Design and Fabrication of Compressed Air Vehicle

J.Tarun Kumar B.Gowtham Kumar

Student, Student,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
VITS College of Engineering, VITS College of Engineering,
Anandapuram, Sontyam, Visakhapatnam. Anandapuram, Sontyam, Visakhapatnam.
G.Praveen Kumar Mr.B.Ramanjaneyulu
Student, Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
VITS College of Engineering, VITS College of Engineering,
Anandapuram, Sontyam, Visakhapatnam. Anandapuram, Sontyam, Visakhapatnam.

Abstract: Engine (CAE) are fueled by compressed air, which is

Compressed air as a source of energy in different uses stored in a tank at a high pressure. A Compressed Air
in general and as a nonpolluting fuel in compressed air Vehicle (CAV) uses this compressed-air engine as its
vehicles has attracted scientists and engineers for mechanism for propulsion. Compressed air vehicle
centuries. Efforts are being made by many developers project in the form of light utility vehicle (LUV) (i.e.,
and manufacturers to master the compressed air air car in particular) has been a topic of great interest
vehicle technology in all respects for its earliest use by for the last decade and many theoretical and
the mankind. The present paper gives a brief experimental investigations.
description of how a compressed air vehicle using this
technology was made. While developing of this The difference between the compressed air engine and
vehicle, control of compressed air parameters like IC engine is that instead of mixing fuel with air and
temperature, energy density, requirement of input burning it to drive pistons with hot expanding gases,
power, energy release and emission control have to be CAE’s use the expansion of previously compressed air
mastered for the development of a safe, light and cost to drive their pistons. The greatest advantages of
effective compressed air vehicle in near future. compressed air vehicle are, no burning process and no
waste gas discharge to the surrounding environment.
Keywords:
It can be said as a green environmental protection
Compressed air vehicle, technological trends, energy
vehicle with near zero pollution in the metropolitan
input, energy released, emission control, storage &
cities. With the policy of energy conservation and
fueling, temperature.
environment protection. The engines of compressed air
INTRODUCTION: cars are piston type, vane type, rotary type and the
piston engine. At present, the piston engine power
A compressed-air engine is a pneumatic actuator that system has some disadvantages such as complex
creates useful work by expanding the compressed air structure, easy wearing, high noise and low efficiency.
and converting the potential energy into motion. (A Therefore, to develop and optimize engine power
pneumatic actuator is a device that converts energy system is the key technique for compressed air
into motion.) The motion can be rotary or linear, vehicles.
depending on the type of actuator. Compressed Air

Page 43
HISTORY:

The first air powered vehicles were actually trains. The

Mekarski air engine, the Robert Hardie air engine and
the Hoadley-Knight pneumatic system were used in
the 1800's to power locomotives. In 1925, an article
appeared in the Decatur Review about a man named
Louis C. Kiser who converted his gasoline powered
car to run on air. Lee Barton Williams in 1926 claimed Fig: Block Diagram
to have invented the first air car. Williams was from The high inside mixture pressure imparts a very heavy
Pittsburg and claimed the car started on gasoline but blow on the head of the piston, which is then set in
after 10 mph it switched to compressed air only. In motion and the engine runs. No combustion takes
1931, the Hope Star of Hope, Arkansas ran an article place; it is the expansive forces, which make the
about Roy J. Meyers of Los Angeles inventing the first engine run shows the block diagram of the engine. The
air car. In 2007, Tata Motors introduced the MDI laws of physics dictate that uncontained gases will fill
CityCat developed by Guy Nègre as the first any given space. The easiest way to see this in action
commercial air car. As of 2009, two more models of is to inflate a balloon. The elastic skin of the balloon
MDI air cars have been showcased. holds the air tightly inside, but the moment you use a
pin to create a hole in the balloon’s surface, the air
expands outward with so much energy that the balloon
explodes. Compressing a gas into a small space is way
to store energy. When the gas expands again, that
energy is released to do work. That’s the basic
principle behind what makes an air car move. The first
air cars will have air compressors built into them.
After a brisk drive, you’ll be able to take the car home,
Fig: Air car by H. K. Porter Company in 18th
put it into the garage and plug in the compressor.
century
WORKING
The compressor will use air from around the car to
This engine works like a diesel engine. At the end of refill the compressed air tank. Unfortunately, this is a
compression stroke, a very high-pressure air at room rather slow method of re-fuelling and will probably
temperature is injected into the cylinder. Injection of take up two hours for complete refill. If the idea of an
air by electro-mechanical injection.System is governed air car catches on, air refuelling stations will become
by the cam dwell during which the piston also dwells. available at ordinary gas stations, where the tank can
As the in cylinder hot and compressed air mixes with be refilled much more rapidly with air that’s already
the externally injected relatively cold and compressed been compressed. Filling your tank at the pump will
air, injected at relatively higher pressure than the probably take about three minutes. This air car will
inside pressure, the mixture tries to attain a common almost certainly use the Compressed Air Motor
equilibrium temperature. As the temperature of this (CAM). Air cars using this engine will have tanks that
mixture falls down, expansion takes place. will probably hold about 78 liters of compressed air.
The vehicle’s accelerator operates valve on its tank
that allows air to be released into a pipe and then into
the motor, where the pressure of the air’s expansion
will push against the vanes and turn the rotor.

Page 44
This will produced enough power for speeds of about target to cut down travel to make the vehicle
15-20 kilometers per hour. affordable by everyone.

Table: comparative study with existing kind and

C.A.V Particulars of components used in this
vehicle: Fig: Details of CAV
• 6mm, 8mm, 10mm bolts for brake, seat and
FABRICATION
angular fixtures.
• Grinding and metal cutting for minor parts are Chassis modification is made by arc welding at various
done using a portable grinding machine. sections for the Rectangular cross sections. It includes:
• 6mm drills with a hand drill, 8mm and 10mm • Lap joint welds
drills with an upright drilling machine. • Butt welds
 Dimensions and weight: • T joint welds
▪ Overall length -2057mm.
▪ Overall width -725mm. The end joints re butt welded and some internal
▪ Over all height -1053mm. angular sections are lap welded. The steering column
▪ Wheel base -1217mm. support is given by welding a hollow shaft with a T
▪ Ground clearance -725mm. weld to the front frame of the chassis.
 Chassis :
▪ Front suspension -Telescopic,oil
Damped.
▪ Rear suspension -swinging arm,
Hydraulic shock
With coaxial
Springs.
▪ Steering angle 420
▪ Turning radius 1.8m.
Fig: Designed and fabricated chassis of the CAV
Power specification of designed C.A.V.: The steering of a vehicle is so arranged that the front
It takes minimalist power in making the transport wheels will roll truly without any lateral slip. The
possible in doing that we found the following data to function of the steering system is to convert the rotary
not only power up our vehicle but also to achieve a movement of the steering wheel into angular turn of
the front wheels. To keep effective control on the

Page 45
moving vehicle throughout its range of speed specifications as per our design to get the
irrespective of the load and road conditions. desired power.
• With the use of the pneumatic pipe system we
The steering system of a vehicle should fulfill the
prevent the leakage of air.
following requirements:

1. It should multiply the effort applied on the steering Applications

wheel by the drivers.
2. The mechanism should have self-adjusting effect so (a) Mopeds
that when the driver releases the steering wheel after • Jem Stansfield, an English inventor has been
negotiating the turn, the wheel should try to achieve able to convert a regular scooter to a
straight ahead position. compressed air moped. This has been done by
3. It should not transmit road shocks to steering wheel. equipping the scooter with a compressed air
engine and air tank.
CAM MODIFICATION (b) Buses and Locomotives

• MDI makes Multi CATs vehicle that can be

used as buses or trucks. RATP has also already
expressed an interest in the compressed-air
pollution-free bus.

ADVANTAGES
Fig: CAM MODIFICATION
1. Major advantage of using compressed engine
Valve timing is as follows: is that a pure compressed air vehicle produces
no pollution at the tailpipe.
Inlet valve open: 10 degrees before TDC
2. Use of renewable fuel.
Exhaust valve open: 20 degrees before BDC 3. Compressed-air technology reduces the cost of
Inlet valve close: 10 degrees after BDC vehicle production by about 20%, because
there is no need to build a cooling system, fuel
Exhaust valve close: 5 degrees after TDC tank, Ignition Systems or silencers.
4. Air, on its own, is non-flammable.
Pressure of compressed air: 150 Psi
5. The engine can be massively reduced in size.
RPM of crankshaft: 650-700 RPM 6. Low manufacture and maintenance costs as
well as easy maintenance.
PROBLEMS FACED DURING DESIGNING
7. The air tank may be refilled more often and in
• Availability of components of desired less time than batteries can be recharged, with
specification in market as per the design. refilling rates comparable to liquid fuels.
• To vary the output speed. 8. Lighter vehicles cause less damage to roads,
• To prevent the air leakage. resulting in lower maintenance cost.
9. The price of filling air powered vehicles is
SOLUTIONS ADAPTED significantly cheaper than petrol, diesel or
biofuel. If electricity is cheap, then
• As per market survey conducted by us we have
compressing air will also be relatively cheap.
selected the components with nearest possible

Page 46
CONCLUSION: FUTURE SCOPE:

The model designed by us is a small scale working Compressed air vehicles are our near future and
model of the compressed air engine. When scaled to advancements in the presented project can be taken up
higher level it can be used for driving automobiles by doing some ideal methods like:
independently or combined (hybrid) with other engines
like I.C. engines. The technology of compressed air 1. Inserting an intermediate compressor after the
vehicles is not new. Compressed air technology allows gas exits the engine and compress the air again
for engine that are both non-polluting and economical. to the reservoirs.
After ten years of research and development, the 2. Making a hybrid engine comprised of multiple
compressed air vehicle will be introduced worldwide. ways of powering up the vehicle like gasoline
Unlike electric or hydrogen powered vehicles, and compressed air; electric and compressed
compressed air vehicles are not expensive and do not air; recyclic modules etc. .
have a limited driving range. Compressed air vehicles 3. Making the chassis light weight by selecting
are affordable and have a performance rate that stands proper materials can also greatly affect the
up to current standards. efficiency of the CAV.

To summit up, they are non-expensive cars that do not REFERENCES:

pollute and are easy to get around in cities. The
emission benefits of introducing this zero emission 1.Ganesan, V. “Computer Simulation of Compression
technology are obvious At the same time the well to ignition Engine Processes”. 2.HEYWOOD, J.B.,
wheels efficiency of these vehicles need to be “Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals”;
improved. This is a revolutionary car which is not only McGraw-Hill Book
ecofriendly, pollution free, but also very economical.
This addresses both the problems of fuel crises and
1. Company, SA,1988.
pollution. However excessive research is needed to
2. Guey Nyger, MDI “The Compressed air
completely prove the technology for both its
Engine” Barcelona, Spain, 2002
commercial and technical viability.
3. Guey Nyger, MDI “The Articulated Con
Rod”,Barcelona,
4. Spain, 2002 SAE 1999-01-0623, Schechter’s.,
“New Cycles for Automobile engines.”
5. Chicago Pneumatic Air Motors’ 2010
catalogue.
6. Sumake pneumatic tools 2010 catalogue.
7. DEPRAG Air Motors catalogue 2011.
8. Internet website, www.theaircar.com
Fig: Compressed Air Vehicle 9. Internet website, www.wikipedia.com
10. Internet website, www.peswiki.com
11. Internet website,
www.engineeringtoolbox.com
12. Internet website, www.howstuffworks.com

Page 47