots of bugs to work out, acceleration was the worst problem coming to a stop was a nerve racking experience, for anyone stuck behind us as it took a very long time to get back to speed.
Good learning and definitely worth pursuing, most fuels now seem to have additives that hinder evaporation.   

edible planet I notice your quote is based on a natural gas burning engine. there are a few vital differences in engine design and how the fuels burn which make lean burn work for natural gas. one of the bigger ones is much higher compression ratio's. long chain hydrocarbons like gasoline even when  vaporized do not like to ignite under lean conditions and the flame front travels more slowly, you can combat this to a degree by raising compression.

of course the worlds premier lean burn technology is the diesel engine, diesels accomplish lean burn by using effective compression ratios of 30:1 and up to get all the molecules real close together 

seems to me that if one wants a gaseous fuel starting with propane or CNG makes more sense than gasoline,  most likely safer as well.

pleas understand I'm not trying to discourage anyone here just sharing some of the tidbits I've picked up over years of being a motor head and aware that something needs to change, at the moment I'm quite pleased with my 91 diesel jetta which gets 45-50 mpg an biodiesl going 75, I'm sure I could tweak her to get 100mpg going 35-40 but...

of course there are small diesels in the world that approach the 100mpg mark because their engine management is much more sophisticated than mine but our silly emission laws keep them out of the U.S.  http://www.nextgreencar.com/view-car/26876/SMART-fortwo-coupe-Diesel-Semi-automatic-5-speed

Brice:The addition of an HHO generator will bump your mileage up noticeably with diesel (or gasoline) I run them on my trucks with viable increases in mileage and performance.