Alternate Fuels

Hydrogen

Hydrogen gas (H2) is being explored for use in combustion engines and fuel-cell electric vehicles. It is a gas at normal temperatures and pressures, which presents greater transportation and storage hurdles than exist for the liquid fuels. Storage systems being developed include compressed hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and chemical bonding between hydrogen and a storage material (for example, metal hydrides).

While no transportation distribution system currently exists, for hydrogen transportation use, the ability to create the fuel from a variety of resources and its clean-burning properties make it a desirable alternative fuel.
Increasing pollution from cars and airplanes has created smog clouds across the country. Hydrogen, on the other hand, emits no toxins, and is also clean and efficient.

Natural Gas (CNG / LNG)

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons-mainly methane (CH4)-and is produced either from gas wells or in conguide with crude oil production. The interest for natural gas as an alternative fuel stems mainly from its clean burning qualities, its domestic resource base, and its commercial availability to end-users.

Natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative fuel. Exhaust emissions from NGVs are much lower than those from gasoline-powered vehicles. For instance, NGV emissions of carbon monoxide are approximately 70 percent lower, non-methane organic gas emissions are 89 percent lower, and oxides of nitrogen emissions are 87 percent lower. In addition to these reductions in pollutants, NGVs also emit significantly lower amounts of greenhouse gases and toxins than do gasoline vehicles.

Dedicated NGVs produce little or no evaporative emissions during fueling and use. For gasoline vehicles, evaporative and fueling emissions account for at least 50 percent of a vehicle's total hydrocarbon emissions. Dedicated NGVs also can reduce carbon dioxide exhaust emissions by almost 20 percent vehicles.

P - Series

P-Series is a new fuel that is now classified as an alternative fuel. It is the latest to be taken under the branch of alternate fuel. The U.S. Government has only recently added

certain blends of methyltetrahydrofuran, ethanol and hydrocarbons, known as the P-series fuels, to the definition of "alternative fuel."

P-series fuels are blends of ethanol, methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), and pentanes plus, with butane added for blends that would be used in severe cold-weather conditions to meet cold start requirements.

These contain at least 60 percent non-petroleum energy content derived from MTHF (manufactured solely from biomass feedstocks) and ethanol, are substantially not petroleum and may yield substantial energy security and substantial environmental benefits.

Solar Fuel

Solar energy technologies use sunlight to warm and light homes, heat water, and generate electricity. Some research has gone in to evaluating how solar energy may be used to power vehicles; however, the long-term possibility of operating a vehicle on solar power alone is very slim. Solar power, may however, be used to run certain auxiliary systems in the vehicle. Solar energy is derived from the sun. In order to collect this energy and use it to fuel a vehicle, photovoltaic cells are used. Pure solar energy is 100% renewable and a vehicle run on this fuel emits no emissions.

The Indian scenario is however not encouraging.
The experimental vehicles supplied by BHEL and Chatelec are ling stranded for want of spare parts.
The CNG vehicles are languishing with repeated shortages in CNG supplies. In the absence of compressing facilities, natural gas continues to be floored. The prospects of Oman and Iranian pipelines for importing of natural gas have receded. A brief and isolated experiment with 30% methanol blended petrol has been forgotten.
The prospects of solar photovoltaic cells as energy source for vehicles have not even been explored so far.

The Indian oil industry and the Government of India should join hands to make future fuels a thing of the near future, and not relegate it to the backseat.
The components of a CNG conversion kit for peteol cars are:

CNG Cylinder :

These are high-pressure cylinders designed for storage of CNG at a pressure of 200 bar. A typical tank capacity is 60 ltrs. The number of cylinders required depends on the vehicle.

Vapour bag Assembly :

This is nade of PVC and is designed to cover the cylinder valve. It is tubular in shape and has a threaded flange at one end screwed on to the cylinder neck threads and a screwed cap at the other end to give access to the cylinder valve.

CNG pressure regulator: It is a multi-stage pressure reducer in which the gas pressure reduced from that prevailing in the tank to a pressure just below the atmospheric pressure. This ensures that natural gas will not flow out from the pressure regulator when the engine is not running. The filling connection/valve is used for filling high-pressure gas from the CNG compressor to the CNG tank. The electronic selector/change-over switch activates the electrical circuits in the system to automatically change the mode of operation from diesel or petrol to CNG. Venturi is a gas and air mixing and metering device. It meters the gas flow proportionate to the engine speed.

The components of a CNG conversion kit for dual fuel operation in diesel engines are:

Special filler valve for filling CNG storage tanks; multi-stage pressure regulator to regulate pressure from 200 bar to less than the atmospheric pressure; pneumatically operated safety valve to close gas supply as the engine rpm reaches beyond specific limits; linear load valve connected to accelerator paddle controls gas flow as per engine load; rack limiter allows full load diesel flow upto certain engine rpm and reduces to pilot value beyond the specific speed; and Venturi, the gas mixing and metering device located downstream of the engine air filter.

The components of the kit for mono fuel operation are:

High-pressure cylinders designed for storage of CNG at a pressure of 200 bar. A typical tank capacity is 50 ltrs. The number of cylinders required depends on the vehicle; special filter valve for filling CNG storage tanks; two pressure regulators to reduce the gas pressure from 200 bars to just above atmospheric pressure; special air valve diaphragm carbuerettor; six cylinder contact-less distributor ignition system with spark plugs located in the plae of injectors; and special electronic governor to reduce gas flow at second stage regulator as the specified rpm reached.