Interior restoration
For my senior project, I had made my way down to Oklahoma for interior restoration. I worked with my uncle, Dan Kirkpatrick, to restore a 1939 steyr 55. The process of restoring this car took a lot of trail and error, from both me, and my Uncle. From stretching, and fitting leather across foam covered wheel wells, to trying to make precise holes in carpeting for bolts, to sandblasting seat frames for paint, to ripping out a finished headliner that just didn't make us happy. It took the full month that I was gone, and more than two gallons of glue to complete the car.
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As I step forward into my future, I am finding myself pushing towards the automotive field - mostly towards the mechanical side of things. Yet, when it came to this project, It was hard to find some sort of mechanical project that didn't cost an arm, a leg, and the neighbors kidney. When I was reminded of my uncles interior restoration business, I contacted him immediately. This opportunity to work with my uncle has helped me branch out into another section of the automotive field. Interior restoration is a dying art. While it is backed by people with big money, very few people do this kind of work. To be part of the effort of restoring, and reviving a large part of our history, and in a very professional setting, is an honor.
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TED Talklooking at weather or not electric cars a viable solution to internal combustion engine powered vehicles.
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Senior thesis paper
Are electric cars a viable solution to internal combustion engine powered cars?
Abstract
With a need for “green” forms of transportation, electric vehicles have planted themselves firmly in the market. They provide us with a viable solution to internal combustion engines, which make up a majority of the U.S.’s transportation related pollution. In this paper, I look into how the electric vehicle stands. I look into the advantages of the electric vehicle, and how the work, along with some of the issues that electric vehicles are showing. Electric vehicles are becoming more, and more practical, yet are still needing much revision, and advancements before they come close to pushing the internal combustion engine out of the market.
Introduction
As the need for transportation rises, so do the environmental concerns surrounding transportation, along with the demand for better performing vehicles. With the Internal combustion engine having been around for a little more than 100 years, that technology has been refined, and it is now at a point where is must be reinvented to create any substantial gains - as we see with Infiniti’s new variable compression ratio engines, and Mazda’s Skyactiv-X engines. With the internal combustion engine creating, on average, around 30% of the total energy related CO2 emissions from the U.S. alone (Carbon Dioxide from Burning Gasoline). The main competitor of the Internal combustion engine being the Electric Vehicle (e.v.) - these vehicles have started to gain a good standing in the market, and with good reason. With their lower overall emissions, improvements in battery technology, including charging, and overall strong performance, e.v.’s propose a viable solution to the average internal combustion engine.
Background
The Majority of Internal combustion engines use a processes called a four stroke cycle. This is where the combustion inside the engine is broken up into four different strokes. The first stroke - the intake stroke. The second - the compression stroke. Third - the power stroke. Fourth - the exhaust stroke. In the first stroke, the piston moves down, creating a vacuum, sucking in air when the intake valve is opened, and mixes it with fuel. In a diesel engine, only air is brought in in this stroke. At the end of this stroke, the intake valve closes to avoid collision between the valves and the piston, and to keep air and fuel from blowing back through the intake. In the second stroke, the piston moves back up, compressing the air and fuel. Once the piston is at the top of its cycle, or, “Top dead center,” a spark is created using the spark plugs to initiate combustion. In a diesel engine, the air is compressed more, and high amounts of heat are created. Where the spark would be let off in the standard engine, the diesel engine will inject fuel into the compressed air, initiating combustion. For a diesel to create enough heat from compression, they have to use a much higher compression ratio. The average compression ratio (Ratio between the volume inside of a cylinder based on the top and bottom of a piston stroke) of a diesel engine is between 15:1 and 20:1, while the average combustion ratio of a gasoline powered car is between 8:1 and 10:1. These higher compression ratios are also more thermally efficient, allowing for a leaner combustion, making diesels more fuel efficient by around 15%-25%(Energy efficiency of Vehicles) . The third stroke, the power stroke, is the stroke where the combustion forces the piston back down. The fourth stroke, the piston moves back up, and the exhaust valve opens, forcing the exhaust out, the valves close, and the cycle repeats (Four Stroke Cycle Engine). Each piston is connected to the crankshaft via a connecting rod so that the power can then be sent elsewhere.
The New VC-Turbo engine created by Infinity uses a system that allows the engine to change its compression ratio to accommodate the need in the situation. The engine uses a harmonic drive to push or pull an actuator arm, which rotates a control shaft to a desired location. When the control shaft is rotated, it moves a “Multi-link” arm moving the pivoting location of the connecting rod in accordance to the crankshaft, changing the compression ratio, and in turn the efficiency, power output, and emissions of the vehicle (VC-Turbo Engine Technology).
Mazda’s Skyactiv-X engine uses something called sark controlled compression ignition (SPCCI). The design of this engine allows it to have the ability to reach high RPMs, while still giving quick response times, high torque and efficiency of diesel engines (Mazda: Next Generation). The engine works like a diesel, yet it uses spark plugs. While a standard engine uses a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio of 14.7:1 to give a proper combustion, Mazda’s Skyactiv-X uses an air/fuel ratio of 36.8:1. The engine compresses the air and fuel mixture nearly to combustion, then uses a spark as a catalyst for combustion. There isn’t enough fuel for the flame to propagate, yet the fireball created by the spark creates enough compression to ignite the fuel. These engines use a supercharger. Usually a supercharger is used to compress air, and sends more air through the engine, which the mass air flow sensor detects, and sends more fuel in. This creates a larger, more powerful combustion, but skyactiv-x engines don’t use their superchargers for power because there is an issue with the pressure inside the cylinder, and the atmospheric pressure outside. The supercharger is used solely to reach the 36.8:1 air/fuel ratio. Without the supercharger, the engine wouldn’t be able to reach a high enough air pressure in the cylinder for this air/fuel ratio.
With standard engine, the average fuel used (in the U.S.) is known as E10. This is a mix of 10% ethanol, and 90% gasoline by volume. The volume of ethanol may be higher. The ethanol used for fuel is required by federal law to have 2% denaturant to make it unfit for human consumption. The amount of CO2 released for burning a gallon of ethanol is 12.7 lbs of CO2 - while the burning a gallon of gasoline releases 19.7 lbs of CO2 - Burning a gallon of E10 fuel releases 18.9 lbs of CO2. fuel releases around 22.4 lbs of CO2 from combustion. Biodiesel fuels are sold with varying amounts of biodiesel, with B20 being a more common variant. B20 is made up of 20% biodiesel, and 80% petroleum diesel fuel. A gallon of B20 will release close to 17.9 lbs of CO2 from the fossil fuel content of the mixture alone (Carbon Dioxide from Burning Gasoline). Making the assumption that the average vehicle runs with a fuel economy of around 21.6 miles to the gallon, and will be driven 11,400 miles per year - the average vehicle with make around 4.7 metric tons of CO2 in one year (Environmental Protection agency).
Research and Analysis
Batteries:
Batteries are made up of several parts. The anode, cathode, electrolyte, two current collectors (electrodes), and a separator. In the most dominant kind of battery (Lithium ion), the lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) is stored in the anode, and cathode. During use, the electrolyte will carry lithium ions from the anode to the cathode. The opposite happens when charging the anode, and cathode are brought back to the original state, and are again able to provide energy. The transportation of the ions creates free electron at the anode (negative current collector), building a charge at the positive current collectors (cathode), which is cycled through an object, powering it, and ending the cycle back at the negative current collector. The separator prevents the travel of lithium ions back the other way until charging. LiCoO2 is able to have up to half of its ions removed without a crystalline change. Pairing LiCoO2 with graphite allows for the reversible inclusion of ions in between the layers of graphene that resides in the open areas within the hexagonal formation of carbon atoms inside of a battery. This allows the transfer of ions from the anode to the cathode, and still being able to reverse that for charging (Li-Ion Battery Manufacturing). There is a search for a new cathode material fueled by an undesirable effect that LiCoO2 has a high temperatures. If LiCoO2 reaches 105°-135℃ and becomes very reactive. It also becomes a great source of oxygen for a thermal runaway reaction. This is where reactions cause extreme temperature spikes, which could become more frequent or exacerbated as excess heat continues to rise due to irregular/fluctuating charging (Li-Ion Battery Manufacturing). This has already been known to start fires inside of the tesla model S in several cases (Mok). Though Lithium Ion batteries are the dominant form of battery, they are in no way cheap. The goal of the US Department of energy is to have the cost of batteries to be around $125/kWh (Kilowatt hour), we are currently sitting around $400-500/kWh of storage capacity. With experimental materials, that cost is brought down to around $325/kWh.
Emissions:
While Electric cars are seen as the “zero tailpipe emission” vehicles of the future, they are far from that. In a study done by IVL the Swedish environmental institute it was found that in a battery’s creation - for every 1 kWh capacity for a battery, around 200 kg or 441 lbs of CO2 are produced during battery production. Individual car company batteries weren’t studied, but the methods, and materials were (Tesla Battery Production). The Tesla model S using a 100 kWh battery, the battery alone has a CO2 Production of 44,100 lbs, or 22.05 tons. With the average internal combustion engine vehicle in the US letting off 4.7 tons of CO2 within one year - it would take 4.69 years for a Tesla model S’s emissions to zero out.
Drive train:
For internal combustion engines, a lot is needed to get the power to the wheels. First power is sent through a clutch pack - made up of a flywheel, friction plate, pressure plate, and a release/throwout bearing is used, in manual transmission vehicles. For automatic vehicles, a flexplate and a torque converter are used. Both combinations are used to allow power to be sent to the transmission, which then sends power to the wheels via the trans-axle system for a front wheel drive system - or a drive/propeller shaft is rotated while connected to a differential which then sends power to the wheels via the axles for a rear wheel drive system, or with a four wheel drive system, will send power to a center differential/transfer case, which splits the power between the front and rear of the vehicle. It isn’t uncommon to see 15% or more power loss (from the crankshaft to the wheels) from these drive trains.These systems can be used in electric vehicles, but to retain the high efficiency of an electric motor, often times the electric motors are directly connected to the wheels (Electric Car Efficiency). Along with that, because an electric motor doesn’t rely on higher RPMs to create more power, and it can create power almost instantly, there isn’t a need for more than a single, fixed gear in the transmission, while your internal combustion engine benefits from having several gears of varying sizes.
Conclusion
While electric vehicles do propose a viable solution to internal combustion engine, there is still much that they need to do to become the answer to burning fossil fuels. As we step forward into this electric technology, we are still limited by high cost, lacking range of electric vehicles, and insufficient infrastructure. For Electric vehicles to be a truly viable solution to internal combustion engine, the supporting infrastructure needs to be upgraded to meet the demands of the predicted 2025 rush of electric vehicles.
Bibliography
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