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MIT device could lead to near-term environmental improvements for cars

News Releases | Search | MIT News Office | Comments | MIT

MIT device could lead to near-term
environmental improvements for cars

=20
Photo caption: MIT engineer Alexander Rabinovich holds a device he =
developed with Leslie Bromberg (left), Daniel Cohn (right) and =
colleagues that could significantly reduce the amount of smog-producing =
pollutants generated by cars. (Photo by Donna Coveney)=20
=20
Contact for more information and copies of photograph=20
=20

OCTOBER 23, 1997

CAMBRIDGE, Mass--A car that runs on vegetable oil?

MIT engineers and colleagues are perfecting a device that could turn =
that foodstuff and various "biocrude" oils into fuel that could reduce =
the nation's dependence on foreign oil and decrease emissions of the =
greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The same device could also significantly =
reduce the amount of smog-producing pollutants generated by vehicles =
running on traditional fuels.

All that from a contraption the researchers believe will be relatively =
inexpensive--only a few percent of the cost of a car or truck. They also =
believe that it could be introduced into present vehicle technology with =
only minor modifications, and that it will only need to be replaced a =
few times over the lifetime of a vehicle.=20

Essentially the device, which is about the size of a large soup can, =
works as an onboard "oil refinery." It converts a wide variety of fuels =
into high-quality hydrogen-rich gas. Adding only a small amount of such =
gas to the fossil fuel powering a car is known to make possible a =
significant decrease in emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides.

"This device might dramatically reduce air pollution from autos and =
trucks without a major increase in costs and inconvenience," said Daniel =
R. Cohn, a senior research scientist at the MIT Plasma Science and =
Fusion Center (PSFC). "The device has near-term applications. No major =
advances are needed in internal combustion engine design to incorporate =
it."

Dr. Cohn's colleagues on the work are PSFC principal research engineer =
Leslie Bromberg, PSFC research engineer Alexander Rabinovich, and =
Jeffrey E. Surma and Jud Virden at the Battelle Pacific Northwest =
National Laboratory. The team will present a paper on the work October =
28 at the DOE Automotive Technology Development Customers' Coordination =
Meeting.

The new device is a kind of electrical gas heater known as a plasmatron. =
Fuel injected into the plasmatron is exposed to an arc of electricity =
that turns the fuel and surrounding air into an electrically charged =
gas, or plasma. The plasma accelerates reaction rates allowing the =
production of hydrogen-rich gas in a compact device--the plasmatron.

Plasmatrons have traditionally been used to produce hydrogen-rich gas =
for industrial applications like metallurgical processing. They are =
usually quite large--about the size of a car engine--and require large =
amounts of electrical power. "We're the first to develop a compact, =
low-power plasmatron," said Dr. Cohn. "To our knowledge no-one has =
created one that's this small (you can hold it in your hand) and that =
operates at low power (around one kilowatt)."

The researchers noted that conventional ways to produce hydrogen-rich =
gas involve devices that, among other limitations, are presently bulky, =
heavy, and can't effectively process biocrude oils. "They can basically =
do gasoline, methanol and, with a stretch, diesel," Dr. Bromberg said.

In contrast, the new plasmatron works well with a variety of fuels. =
"We've shown a very high degree of conversion (over 90 percent) of =
gasoline, diesel, and biocrude fuels into hydrogen-rich gas," Dr. Cohn =
said.

Although in principle the plasmatron could process all of the fuel for a =
vehicle, the researchers say that at present it's most cost-effective to =
convert only a fraction of the fuel into hydrogen-rich gas. That's =
because even though such gas increases the efficiency of an engine, the =
plasmatron itself consumes energy. "Processing a fraction of the fuel =
should prevent any decrease in net fuel consumption efficiency, and may =
in some cases improve net efficiency," Dr. Cohn said.

Pollution reduction is significant. For example, converting 25-50 =
percent of gasoline into hydrogen-rich gas "could reduce nitrogen oxide =
levels by a factor of five to ten relative to operation without =
hydrogen-rich gas," Dr. Cohn said. For natural gas, even less fuel need =
be converted for similar pollution reductions.

Biocrude oils have their own environmental benefits. "Such oils might be =
produced by fast-growing trees or other crops that absorb carbon =
dioxide, compensating for the carbon dioxide produced by combustion," =
explained Dr. Cohn.

The researchers are currently working to increase the efficiency and =
yields of the plasmatron. They are also developing designs that will =
give a longer lifetime for the electrodes.

In a parallel effort, they are conducting experiments on the effects of =
hydrogen-rich gas on internal combustion engines. The original =
experiments to this end that found significant benefits to the use of =
such gas were conducted in the 70s. "We want to reexamine engine =
performance with hydrogen using modern engines," Dr. Cohn said.

The new plasmatron grew out of work conducted over 15 years ago by Dr. =
Rabinovich, who was then an engineer in the former Soviet Union. Drs. =
Rabinovich, Cohn and Bromberg have written several papers on this topic, =
and in 1995 received a patent on using the plasmatron in internal =
combustion engines.

The work is supported by the DOE Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. =
Dr. Cohn noted that "we'd been considering these applications for some =
time, but it wasn't until we received this DOE funding that we could =
really move forward to try to validate our concepts for vehicular =
applications."

--END--

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CONTACTS:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
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Elizabeth Thomson
MIT News Office
(617) 258-5402
thomson@mit.edu
(please use this address for requesting photos)=20
Daniel Cohn
(617) 253-5524=20
=20

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News Releases | Search | MIT News Office | Comments | MIT

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News Releases | Search | MIT News Office | Comments= | MIT

MIT device could lead to near-term
environmental improvements for =cars

OCTOBER 23, 1997

CAMBRIDGE, Mass--A car that runs on vegetable oil?

MIT engineers and colleagues are perfecting a device that could turn =that=20foodstuff and various "biocrude" oils into fuel that could reduce the =nation's=20dependence on foreign oil and decrease emissions of the greenhouse gas =carbon=20dioxide. The same device could also significantly reduce the amount of=20smog-producing pollutants generated by vehicles running on traditional=20fuels.

All that from a contraption the researchers believe will be =relatively=20inexpensive--only a few percent of the cost of a car or truck. They also =believe=20that it could be introduced into present vehicle technology with only =minor=20modifications, and that it will only need to be replaced a few times =over the=20lifetime of a vehicle.

Essentially the device, which is about the size of a large soup can, =works as=20an onboard "oil refinery." It converts a wide variety of fuels into =high-quality=20hydrogen-rich gas. Adding only a small amount of such gas to the fossil =fuel=20powering a car is known to make possible a significant decrease in =emissions of=20pollutants like nitrogen oxides.

"This device might dramatically reduce air pollution from autos and =trucks=20without a major increase in costs and inconvenience," said Daniel R. =Cohn, a=20senior research scientist at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center =(PSFC).=20"The device has near-term applications. No major advances are needed in =internal=20combustion engine design to incorporate it."

Dr. Cohn's colleagues on the work are PSFC principal research =engineer Leslie=20Bromberg, PSFC research engineer Alexander Rabinovich, and Jeffrey E. =Surma and=20Jud Virden at the Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The =team will=20present a paper on the work October 28 at the DOE Automotive Technology=20Development Customers' Coordination Meeting.

The new device is a kind of electrical gas heater known as a =plasmatron. Fuel=20injected into the plasmatron is exposed to an arc of electricity that =turns the=20fuel and surrounding air into an electrically charged gas, or plasma. =The plasma=20accelerates reaction rates allowing the production of hydrogen-rich gas =in a=20compact device--the plasmatron.

Plasmatrons have traditionally been used to produce hydrogen-rich gas =for=20industrial applications like metallurgical processing. They are usually =quite=20large--about the size of a car engine--and require large amounts of =electrical=20power. "We're the first to develop a compact, low-power plasmatron," =said Dr.=20Cohn. "To our knowledge no-one has created one that's this small (you =can hold=20it in your hand) and that operates at low power (around one =kilowatt)."

The researchers noted that conventional ways to produce hydrogen-rich =gas=20involve devices that, among other limitations, are presently bulky, =heavy, and=20can't effectively process biocrude oils. "They can basically do =gasoline,=20methanol and, with a stretch, diesel," Dr. Bromberg said.

In contrast, the new plasmatron works well with a variety of fuels. ="We've=20shown a very high degree of conversion (over 90 percent) of gasoline, =diesel,=20and biocrude fuels into hydrogen-rich gas," Dr. Cohn said.

Although in principle the plasmatron could process all of the fuel =for a=20vehicle, the researchers say that at present it's most cost-effective to =convert=20only a fraction of the fuel into hydrogen-rich gas. That's because even =though=20such gas increases the efficiency of an engine, the plasmatron itself =consumes=20energy. "Processing a fraction of the fuel should prevent any decrease =in net=20fuel consumption efficiency, and may in some cases improve net =efficiency," Dr.=20Cohn said.

Pollution reduction is significant. For example, converting 25-50 =percent of=20gasoline into hydrogen-rich gas "could reduce nitrogen oxide levels by a =factor=20of five to ten relative to operation without hydrogen-rich gas," Dr. =Cohn said.=20For natural gas, even less fuel need be converted for similar pollution=20reductions.

Biocrude oils have their own environmental benefits. "Such oils might =be=20produced by fast-growing trees or other crops that absorb carbon =dioxide,=20compensating for the carbon dioxide produced by combustion," explained =Dr.=20Cohn.

The researchers are currently working to increase the efficiency and =yields=20of the plasmatron. They are also developing designs that will give a =longer=20lifetime for the electrodes.

In a parallel effort, they are conducting experiments on the effects =of=20hydrogen-rich gas on internal combustion engines. The original =experiments to=20this end that found significant benefits to the use of such gas were =conducted=20in the 70s. "We want to reexamine engine performance with hydrogen using =modern=20engines," Dr. Cohn said.

The new plasmatron grew out of work conducted over 15 years ago by =Dr.=20Rabinovich, who was then an engineer in the former Soviet Union. Drs.=20Rabinovich, Cohn and Bromberg have written several papers on this topic, =and in=201995 received a patent on using the plasmatron in internal combustion=20engines.

The work is supported by the DOE Office of Heavy Vehicle =Technologies. Dr.=20Cohn noted that "we'd been considering these applications for some time, =but it=20wasn't until we received this DOE funding that we could really move =forward to=20try to validate our concepts for vehicular applications."