The Four Stroke Engine Power Cycle

 The Four Stroke Engine Power Cycle

The modern car gasoline powered engine is often described as some incredibly complex piece of machinery. It is not. Every engine has a basic four stroke power cycle. you can do a lot to make this process efficient and produce a ton of power, but it is still the same process when you strip away the fluff. Let’s take a closer look.

Most modern engines run on a piston system. yes, there are rotary and electric engines, but the internal combustion engine is still basically a four stroke piston process. each piston is attached to the same crankshaft. this makes all 4, 6, 8, or 12 pistons in your car part of a synchronized system.

What exactly are we talking about when we say a stroke? A stroke is simply a movement of the piston. when a fuel and air mixture is fired by a spark club, the resulting pressure created pushes the piston down. this is a single stroke. The movement of a piston down, up, down and up completes one cycle needed to deliver power to the wheels in a car and thus gives us the four stroke power cycle.

The intake stroke is the first step. In this stroke, the piston is moving down because the crankshaft is being turned by another piston. this downward movement creates suction. The intake valves for gas and air at the top of the chamber then open to let in the fuel/air mixture called for by the electronic computer unit controlling the engine.

The compression stroke comes next. The turning crankshaft moves the piston back up in the chamber. this creates massive pressure. The difference between the total space and the size of this compressed chamber is known as the compression ration in an engine. Most modern cars have a compression ration of 8 to 1. this means the piston moves up until it is taking up 7/8ths of the chamber.

The power stroke is our third stroke. when the compression is maxed, the spark plug sends an electric charge across the gap at its end, known as the electrodes. this ignites the fuel and air in the chamber. Pressure is created and the piston is forced down. this delivers power to the crankshaft and causes it to turn. The turn action moves the other pistons through their non-power strokes and delivers power through the drive train to the wheels.

The exhaust stroke is the fourth and last step. As the name suggests, the exhaust is removed form the piston chamber. this happens when the piston starts moving up again. As it proceeds, the valves leading to the exhaust manifold open allowing the exhaust to move out and down to the catalytic convert. from there, the exhaust is passed down the car, through the muffler and out the tailpipe.

The four stroke engine is the dominant power plant we find in the world today. this may change as hybrids and electric vehicles become more popular, but the four stroke engine in one form or another will be with us for a very long time.

Our troops deserve the support that flows from domestic biofuels, says Gen. Clark : Biofuels Digest

 Our troops deserve the support that flows from domestic biofuels, says Gen. Clark  : Biofuels Digest

Consider this: Every time the price of a barrel of imported oil rises one dollar, it costs the Navy $31 million in increased fuel costs. the result is that the military must run fewer operations and complete fewer training exercises.

Our nation imagines itself the most free and secure in the world, yet this statistic clearly identifies America’s reliance on foreign oil as a significant threat to our economy and national security.

We can no longer afford to allow a handful of countries—many controlled by dictators and strongmen—to exert this kind of influence over our military or our economy.

As Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recently stated at a biofuels conference in Mississippi, “We would never allow some of these countries we buy fuel from to build our ships, to build our aircraft, to build our ground vehicles, but we give them a say in whether our ships sail, our aircraft fly, our ground vehicles operate.”

That is why the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy are partnering with the private sector to invest up to $510 million during the next three years to produce home-grown, advanced biofuels to power military and commercial transportation.

The biofuels partnership aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil and create jobs while providing the continued federal commitment necessary to spur innovation into next generation fuels that can be made from a variety of feedstocks.

The United States spends more than $300 billion on imported crude oil per year – that is equivalent to $1,000 annually for every man, woman and child in America.

The more biofuels we create domestically, the less oil we need to import from overseas – keeping our money here in the U.S., putting it to work on our economy, and reducing the impact that foreign nations have on our country’s overall security.

The advantages of a strong, domestic biofuels industry are clear. and today we are producing almost a million barrels per day of fuel for our domestic economy, and saving our nation tens of billions of dollars each year.  yet, since the formation of the partnership, there have been indications that this biofuels partnership will be politicized and turn into just another opportunity for partisanship.

America cannot allow this to happen.

Energy security is national security. If we cannot fuel our own military ships, tanks and jets, we cannot protect our nation from potential adversaries.  And to reach the advanced biofuels our nation needs, we have to “stand on the shoulders” of our current biofuel and its producers: America’s ethanol industry, for it is this industry that is developing much of the technologies, marketing and distribution network and business processes which can make substantial parts of our armed forces energy “independent.”

More importantly, with an expansion of our current biofuels production, we have the opportunity to greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil throughout our economy. We just need to stay the course, and enable our great agricultural and industrial community to move forward on the policy azimuths already set; they need consistency, stability and reliability from our policy and law makers.  Congress should support this partnership and commit to its success.

We owe it to today’s military and tomorrow’s civilians.

Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) is former NATO Supreme Commander and retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general. A Rhodes Scholar, Gen. Clark now serves as Co-Chairman of Growth Energy, an American ethanol advocacy group.

Category: Columnists, Top Stories

Fat Replaces Oil for F-16s as Biofuels Head to War: Commodities

 Fat Replaces Oil for F 16s as Biofuels Head to War: CommoditiesOctober 18, 2011, 11:08 AM EDT

By Alex Morales and Louise Downing

Oct. 18 (Bloomberg) — Biofuels face their biggest test yet — whether they can power fighter jets and tanks in battle at prices the world’s best-funded military can afford.

the U.S. Air Force is set to certify all of its 40-plus aircraft models to burn fuels derived from waste oils and plants by 2013, three years ahead of target, Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary Kevin Geiss said. the Army wants 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. the Navy and Marines aim to shift half their energy use from oil, gas and coal by 2020.

“Reliance on fossil fuels is simply too much of a vulnerability for a military organization to have,” U.S. Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus said in an interview. “We’ve been certifying aircraft on biofuels. We’re doing solar and wind, geothermal, hydrothermal, wave, things like that on our bases.”

yet the U.S., stung by an oil embargo during the 1973 Arab- Israeli war, won’t deploy biofuels beyond testing until prices tumble. the Air Force wants them “cost-competitive” with traditional fuel, for which it pays $8 billion a year. Producers see it the other way around, saying they need big buyers before building refineries to help slash costs, according to Honeywell International Inc., which developed a process to make biofuels.

“the first few widgets are always more expensive than the billionth,” said James Rekoske, vice president of renewable energy at Honeywell’s UOP unit. “That’s where we’re at.” Honeywell expects to have delivered about 800,000 gallons of biojet fuel from 2009 through early 2012.

Rekoske said prices need to dive to $3 to $4 a gallon from more than $10 now. Refineries, costing about $300 million each, are “mission critical” and a giant customer like the U.S. government is necessary to carry production to the next level.

“You can’t take a 10-year contract from an American airline to the bank and get the financing that you need,” Rekoske said. “You can if you have a 10-year contract from the U.S. Navy.”

the military’s drive to cut dependence on oil, coal and gas goes beyond biofuels. It’s developing wind and solar farms to power U.S. bases and expanding the use of renewables into combat zones such as Afghanistan, where a study last year showed one Marine is killed or wounded for every 50 fuel and water convoys.

under a 2005 law, federal government facilities must source at least 5 percent of their electricity from renewable sources in 2010-2012, and at least 7.5 percent afterward.

President Barack Obama on Aug. 16 announced the Navy and Departments of Agriculture and Energy would each plow $170 million over three years into the commercial development of biofuels, with the aim of generating at least as much in private investment. the Navy aims to ramp up its biofuels use to 3 million gallons in 2016 from 900,000 gallons next year.

‘Create a Market’

“the U.S. military is by the far the largest user in the country, so we can create a market for it,” Mabus said. the Navy is the “guaranteed customer” needed to get the industry “across the so-called valley of death from a good idea to commercial scale,” he said.

the armed forces say they’ve been successful testing fuels produced from sources as diverse as animal fat, frying oils and camelina, an oil-bearing plant that’s relatively drought- and freeze-resistant.

Major Aaron Jelinek, the lead solo pilot in the Air Force’s Thunderbirds flight demonstration team, performed aerobatics including loops, rolls and formation flying at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on May 20-21. it was the F-16 fighter jet’s first flight using a fuel made from the camelina plant.

“I could tell no difference between flying that day when I had biofuel in my tank versus flying the day before or the day after,” Jelinek said in an interview. “it was a normal demonstration, one that we perform at 70 shows during the year and in many more practices than that, doing the exact same maneuvers and the exact same show sequence as any other day.”

the military wants its vehicles, except for the ships that are nuclear-powered, to be able to use new combustibles, cutting fossil fuel imports from politically unstable nations.

“we do buy a lot now from countries that we sure wouldn’t let build our aircraft or ships, but we give them a say in whether they sail or fly because we buy our fuels from them,” said Mabus.

the Navy has flown its Green Hornet fighter aircraft at 1.7 times the speed of sound using a biofuel blend and aims to have certified all of its aircraft for the fuels by year-end.

while the tests were done in the U.S., once certified, the forces will be able to operate aircraft on biofuels anywhere, including war zones such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

“If the fuel is available, whether it’s in Afghanistan or it’s in Kentucky, we want to be able to use it,” said Geiss.

the Navy’s fuel bill rose $1 billion this year because of the conflict that cut off Libyan output, said Mabus.

$8 Billion in Fuel

Volatile prices for oil can hit budgets. at the Navy, which spends about $4 billion a year on fuels, the energy bill rises $31 million for every $1 gain in the price of a barrel of oil, Mabus said. the Air Force has twice the budget.

“when you’ve got a bill of $8 billion, you’re going to look for opportunities to diversify your options,” said Geiss.

the Army aims to approve biofuels for its aircraft and ground vehicles, including Humvees, Abrams battle tanks and Apache helicopters by the end of 2013, a spokesman, Dave Foster, said in an e-mail.

the Air Force certified biofuels for use in F-15s, F-16s and C-17 cargo planes and they’re set for approval for the whole fleet by 2013, said Jeff Braun, director of the Alternative Fuels Certification Office. the force has a 2016 deadline for being able to get half its needs from 50/50 alternative fuel blends, equivalent to 400 million gallons of biofuels or other combustibles, such as synthetic liquid fuels from coal and gas.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin

“we can use an almost unlimited number of feedstocks to produce these fuels,” said Braun. “From a performance stand- point you can’t tell the difference whether you’re burning a camelina blend, a tallow blend, or another fuel that’s made up of a bunch of waste greases — fry grease or seasoning grease.”

the Air Force has worked with aircraft makers Boeing co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. and engine-makers Rolls Royce Holdings Plc, General Electric co. and United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney in testing the biofuels, said Braun. the fuels used were made by Honeywell’s UOP, Sustainable Oils Inc. and Dynamic Fuels LLC, a venture by Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

the results of the military tests have been shared with commercial airlines, many of which have carried out their own trials — starting with Air New Zealand ltd. in December 2008, and Continental Airlines — now part of United Continental Holdings Inc. — and Japan Airlines co. the following month, according to Honeywell.

the data from military and commercial airlines helped ASTM International, formerly the American Society for Testing & Materials, in July approve the fuels for use in commercial planes, paving the way for Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-largest airline, to become the first carrier in the world to offer regular scheduled flights running on biofuel.

“Lufthansa wouldn’t be flying today if we had not done our work to enable development of that ASTM standard,” Geiss said.

the next hurdle is for the fuels to be produced commercially at prices the military would accept.

Honeywell made 800,000 gallons of fuel for the Air Force’s tests, though it doesn’t aim to produce the fuels commercially. it plans to license the technique to refiners such as Valero Energy Corp. and Darling International Inc., which are building a $368 million plant in Louisiana, Rekoske said. while it’ll be licensed to make bio-jet fuel, bill Day, a Valero spokesman, said the focus will be on making ground transportation fuels.

the renewables effort extends to electricity. To make the Marines more “combat effective,” they’re pushing the use of solar power, energy-efficient lighting and batteries, said Colonel Bob Charette, director of the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office.

Renewable technologies including energy-efficient lighting, solar blankets and larger solar systems have been distributed to about half the Marines in Afghanistan. a patrol of as many as 20 Marines this year operated for three weeks using small solar blankets to re-charge their batteries, according to Charette.

“when you don’t need as much re-supply for fuel, water, and batteries, you can stay out longer, do the mission at greater distances and you don’t have your Marines at risk,” he said. in Sangin district, there are two patrol bases operating on nothing but solar energy and battery packs, he said.

the Army is seeking a quarter of its domestic electricity from renewables by 2025, up from 2 percent now, said Jonathan Powers, director of outreach for the Energy Initiatives Task Force. the goal is equivalent to an extra 2.1 million megawatt- hours of renewable energy annually, and will require $7.1 billion of private investment, Powers said.

“the benefit for the private sector is we’re committing to long-term power-purchase agreements for cost-effective large- scale renewable energy projects on our bases,” Powers said. “We’re providing land and demand.”

–Editors: Todd White, Steve Geimann

To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at [email protected]; Louise Downing in London at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at [email protected]

Winterbottom cool with co-driver switch

 Winterbottom cool with co driver switch

Winterbottom said Lyon's recent experience would be invaluable on the concrete-lined Surfers Paradise streets.

"Practice will be important for us. Bathurst and Phillip Island are tough but the Gold Coast is really tough," he said.

"he has experience in our cars which is good because they're completely different to anything else they (internationals) drive.

"That'll help a lot. I'm confident and so is he that he'll do the job."

Winterbottom is fifth in the championship standings after finishing fourth at Bathurst recently.

He scored a podium at Surfers Paradise last year and predicted the international drivers would produce the goods this year.

"This year, there's more international drivers," he said.

"the soft tyres will change the track massively. It'll probably be a second-and-a-half quicker (each lap) on the track.

"Braking points, turning points, tyre degradation will be different even though it's the same track.

"the most laps you do in a row at practice is about five. then you go into the race and you have to do 38 laps on a set of tyres."

The action starts on Friday with practice while qualifying and the first of two 300km races will be held on Saturday.

Join our live blog with Mark Winterbottom here on goldcoast.com.au tomorrow at 10.30am

Hybrid Cars Vs Gas Cars – Pros and Cons

 Hybrid Cars Vs Gas Cars   Pros and Cons

Hybrid cars vs gas cars? the answer depends on your priorities.

Maybe you’re tired of paying high prices at the gas pump or sending U.S. dollars to the Middle East. perhaps you’re concerned about the environment and the fact that oil is a depleting resource that shouldn’t be wasted sitting in traffic jams.

Whatever your priorities, fuel economy is not the only factor to consider when looking at hybrid cars vs gas cars. To make a sound financial decision, you might also want to compare the purchase price, tax benefits, insurance, repairs and maintenance costs.

Starting with fuel economy, realize no one gets the numbers posted on new car window stickers. the average driver only gets about 75% of what’s been promised.

And that includes hybrid cars. but hybrids still get much better mileage than conventional gasoline vehicles. Smaller four cylinder models are the only gas cars that come close to hybrids in fuel economy.

The hybrid, however, comes with a higher sticker price than similar gas models. Some are as much as several thousand dollars higher in cost. This extra cost is expected to come down in the near future as consumer demand increases and manufacturers achieve greater economy of scale.

Consumer advocate testing has shown that hybrid savings in fuel economy usually fails to offset the extra purchase price. but, for many buyers, federal and state tax benefits can help make up the difference.

Hybrid cars may also get relief on insurance costs too. Some automobile insurance carriers are now offering as much as 5% to 10% discounts on hybrid cars. Apparently, preliminary research has shown that hybrid car drivers make fewer insurance adjustment claims and that’s being reflected in their premiums.

Another thing to consider is repair and maintenance. Some believe the new hybrid technology may be too sophisticated for local auto mechanics, requiring hybrid car owners to always return to the dealer for repair. but that’s not just true for hybrids. as cars become more electronic, auto mechanics will need a degree in computer science to keep gas cars in tune too.

Hybrid car manufacturers, like Toyota, Honda and Ford, must feel confident about their cars because they offer at least 8 to 10 year warranties on hybrid-specific components. Toyota, for example, reports their battery pack will last for more than 180,000 miles. for the average driver that’s over twelve years.

And, as far as maintenance is concerned, most hybrid components need no regular maintenance. Of course, you’ll have to change the oil in the gas engine every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, just as you would in a conventional car.

One distinct advantage hybrids have is that you won’t need to change your brake pads as often. because of their regenerative braking technology, hybrid brake pads last much longer. Prius customers have reported driving as far as 85,000 miles without a replacement. the brake pads of most gas cars last only about 15,000 miles.

The bottom line for hybrid cars vs. gas cars gets down to your own personal priorities. but, there’s one thing for sure, as consumer demand increases you’re going to see more alternative car future choices at better prices.

Mercedes-Benz to debut hydrogen fueled F125! at Frankfurt

Posted on 13 September 2011

Pratima Kalra:1317069027 40 Mercedes Benz to debut hydrogen fueled F125! at Frankfurt

Mercedes Benz F125Concept vehicle powered by fuel cells

Whether a leak out of some facts about automobiles before launch creates more intrigue or spoils the punch can be mooted hard. the biannual Frankfurt Motor Show gives the big brand car makers like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, etc a platform to display their lavish plans for the future in terms of both design and technology. Therefore, the perfect platform for Mercedes Benz to launch its all new hydrogen pumped F125!, a concept aimed for 2025 CL-class.

Automobile innovation no longer gives jitters to people; they know if you can think something, you can actually deliver it. We’ve digested the evolution of electric cars and now maybe it’s time for something more alluring. Thus, if Mercedes Benz claims that F125! will be fuelled by hydrogen with an engine that will bail out 231hp and it will take just about 4 seconds to reach to 62mph, with a top speed of 137mph, the facts will be well taken. To top it, the car has been designed to consume just 0.79 kilograms of H2 per 100 kilometers.

As for the design details of F125!; it takes inspiration from the F800 with its fluid form and gullwing door concept. This gives this new Benz poise and elegance and also renders is useful for congested car space in cities. just like a few other Mercedes Cars like McLaren, the undercarriage is made of a combination of carbon fiber, aluminum and plastic; using their comparative advantage to come up with something more solid. A gas tank made of carbon fiber is fitted to hold hydrogen to the capacity of 700 bars. Also it gets some power from an onboard 10kWh lithium-ion battery that would permit it to travel approximately 31 kilometers.

Whether the 125 years of existence and success of the dynamic Mercedes Benz is once again going to dazzle the audience with its unique mix of technology and design all encompassed in the new gullwing F125! at the Frankfurt Moto Show, will be a thing to follow up with.

Via: Autoblog

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Fuel Prices, Electric Cars and Minicabs

 Fuel Prices, Electric Cars and Minicabs

London black cab and minicab drivers would likely welcome the opportunity to use electric vehicles at this time, given that the average price of fuel in the UK is around 1.35 per litre. as the environment and sustainable living become an ever growing issue reducing pollution levels in major cities like London is a continual battle.

According to Eco Velocity which is a low-carbon motor show, if all of the 22,000 registered black cabs in the city became electric vehicles this could reduce Co2 pollution by 4000 tonnes every week. The figure was calculated using average mileage and the Co2 emissions of the most common Hackney carriages. Also according to Eco Velocity if you included London minicabs the reduction in pollution levels could be tripled.

The introduction of the electric vehicles in the transport industry would no doubt reduce air pollution in London. According to some reports black cabs which are the most common type of vehicle on London’s roads account for about 20% of pollution. Not only this if you include all other forms of transport including minicabs and buses the percentage goes up to 80%. Any major roll-out of electric powered public transport would certainly have a big impact on pollution levels.

Fuel vs Electricity

The recent announcement that Tesco would be cutting petrol prices by 2 pence does not provide many in the transport sector much alleviation as some suggest it is just too little too late.

From an economic standpoint it would be cheaper to run an electric powered vehicle provided the vehicle could provide the necessary mileage to last an entire shift without the need to charge. as well as this the charging of such as vehicle would have to be fairly quick in order for it to be viable. Waiting for hours for an EV to charge would certainly not be advantageous for some companies. Also at this point the purchase of these vehicles is still very expensive which is a major obstacle.

Further developments in the area of electric vehicles continues, Manganese Bronze, a well-known black cab manufacturer has been working on its own version of an electric powered black cab, which it hopes to properly roll out in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

Fuel Prices Affect the Economy

SFP is a major insolvency practitioner in the UK. It has recently reported that as many as 3 out of 4 new instructions by transport companies cite fuel prices as the cause for business failure. Many companies in the courier, haulage and minicab industry are in very competitive markets, making it difficult to pass on fuel price hikes to customers.

Why do Fuel Prices Rise?

Generally fuel prices follow basic economic principles. if there is a glitch in supply or surge in demand this raises prices, consequently if there is an over-supply or demand is low prices reduce. however, over recent years there have been few occasions when fuel prices have reduced. It is the continual increases that are putting small businesses under pressure. together with the added environmental issues a move into cheaper more sustainable forms of fuel/energy are needed in order to safeguard the future of small businesses in the transport sector.

Hojo Motor Reviews over similarity motor subservient

 Hojo Motor Reviews over similarity motor subservient

Also known as an greater than unity motor, it is made from a simple aluminium disc onto which a series of individual magnets and copper wiring is installed.

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How To Hint a Winsome Motor

It is completely credible for you to make your own motor at home. already there are a hardly commercial applications and men governments are heavily developing them too (as an anti-gravity technology).

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In spite of that, most people interested in alternate energy are more interested in lore how to found an arresting motor than a solar system or hear on the grapevine turbine. The biggest reason for the violent consideration in edifice these motors is because they don’t require any exterior power informant to run. These inviting motors are known as unvarying carriage motors that mould more power than it needs to head for the hills itself.

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hojo motor reviews

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WGGB abc40/FOX 6: News, Weather, Sports: Springfield, MAVt. board approves another step to wind project

 WGGB abc40/FOX 6: News, Weather, Sports: Springfield, MAVt. board approves another step to wind project

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Vermont's second largest electric utility is another step closer to begin construction on a plan to erect 21 wind turbines on Lowell Mountain.

The Public Service Board has signed off on plan to have Green Mountain Power protect 17.5 acres of upper elevation wetlands in exchange for each acre that will be filled in or altered during construction of the wind project.

GMP spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure says the utility is close to getting all the approvals it needs. some storm water and water quality permits from the Agency of Natural Resources are still outstanding.

Vermont Public Radio (http://bit.ly/qu4kPD ) says the board's approval came after the company's landowner-partner did some unauthorized work on the mountain and by building a logging road and filling in part of a nearby wetland.

Information from: WVPS-FM, http://www.vpr.net

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