Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:00:26 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Overcooling Hypothesis--Long
In-Reply-To: <ir2jq46r.fsf@cs.indiana.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well now, regen, now we're talking !
Darn right cars should have re-gen capability. Brakes purely waste energy
as I'm sure people realize.
But I like that a re-gen system to produce not electricity, but heat !!
Coasting is a very unstable condition in terms of veridical stability.
And, just get a Mr. Buddy CO and oxygen sensing Propane heater for long cold
descents.
I don't think there'd be much fuel economy penalty if such a system were to
work.
I don't think it would help the engine run much warmer either, but it would
be fun to experiment.
There already engines that run on zero fuel input on some cylinders in
some modes. Like some are deactivated in light cruise. They also
deactivate the valves, but if you were just moving air through a cylinder
with zero fuel, that would be ok. If you did it at 20 to one fuel/air
ratio, that would be too lean for sure.
Here......make an electrically switched valve lobe arrangement so the engine
turns into a compressor on long descents. Use that compressed air to drive
a generator that will power electrical heaters. That would be a form of
re-gen too. Recovering energy during decents and declaration.
In Formula One racing in 2009 they have a plan for re-gen during braking.
A Prius does better fuel economy in town than on the highway due to re-gen.,
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Allan Streib
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 12:22 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Overcooling Hypothesis--Long
If you trick the system so the computer thinks you are at idle but
your engine is turning 3000 RPM then won't you be really lean on your
fuel/air mixture? Also if you have fuel firing in the cylinders won't
you lose a lot of the engine braking anyway? So you might as well be
coasting?
If the grade is too long to coast safely with just brakes, I guess you
have to just be cold until you get to the bottom. Turn the heat off
and close the valves the interior will probably stay warmer with no
heat than with a fan blowing cold air.
If you could rig some kind of a PTO to drive a generator, you could
feed a big space heater then you could turn that on and let the load
slow the vehicle *and* keep the interior warm. LOL.
Allan
Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> writes:
> Yes but, descending long grades in neutral isn't very safe in terms
> of vehicle stability. There are some serious long grades in the
> west coast. Like there's one here, about 7 miles long, if you cost
> in the top 4 miles of it, you'd be doing 80. And it curves. And you
> wouldn't want to be breaking to keep speed under control
> there. . And it's technically illegal to coast in some states I
> think.
> And you sure wouldn't want to be in gear holding the clutch in
> going 60 or so down a big hill. Trick it electrically I say.
> Scott
