IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v6y2013i3p1731-1745d24213.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Compressed-Air Driven Piston Engine

Author

Listed:
  • Chih-Yung Huang

    (Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan)

  • Cheng-Kang Hu

    (Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan)

  • Chih-Jie Yu

    (Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan)

  • Cheng-Kuo Sung

    (Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan)

Abstract

This study presents an experimental investigation of a piston engine driven by compressed air. The compressed air engine was a modified 100 cm 3 internal combustion engine obtained from a motorcycle manufacturer. The experiments in this study used a test bench to examine the power performance and pressure/temperature variations of the compressed air engine at pressures ranging from 5 to 9 bar (absolute pressure). The engine was modified from a 4-stroke to a 2-stroke engine using a cam system driven by a crankshaft and the intake and exhaust valves have a small lift due to this modification. The highest power output of 0.95 kW was obtained at 9 bar and 1320 rpm. The highest torque of 9.99 N·m occurred at the same pressure, but at 465 rpm. The pressure-volume (P-V) diagram shows that cylinder pressure gradually increases after the intake valve opens because of the limited lift movement of the intake valve. Similar situations occurred during the exhaust process, restricting the power output of the compressed air engine. The pressure and temperature variation of the air at engine inlet and outlet were recorded during the experiment. The outlet pressure increased from 1.5 bar at 500 rpm to 2.25 bar at 2000 rpm, showing the potential of recycling the compressed air energy by attaching additional cylinders (split-cycle engine). A temperature decrease (from room temperature to 17 °C) inside the cylinder was observed. It should be noted that pressures higher than that currently employed can result in lower temperatures and this can cause poor lubrication and sealing issues. The current design of a compressed air engine, which uses a conventional cam mechanism for intake and exhaust, has limited lift movement during operation, and has a restricted flow rate and power output. Fast valve actuation and a large lift are essential for improving the performance of the current compressed air engine. This study presents a power output examination with the pressure and temperature measurements of a piston-type compressed air engine to be installed in compact vehicles as the main or auxiliary power system.

Suggested Citation

  • Chih-Yung Huang & Cheng-Kang Hu & Chih-Jie Yu & Cheng-Kuo Sung, 2013. "Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Compressed-Air Driven Piston Engine," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:6:y:2013:i:3:p:1731-1745:d:24213
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/6/3/1731/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/6/3/1731/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Huang, K. David & Tzeng, Sheng-Chung, 2005. "Development of a hybrid pneumatic-power vehicle," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 47-59, January.
    2. Huang, K. David & Tzeng, Sheng-Chung & Ma, Wei-Ping & Chang, Wei-Chuan, 2005. "Hybrid pneumatic-power system which recycles exhaust gas of an internal-combustion engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 117-132, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Chi-Min & You, Jhih-Jie & Sung, Cheng-Kuo & Huang, Chih-Yung, 2015. "Modified intake and exhaust system for piston-type compressed air engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 516-524.
    2. Ryszard Dindorf & Jakub Takosoglu & Piotr Wos, 2023. "Review of Compressed Air Receiver Tanks for Improved Energy Efficiency of Various Pneumatic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-37, May.
    3. Jia Liang & Baofeng Yao & Yonghong Xu & Hongguang Zhang & Fubin Yang & Anren Yang & Yan Wang & Yuting Wu, 2023. "Experimental Research on Performance Comparison of Compressed Air Engine under Different Operation Modes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, January.
    4. Xu, Qiyue & Cai, Maolin & Shi, Yan, 2014. "Dynamic heat transfer model for temperature drop analysis and heat exchange system design of the air-powered engine system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 877-885.
    5. Zhi, Ruiping & Lei, Biao & Zhang, Cancan & Ji, Weining & Wu, Yuting, 2021. "Experimental study of single screw expander with different oil-gas separators in compressed air powered system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    6. Marvania, Devang & Subudhi, Sudhakar, 2017. "A comprehensive review on compressed air powered engine," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1119-1130.
    7. Shi, Yan & Wu, Tiecheng & Cai, Maolin & Wang, Yixuan & Xu, Weiqing, 2016. "Energy conversion characteristics of a hydropneumatic transformer in a sustainable-energy vehicle," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 77-85.
    8. Liu, Chi-Min & Huang, Chin-Lun & Sung, Cheng-Kuo & Huang, Chih-Yung, 2016. "Performance analysis of a two-stage expansion air engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P1), pages 140-148.
    9. Mariusz Rząsa & Ewelina Łukasiewicz & Dariusz Wójtowicz, 2021. "Test of a New Low-Speed Compressed Air Engine for Energy Recovery," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wasbari, F. & Bakar, R.A. & Gan, L.M. & Tahir, M.M. & Yusof, A.A., 2017. "A review of compressed-air hybrid technology in vehicle system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 935-953.
    2. Liu, Chi-Min & You, Jhih-Jie & Sung, Cheng-Kuo & Huang, Chih-Yung, 2015. "Modified intake and exhaust system for piston-type compressed air engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 516-524.
    3. Brown, T.L. & Atluri, V.P. & Schmiedeler, J.P., 2014. "A low-cost hybrid drivetrain concept based on compressed air energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 477-489.
    4. Shen, Yu-Ta & Hwang, Yean-Ren, 2009. "Design and implementation of an air-powered motorcycles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(7-8), pages 1105-1110, July.
    5. Marvania, Devang & Subudhi, Sudhakar, 2017. "A comprehensive review on compressed air powered engine," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1119-1130.
    6. Chun-Hsin Chang & Hsuan-Yung Chang & Yi-Hsuan Hung & Chien-Hsun Wu & Ji-Jia Xu, 2020. "System Designs and Experimental Assessment of a Seven-Mode Vehicle-Oriented Hybrid Powertrain Platform," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, April.
    7. Hung, Yi-Hsuan & Tung, Yu-Ming & Li, Hong-Wei, 2014. "A real-time model of an automotive air propulsion system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 287-298.
    8. David Huang, K. & Quang, Khong Vu & Tseng, Kuo-Tung, 2009. "Study of the effect of contraction of cross-sectional area on flow energy merger in hybrid pneumatic power system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(10), pages 2171-2182, October.
    9. Bravo, Rafael Rivelino Silva & De Negri, Victor Juliano & Oliveira, Amir Antonio Martins, 2018. "Design and analysis of a parallel hydraulic – pneumatic regenerative braking system for heavy-duty hybrid vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 60-77.
    10. Yean-Ren Hwang & Shih-Yao Huang, 2013. "System Identification and Integration Design of an Air/Electric Motor," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-13, February.
    11. Gong, Jun & Zhang, Daqing & Guo, yong & Liu, Changsheng & Zhao, Yuming & Hu, Peng & Quan, weicai, 2019. "Power control strategy and performance evaluation of a novel electro-hydraulic energy-saving system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 724-734.
    12. Dimitrova, Zlatina & Maréchal, François, 2015. "Gasoline hybrid pneumatic engine for efficient vehicle powertrain hybridization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 168-177.
    13. Dimitrova, Zlatina & Lourdais, Pierre & Maréchal, François, 2015. "Performance and economic optimization of an organic rankine cycle for a gasoline hybrid pneumatic powertrain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 574-588.
    14. Karaca, Ali Erdogan & Dincer, Ibrahim & Nitefor, Michael, 2022. "Analysis of a newly developed hybrid pneumatic powertrain configuration for transit bus applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    15. Liu, Chi-Min & Huang, Chin-Lun & Sung, Cheng-Kuo & Huang, Chih-Yung, 2016. "Performance analysis of a two-stage expansion air engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P1), pages 140-148.
    16. Chen, Jie & Liu, Wei & Jiang, Deyi & Zhang, Junwei & Ren, Song & Li, Lin & Li, Xiaokang & Shi, Xilin, 2017. "Preliminary investigation on the feasibility of a clean CAES system coupled with wind and solar energy in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 462-478.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:6:y:2013:i:3:p:1731-1745:d:24213. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.