Modern life is impossible without the use of internal combustion engines. A person uses such engines in professional activities and everyday life. Unfortunately, they bring with them not only good. Engine exhausts from 700 million cars, tens of thousands of ships, airplanes, diesel locomotives and all kinds of stationary installations account for 40% of global air pollution with harmful substances
In Russia in 1998, emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere by all vehicles amounted to 13.2 million tons, including more than 11.8 million tons by road transport. According to environmentalists, the bulk (80 percent) of harmful substances are emitted by vehicles in the territory of settlements. In more than 180 cities, levels of air pollution (from all sources) exceed the maximum permissible concentrations. In recent years, maximum one-time concentrations exceeded 10 MPCs in 66 cities. In 89 cities, the level of air pollution is characterized as high or very high.
The car park of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 1999 amounted to 24.5 million units. Including 18.8 million cars, 4.4 million trucks, about 7,000 thousand special vehicles and more than 620 thousand buses.
In general, experts note the low level of environmental characteristics of the Russian automobile fleet. The vast majority of vehicles are certified to comply with the requirements of the UNECE Regulations that were in force in Europe before 1992. The average age of the Russian automobile fleet exceeds 10 years. Up to 10 percent of cars are more than 20 years old and have not undergone environmental certification at all. Mass entry into the domestic market of passenger cars that meet Euro-1 requirements and trucks that meet Euro-2 requirements can be expected no earlier than 2002.
The use of catalytic converters is very limited and cannot quickly improve the environmental performance of vehicles. The main reasons for this are as follows: the legal basis for control has not been developed; there are no regulatory requirements for such vehicles; there are no modern monitoring devices, and most importantly, the problem of universal guaranteed supply of motor vehicles with unleaded gasoline has not been solved.
The EU has decided to transfer 10% of its vehicles to biofuel by 2020. The European Union has set a target to transfer 10% of its cars to biofuel by 2020. This decision was approved at a meeting in Brussels by the energy ministers of 27 EU countries. “By 2020, at least 10% of the automobile fuel consumed in each EU country should be fuel of biological origin,” says the resolution of the EU Energy and Transport Council. We are talking about such types of fuel as alcohols and methane produced from biomass. The resolution emphasizes the need for pan-European action to improve the efficiency of technologies for producing this fuel and improve its commercial opportunities. Currently, biofuel produced in Europe is on average 15-20 times more expensive than traditional fuel.
In addition, ministers also called for increasing the share of renewable energy sources in Europe's total energy consumption to 20% by 2020, up from 7% today. However, this agreement is not binding. The UK, France and Finland spoke out against the introduction of a strict mandatory norm for all EU countries on the use of renewable energy sources. Meanwhile, the UK government already in 2005 announced its intentions to introduce new rules, according to which, from 2010, gasoline and diesel fuel sold in the country would have to consist of 5% plant-based biofuels. Biofuels currently account for 2% of total fuel sold in the UK. Gasoline is made with ethanol made from Brazilian sugar cane, while diesel is made with canola and processed vegetable oils. This fuel mixture, which includes 5% biofuel, can be used in all cars without the need for modification. Some car models, including the Saab 9-5 and Ford Focus, are designed to use a fuel mixture that contains 80% biofuel.
Biodiesel is a fuel obtained from vegetable oil through its chemical transformation by the so-called transesterification process. In Europe it is made from sunflower and canola oil, in the United States it is made from soybean oil or a variety of canola oil. A chemical reaction occurs between the oil and alcohol, mainly methyl alcohol, to reduce the viscosity and purify the oil. This chemical process produces a homogeneous, stable and high-quality product: EMVH (Methyl Ester of Vegetable Oils), its properties are similar to diesel oils. Benefits of biodiesel:
- 1. Biodiesel is a source of renewable energy, the solution of the future to replace the use of oil
- 2. The use of biodiesel does not require changing the kinematic chain; only, depending on the model and age of the car, a fuel filter is installed.
- 3. Biodiesel helps prevent warming on our planet caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide and sulfur in the atmosphere: unlike combustible engines, it does not increase the percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere. Indeed, during its life cycle, a plant must absorb an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to the amount of emissions during engine operation.
- 4. Biodiesel is already quite often added to diesel fuel sold at gas stations in Europe, but its content is not yet high and differs in different countries. For example, in France its percentage is about 1.5%. A different ratio is also possible depending on your wishes.
- 5. Non-toxic and completely biodegradable, it complies with European standard EN 14214.
The main contender for the title of “fuel of the future” is hydrogen, the reserves of which are practically unlimited in the engine, and the combustion process in the engine is characterized by high energy and environmental perfection. To produce hydrogen, various thermochemical, biochemical, or electrochemical methods can be used using environmentally friendly solar energy. In our country and abroad, experimental vehicles have already been created that use hydrogen in liquid form, or as part of solid metal hydrates, as the main fuel or mixed with gasoline.
The advantages of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel are undeniable. Its calorific value is three times higher than that of gasoline, and combustion products contain a harmless component - water vapor. More than half a century ago, Professor A. Orlin from the Moscow Higher Technical School first created and launched a hydrogen carburetor engine.
Currently, the production demand for hydrogen required for the production of ammonia, methyl alcohol and plastics is very small.
The use of hydrogen as fuel for engines will require a significant increase in its production. This is one of the main obstacles to the widespread use of hydrogen as a motor fuel.
The only exception would be an electric car engine. Work on its creation is being carried out by the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the world, primarily Japan.
The source of current in electric vehicles is currently lead batteries. Without recharging, such vehicles provide a range of up to 50-60 km (maximum speed 70 km/h, load capacity 500 kg), which allows them to be used as a taxi or for technological transportation of small consignments within the city. Serial production and use of electric vehicles will require the creation of charging stations batteries that meet all the necessary technical and economic requirements.
Experts believe that the most energy-saving and highly efficient source of energy for electric vehicles is fuel cell batteries. Such elements have many advantages, first of all, high efficiency, reaching 60-70% in real installations; They do not need to be charged, like batteries; it is enough to replenish the supply of reagents. The most promising is the hydrogen-air electrochemical generator (ECG), in which the reaction product during the generation of electrical energy is chemically pure water. The main disadvantage of ECH today is its high cost.
The orange groves of Valencia may soon become a fuel supplier for Spanish cars. New technology will make it possible to make biofuel from fruit peels. Cars fueled with citrus fruits will not pollute the environment.
Humanity is too slowly, but still approaching the understanding that it is necessary to put material consumption in its rightful place among other sources of personal identity, such non-material values as family, friendship, communication with other people, the development of one’s own personality; that one should finally live in accordance with the possibilities of the Earth.
The solution to this particular problem primarily determines whether we will preserve the Earth's biosphere.
It would be good if people got used to walking and riding bicycles. In my opinion, public transport should be such that people want to use it more often than their own cars. After all, the increase in transport causes enormous harm to the invaluable health of people and the environment. I would like to change some truck routes to improve the environmental situation a little. Car exhaust fumes are a real disaster. So let's take care and protect our planet as the most precious thing we have - life!
waste gas surrounding gasoline
For many years, researchers have been struggling to find an alternative to gasoline as the main type of fuel for vehicles. There is no point in listing environmental and resource reasons - only the lazy do not talk about the toxicity of exhaust gases. Scientists find a solution to the problem in the most, sometimes, unusual types of fuel. Recycle selected the most interesting ideas that challenge the fuel hegemony of gasoline.
Biodiesel based on vegetable oils
Biodiesel is a type of biofuel based on vegetable oils, which is used both in pure form and as various mixtures with diesel fuel. The idea of using vegetable oil as fuel belongs to Rudolf Diesel, who in 1895 created the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil.
Typically, rapeseed, sunflower and soybean oils are used to produce biodiesel. Of course, vegetable oils themselves are not poured into the gas tank as fuel. Vegetable oil contains fats - esters of fatty acids with glycerol. In the process of producing “biosolars”, glycerol esters are destroyed and glycerin is replaced (it is released as a by-product) with simpler alcohols - methanol and, less often, ethanol. This becomes a component of biodiesel.
In many European countries, as well as the USA, Japan and Brazil, biodiesel has already become a good alternative to regular gasoline. Thus, in Germany, rapeseed methyl ester is already sold at more than 800 gas stations. In July 2010, 245 biodiesel production plants with a total capacity of 22 million tons were operating in the European Union. Oil World analysts predict that by 2020 the share of biodiesel in the structure of consumed motor fuel in Brazil, Europe, China and India will be 20%.
Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly fuel for transport: in comparison with conventional diesel fuel, it contains almost no sulfur and at the same time undergoes almost complete biological decomposition. In soil or water, microorganisms process 99% of biodiesel in 28 days - this minimizes the degree of pollution of rivers and lakes.
Compressed air
Models of pneumatic cars—cars that run on compressed air—have already been produced by several companies. Peugeot engineers once made a splash in the automotive industry by announcing the creation of a hybrid that added compressed air energy to the internal combustion engine. French engineers hoped that such a development would help small cars reduce fuel consumption to 3 liters per 100 km. Peugeot specialists claim that in the city a pneumatic hybrid can run on compressed air up to 80% of the time without creating a single milligram of harmful emissions.
The principle of operation of the “air car” is quite simple: the car is driven not by the gasoline mixture burning in the engine cylinders, but by a powerful flow of air from a cylinder (the pressure in the cylinder is about 300 atmospheres). The pneumatic motor converts the energy of compressed air into rotation of the axle shafts.
Unfortunately, machines entirely powered by compressed air or air hybrids are created mainly in small batches - for work in specific conditions and in limited space (for example, at production sites requiring the maximum level of fire safety). Although there are some models for “standard” buyers.
Engineair's eco-friendly Gator micro-truck is Australia's first compressed air vehicle to enter commercial operation. It can already be seen on the streets of Melbourne. Load capacity - 500 kg, volume of air cylinders - 105 liters. The truck's mileage at one gas station is 16 km.
Waste products
What progress has come - some cars need not gasoline to operate their engines, but human waste that ends up in the sewer system. Such a miracle of the automotive industry was created in the UK. A car that uses methane released from human excrement as fuel has been rolled out onto the streets of Bristol. The prototype model was the Volkswagen Beetle, and the manufacturer of the VW Bio-Bug car using innovative fuel was GENeco. The feces-processing engine installed on a Volkswagen convertible allowed it to travel 15 thousand kilometers.
GENeco's invention hastened to be called a breakthrough in the implementation of energy-saving technologies and environmentally friendly fuel. To the average person, the idea seems surreal, so it’s worth explaining: the car is loaded, of course, with already processed fuel - in the form of ready-to-use methane, obtained in advance from waste.
In this case, the VW Bio-Bug engine uses two types of fuel simultaneously: the car starts on gasoline, but as soon as the engine warms up and the car picks up a certain speed, the supply of human gastric gas processed at GENeco factories is turned on. Consumers may not even notice the difference. However, the main marketing problem remains - human negative perception of the raw materials from which biogas is obtained.
Solar panels
The production of cars powered by solar energy is perhaps the most developed area of the auto industry focused on the use of eco-fuel. Solar-powered cars are being created all over the world and in a wide variety of variations. Back in 1982, inventor Hans Tolstrup crossed Australia from west to east in the solar car “Quiet Achiever” (though at a speed of only 20 km per hour).
In September 2014, the Stella car failed to travel the route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, which is 560 km. The solar car, developed by a team from the Dutch University of Eindhoven, is equipped with panels that collect solar energy and a 60-kilogram battery pack with a capacity of six kilowatt-hours. Stella has an average speed of 70 km per hour. In the absence of sunlight, the battery reserve is enough for 600 km. In October 2014, students from Eindhoven took part in the World Solar Challenge, a 3,000-kilometer rally across Australia for solar-powered cars, with their miracle car.
The fastest solar-powered electric car at the moment is Sunswift, created by a team of students from the Australian University of New South Wales. During tests in August 2014, this solar car covered 500 kilometers on a single battery charge with an average speed of 100 km per hour, which is amazing for such a vehicle.
Biodiesel from culinary waste
In 2011, the USDA, together with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, conducted research on alternative fuels. One of the surprising results was the conclusion that the use of biodiesel fuel based on raw materials of animal origin is promising. Biodiesel from fat residues is a technology that is not yet very developed, but is already used in Asian countries.
Every year in Japan, after preparing the national dish, tempura, approximately 400 thousand tons of used cooking oil are left behind. Previously, it was processed into animal feed, fertilizer and soap, but in the early 1990s, the thrifty Japanese found another use for it, using it to produce vegetable diesel fuel.
Compared to gasoline, this non-standard type of gas station emits less sulfur oxide into the atmosphere - the main cause of acid rain - and reduces the amount of other toxic exhaust emissions by two-thirds. To make the new fuel more popular, its manufacturers came up with an interesting scheme. Anyone who sends ten batches of plastic bottles containing used cooking oil to the RDT plant will be given 3.3 square meters of forest in one of the Japanese prefectures.
The technology has not yet reached Russia to such an extent, but in vain: the annual amount of waste from the Russian food industry is 14 million tons, which in terms of its energy potential is equivalent to 7 million tons of oil. In Russia, waste turned into biodiesel would cover the need for transport by 10 percent.
Liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen has long been considered one of the main fuels capable of challenging gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen fueled vehicles are not uncommon, but due to many factors they have never gained widespread popularity. Although recently, thanks to a new wave of concern for “green” technologies, the idea of a hydrogen engine has gained new supporters.
Several large manufacturers now have hydrogen-powered vehicles in their lineup. One of the most famous examples is the BMW Hydrogen 7, a car with an internal combustion engine that can run on both gasoline and liquid hydrogen. The BMW Hydrogen 7 has a 74-liter petrol tank and a storage tank for 8 kg of liquid hydrogen.
Thus, the car can use both types of fuel during one trip: switching from one type of fuel to another occurs automatically, with preference given to hydrogen. The same type of engine is equipped, for example, in the hybrid hydrogen-gasoline car Aston Martin Rapide S. In it, the engine can run on both types of fuel, and switching between them is carried out by an intelligent system for optimizing consumption and emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Other auto giants - Mazda, Nissan and Toyota - are also planning to develop hydrogen fuel. It is believed that liquid hydrogen is environmentally friendly, since when burned in an environment of pure oxygen it does not emit any pollutants.
Green algae
Algae fuel is an exotic way to generate energy for a car. Algae began to be considered as a biofuel, primarily in the USA and Japan.
Japan does not have much fertile land to grow rapeseed or sorghum (which are used in other countries to produce biofuels from vegetable oils). But the Land of the Rising Sun produces a huge amount of green algae. Previously, they were used for food, but now they are used to make gas for modern cars. Not long ago, in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, a DeuSEL passenger bus from the Isuzu company appeared on the streets, which runs on fuel, part of which is obtained from algae. One of the main elements was green euglena.
Now “algae” additives make up only a few percent of the total mass of fuel in transport tanks, but in the future the Asian manufacturing company promises to develop an engine that will allow the use of the biocomponent at 100 percent.
The United States has also taken up the issue of algae-based biofuel. The Propel gas station chain in Northern California has begun selling Soladiesel biodiesel to everyone. Fuel is obtained from algae by fermenting it and then releasing hydrocarbons. The inventors of biofuels promise a twenty percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and a noticeable reduction in toxicity in other respects.
Lesson topic: Environmental characteristics of fuel types.Target: To form a concept about the environmental characteristics of fuels.
Tasks: Educational - to form concepts about types of fuel,create conditions for analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of various alternative types of automotive fuels;
Developmental-develop the ability to independently solve assigned problems, cognitive interest, the ability to generalize, analyze, compare, and develop key competencies;
Educational-formation of motives, needs and habits of environmentally appropriate behavior and activities; nurturing activity, passion, dedication, perseverance, observation, strong-willed qualities, intuition, intelligence, independence.
Equipment, visual aids: presentation
Type of lesson: lesson on learning new material
Lesson methods: verbal, visual, practical.
Expected Result: knowledge of the environmental characteristics of fuels.
Progress of the lesson:
1.Organizational and psychological attitude
2.Updating knowledge and skills:
Warm-up:
Mutually beneficial cohabitation of organismsSymbiosis .
The science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environmentEcology.
An organism that is often the first link in the food chainPlant.
Air envelope of the EarthAtmosphere.
A group of individuals of the same species living for a long time in a certain territory, relatively isolated from representatives of the same speciesPopulation.
Community of living organismsBiocenosis.
An organism that attacks, kills and eats its preyPredator.
Pine leaves.Needles
Artificial planting along roads.Forest belt
Pine forest.(Bohr)
Oak fruit.(Acorn)
“Crying” of a birch tree in spring. (Sap flow)
Protective screen of the Earth.(Ozone layer)
Toxic fog.(Smog)
The set of conditions in which an organism lives.(Habitat)
Oak forest.(Dubrava)
A toxic metal contained in vehicle exhaust gases.(Lead)
Additional questions:
The difference between agrocenosis and biocenosis
What is an ecosystem?
What does autecology study?
Is the atmosphere capable of self-purification? How?
Legislative framework for OS protection in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Make power circuits:
Heron, frog, mosquito(Mosquito - frog - heron)
Fish, algae, bear(Algae – fish – bear)
Wheat – mouse vole – owl(wheat – mouse vole – owl)
Hare-grass-fox (Grass – hare – fox) slide 1
7.Distribute: owl,marten, frog, spider, snappinglizard, frog, butterfly, green fruits, flowering, bark, bacteria, leaves and seeds, mushrooms.slide 2
Producers-
Consumers-
Decomposers-
3.Formation of new knowledge and skills:
Questions:
What components are contained in car exhaust gases?
(A mixture of approximately 200 substances. They contain hydrocarbons - unburned or incompletely burned components fuel)
What type of fuel does the vast majority of modern cars run on? ( vehicles with internal combustion engines running on gasoline or diesel fuel derived from petroleum) .
3.What is the reason for looking for alternative fuels to replace traditional fuels? ( The recent sharp rise in oil prices, combined with concerns about the increase in harmful emissions produced by cars, polluting the atmosphere, has led many governments and automobile companies to look for a replacement for traditional fuel)
4.What is the cetane number of diesel?
Cetane number - characteristic of the flammability of diesel fuel, which determines the delay period for the ignition of the mixture (the period of time from fuel injection into the cylinder until the start of its combustion).
5.Than below the content of “harmful” aromatic hydrocarbons in the fuel, the higher or lower the cetane number will be ( more /higher ).
(goal, topic)
Man managed to make the living conditions on Earth unbearable in a short period of time. And it depends only on him whether things on Earth will become better or worse. A serious problem is the emission of pollutants into the air by motor vehicles.
In recent years, due to the increase in vehicle traffic density in cities, air pollution from engine combustion products has sharply increased. When burning hydrocarbon fuels, toxic substances are formed, which are associated with combustion conditions, composition and state of the mixture.
The vast majority of cars are still cars with internal combustion engines running on gasoline or diesel fuel derived from petroleum.
Nowadays, as much oil is burned in one day as nature can produce in a thousand years using solar energy. According to scientists' forecasts, there are few oil reserves left in the world. The current situation is not a secret. Research organizations in many countries around the world are looking for an adequate replacement for fuel obtained from oil refining. The task is quite complex, and there is still no single solution, although cars running on alternative fuels were produced and successfully operated not only in the present century, but also in the 20th and even 19th centuries. However, the sharp rise in oil prices recently, combined with concern about the increase in harmful emissions produced by cars, polluting the atmosphere (this problem is especially acute in large cities), has led the governments of many countries and automobile companies to look for a replacement for traditional fuel
Exercise: Decipher A-95.
The task is quite complex, and there is still no single solution, although cars running on alternative fuels were produced and successfully operated not only in the present century, but also in the 20th and even 19th centuries. The world's first gas-powered self-propelled carriage, the Hippomobile, was created by Jean-Etienne Lenoir back in 1862. In our country, in the 1930s, gas-generating cars were produced that were “stoked”... with birch logs, peat or coal. The firewood thermally decomposed at a relatively low temperature, turning into a gas that burned in the engine cylinders. The well-known German airline Deutsche Airbus is developing the world's first airbus to fly on liquid hydrogen.
Exercise: Fill out the table « Comparative indicators of various types of fuels »
view
Advantages
Flaws
gaseous
More complete combustion due to better mixture formation in the cylinders,
Low toxicity of combustion products,
Low cost and gas transportation
Low level of noise pollution,
Impossibility of fuel theft by maintenance personnel,
Low cost of car conversion.
high toxicity of the fuel itself
high explosion hazard of gas cylinders in case of an accident,
Electricity
Environmental safety (no exhaust gases)
Simplicity of design
– low cost of refilling
– low noise pollution
– ease of operation, reliability
– Operating an electric car is cheaper than a traditional one
– low power reserve
– long charging time,
– battery recycling problem
– lack of charging stations
– Most power plants are thermal, burning fuel to produce electricity, harmful components.
Biofuel
– has unlimited reserves of raw materials (renewable resource)
– lower amount of harmful substances in exhaust gases
– high lubrication characteristics, which extends engine life
– high cetane number
High flash point
Low cost
– high viscosity of biodiesel, which makes it necessary to heat the fuel at low temperatures to ensure acceptable fluidity,
Short shelf life - about 3 months.
Alcohol
– neutral as a source of greenhouse gases
– low cost
– increases the risk of increased emissions of volatile organic substances, which leads to a decrease in ozone concentration and increased solar radiation,
– low power compared to basic models
Hydrogen
– burns more completely
– high specific heat of combustion,
– no toxic emissions
– can be obtained from literally everything: from natural gas, ocean water, biomass, air
– has a much wider range of proportions of mixing it with air, compared to gasoline, at which ignition of the mixture is still possible
– imperfect hydrogen storage technologies
– high cost of hydrogen,
– a complex process for producing hydrogen on an industrial scale, during which the same CO is released,
– the high cost of a hydrogen power plant and the complexity of its maintenance,
– explosiveness of the hydrogen-air mixture – lack of a developed structure of hydrogen filling stations.
Watch video
The main cause of air pollution is incomplete and uneven combustion of fuel. Only 15% of it is spent on moving the car, and 85% “flies to the wind.” In addition, the combustion chamber of a car engine is a kind of chemical reactor that synthesizes toxic substances and releases them into the atmosphere. Even non-vinous nitrogen from the atmosphere, entering the combustion chamber, turns into toxic nitrogen oxides.
The main toxic air pollutants in the exhaust gases of spark-ignition engines are: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. A special place is occupied by carcinogenic substances, the main representative of which in exhaust gases is benzo(a)pyrene.
Due to global environmental pollution with lead, it has become a ubiquitous component of any plant and animal food and feed. Plant foods generally contain more lead than animal foods.
The reason for summer leaf fall is the high lead content in the air. But by concentrating lead, trees purify the air. During the growing season, one tree neutralizes lead compounds contained in 130 liters of gasoline. The least susceptible to lead is maple, while the most susceptible are hickory and spruce.
The side of trees facing highways is 30–60% more metallic. Spruce and pine needles have the properties of a good filter against lead. It accumulates it and does not exchange it with the environment. Land vegetation involves 70 - 80 thousand tons of lead into the biological cycle every day
In order for a car to be rightfully called environmentally friendly, the fuel must be environmentally friendly. And gas meets this requirement. The use of gas significantly reduces the total toxicity of exhaust gases compared to gasoline. The amount of toxic carbon monoxide CO (carbon monoxide) is reduced by more than three times, and the content of carcinogenic hydrocarbons CH, consisting of particles of unburned fuel, is reduced by 1.6 times. The concentration of nitrogen oxide NO and NO2 dioxide formed during the combustion of a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen (harmless nitrogen entering the combustion chamber from the atmosphere turns into a toxic compound - nitrogen oxides) decreases by 1.2 times when the engine is running on gas. Lead compounds and various aromatic polymers contained in gasoline, which are also dangerous carcinogens, are completely absent in gas fuel. Exhaust smoke when operating on gas fuel is three times lower than when operating on gasoline.
Research has refuted the established opinion that using gas instead of gasoline is a necessary measure. Gas fuel burns more completely, so the concentration of carbon monoxide in the exhaust of a gas engine is several times lower. A gasoline-powered vehicle emits sulfur dioxide, which is formed from the combustion of sulfur-containing fuel components, and tetraethyl lead into the atmosphere. Natural gas, as a rule, does not contain sulfur, and therefore there is no sulfur dioxide or lead compounds in the exhaust of a gas engine. Due to incomplete combustion of fuel, exhaust gases from a gasoline engine also contain carbon monoxide (CO), a substance toxic to humans. Both gas and gasoline cars emit the same amount of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere. It is not the hydrocarbons themselves that are dangerous to human health, but their oxidation products.
An engine running on gasoline emits relatively easily oxidized substances - ethyl and ethylene, while a gas engine emits methane, which of all saturated hydrocarbons is the most resistant to oxidation. Therefore, hydrocarbon emissions from a gas vehicle are less dangerous. Gas as a motor fuel is not only not inferior to gasoline, but also surpasses it in its properties, which at the chemical level destroy parts of the combustion chamber, catalytic converter and lambda probe.
Question: What properties should an ideal fuel have?
4. Consolidation of the studied material
Questions
Type of fuel used in cars.Cheap, environmentally friendly, superior to gasoline in many properties, its use does not require changes in the design of the car.
A substance from which thermal energy can be obtained through a certain reaction.
Italian physicist, chemist and physiologist; discovered methane while studying swamp gas. The unit of measurement of electrical voltage is named after him.
Compressed natural gas (colorless and odorless) is the main component of natural gas. Explosive, often called "swamp". It has high detonation resistance - its octane number is more than 100 units. When burned, it leaves virtually no harmful products.
A natural oily flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and some other organic compounds. It is used to obtain technically valuable products from it, mainly motor fuels, solvents, raw materials for the chemical industry, and it is processed.
An environmentally friendly fuel, the product of its combustion is water. Generates more heat than any traditional fossil fuel.
Alcohol can be obtained by fermentation of biomass containing starch, sugar or cellulose. It is used as fuel, internal combustion engines in its pure form, as a solvent and as a filler in alcohol thermometers.
The oilseed crop is used as livestock feed, a good green fertilizer, and an excellent honey plant; The oil of this crop is used in cooking, in metallurgy for hardening steel, as a raw material for the production of elastic materials and in the production of biofuels.
Alternative energy source for cars. Cars powered by this source appeared significantly earlier than those powered by gasoline and were widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are not noisy and do not smoke, unlike gasoline or steam engines, and were popular among the aristocracy.
An organic compound that is a derivative of hydrocarbons and contains one or more OH (hydroxyl) groups in the molecule. It is formed during the fermentation of sugary substances, during the oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons. Recently, its role has been growing as a fuel in internal combustion engines.
The type of fuel meets the criteria of availability and low toxicity. Currently not used in vehicles.
The most important property of diesel fuel is assessed by the cetane number. Based on its indicator, one can judge the quantitative composition of the harmful components CO and CH in the produced diesel gases.
High-quality complete fuel for automobile engines. Chilled to -160 °Cnatural gas. Its main components are propane and butane.
A flammable mixture of light hydrocarbons, intended for use as fuel for carburetor and injection engines, as well as in the production of paraffin and cleaning fabrics. Obtained by distillation and selection of oil fractions.
Answers
1
A
2
l
3
b
4
T
5
e
6
R
7
n
8
A
9
T
10
And
11
V
12
n
13
s
14
e
5.Homework additional material, give examples of various cars running on environmentally friendly fuels.
6. Lesson summary (reflection, grading)
I option
1. Main fuel until the endXIX V. were:
a) oil b) coal c) peat d) firewood
2. The main oil base of the country today:
a) Western Siberia c) Baku
b) Volga-Ural d) Pechora
3. Which coal basin in Russia produces the cheapest coal in terms of cost?
a) Kuznetsky c) Kansko-Achinsky
b) South Yakutsk d) Moscow Region
4. Which of the following features of the fuel and energy complex is typical for Russia:
a) fuel resources are concentrated in the west, and the main consumer is in the east of the country
b) most of the natural gas is produced in the Black Earth Region;
c) pipelines from the main fields of Siberia are directed to the north and northeast
d) the main consumer is concentrated in the west of the country, where there is a shortage of fuel resources
a) it cannot be transported
b) it cannot be accumulated
c) it can be accumulated
d) it can be transported by pipeline
7. What type of alternative power plant is missing in Russia?
a) wind b) tidal
b) geothermal d) solar
8. The disadvantage of hydroelectric power plants is that they:
a) produce a lot of waste, heavily polluting the atmosphere
b) the operating mode changes slowly
c) disrupt the hydrological regime of the river
d) station maintenance is provided by a large number of highly qualified specialists
b) ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy
c) ferrous metallurgy and fuel extraction
d) non-ferrous metallurgy and transport
12. The largest aluminum smelting centers are located near:
a) bauxite deposits
c) coal deposits
b) large thermal power plants
d) large hydroelectric power stations
13. The most tense environmental situation in Russia is observed in the cities where the following are located:
a) aluminum smelting plants
b) pigment metallurgy plants
c) full cycle plants
d) small metallurgy enterprises
14. Largest iron ore deposit in the world:
a) Kachkanarskoye c) Mount Magnitnaya
b) KMA d) Kostomuksha
15. In which Russian city is the world's largest nickel production plant located?
a) Mednogorsk c) Krasnoyarsk
b) Norilsk d) Bratsk
16. The main factor in the location of pigment metallurgy enterprises:
a) availability of raw materials in the form of scrap metal
b) availability of iron ore raw materials
c) the presence of coal deposits
d) environmental
Final control on the topic “Fuel and Energy Complex. Metallurgy."
II option
1. The main fuel in Russia since the 1960s is:
a) oil c) peat
b) coal d) firewood
2. The most important coal basin in Russia at the endXIX century was:
a) Kuzbass c) Pechora
b) Donbass d) Moscow Region
3. The cheapest and most environmentally friendly type of fuel:
a) fuel oil c) brown coal
b) coal d) gas
4. The Russian fuel and energy complex has the following features (indicate 1 correct answer):
a) most of the oil is produced in Russia in the subtropics of the Caucasus
b) the coal industry, as an old industry, requires reconstruction
c) the main consumer of fuel resources and resource bases are evenly distributed in the east of the country
d) the gas industry is one of the crisis sectors of the fuel and energy complex
5. The electric power industry includes:
a) Nuclear power plants and electricity transmission via power lines
b) transportation of electricity via power lines and gas industry
c) hydroelectric power stations and coal industry
d) oil industry and thermal power plants
6. The largest Russian gas production area is:
a) Yakut;
b) Orenburg-Astrakhan;
c) West Siberian;
d) shelf of the Barents Sea.
7. The largest share of energy in Russia is generated by:
a) thermal power plant; c) PES;
b) hydroelectric power station; d) Nuclear power plant.
8. The advantages of hydroelectric power stations are that:
a) can be placed anywhere
b) the cheapest electricity is produced
c) quickly and cheaply built
d) easy to turn on, can cover peak loads
9. The prospects for the electric power industry are as follows:
10. Choose the correct statements:
a) Oil refineries are located mainly in the European part of the country.
b) Thermal power plants are the most environmentally friendly types of power plants.
c) The shale industry is a fuel industry.
d) Russia ranks 4th in the world in terms of gas reserves.
e) In addition to electricity, the thermal power plant produces hot water and steam.
4. Which power plants in Russia can run on coal?
a) HPP b) TPP c) TPP d) NPP
5. Why are the largest hydroelectric power stations in Russia located in the Asian part?
a) the main consumers of electricity are located there
b) the greatest hydro resources are located there
c) to supply electricity to Asian countries
d) they were built with the expectation of a rapid increase in the local population
6. The fuel industry includes:
a) coal industry and electricity transmission via power lines
b) transportation of fuel through pipelines and electricity through power lines
c) extraction of peat and transportation of fuel through pipelines
d) electricity production and delivery to consumers via power lines
7. The prospects for the electric power industry are as follows:
a) construction of nuclear power plants throughout the country
b) construction of hydroelectric power stations throughout the country
c) application of energy-saving technologies
d) closure of thermal power plants due to air pollution
8. The cheapest and most environmentally friendly type of fuel:
a) fuel oil c) brown coal
b) coal d) gas
9. The first geothermal power plant in Russia was built on:
a) the Kamchatka Peninsula; c) the Urals;
b) Caucasus; d) Kola Peninsula.
10. Which industry uses coking coal as fuel?
b) ferrous metallurgy;
c) timber processing;
d) canned.
11. To which group of non-ferrous metals do copper and nickel belong?
a) to the lungs
b) to heavy
c) to the noble
d) to alloying
12. Which places do pig metallurgy enterprises gravitate towards?
a) to iron deposits
b) to gas pipelines
c) to the railways
d) to the largest machine-building centers
13. Determine why the largest aluminum production plants in Russia are located in Eastern Siberia:
a) there are large reserves of bauxite here
b) electricity is cheap here
c) the main consumers of the products are concentrated here
d) the temperatures are low here
14. The largest copper and nickel smelting center in Russia and the world is located:
a) in Norilsk c) in Cherepovets
b) in Kirovsk d) in Stary Oskol
15. As part of the metallurgical complex Excluded:
a) ore mining c) ore dressing
b) metal smelting d) rolled products production
d) all industries are included
16. Distribute metals among the largest centers of their smelting:
2. Norilsk b) aluminum
3. Cherepovets c) copper
4.Mednogorsk d) nickel
Final control on the topic
“TEK. Metallurgy."
Answers (Ioption)
1-G; 2-A; 3-B; 4-G; 5-B; 6-B; 7-G; 8-B; 9-B; 10 – 1-d, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c; 11-B; 12–G; 13–B; 14–B; 15–B; 16–A.
Answers (IIoption):
1-A; 2-B; 3-G; 4-B; 5-A; 6-B; 7-A; 8-B, G; 9-B; 10-A, B, D; 11 – B; 12 – A; 13 – A; 14 – B; 15 – A, B; 16 – V.
Answers (IIIoption)
1 – B; 2 – B; 3 – B; 4 – B; 5 B; 6 – B; 7 – B; 8 – G; 9 – A; 10 – B; 11 – B; 12 – G; 13 – B; 14 – A; 15 – D; 16 – 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c.
Currently, Fuel Technologies Corporation is developing all types of fuels, including the development and production of high-octane fuel for racing engines. We are studying new principles of combustion theory and searching for renewable raw materials, which is important from an environmental point of view.
Our company produces various types of racing fuel and additives for commercial types of gasoline, which can significantly reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Our specialists will always inform you in detail about all the features of a particular type of fuel produced by our company.
TOTEK is fuel and information technology, ecology and economy, a corporation created with the direct participation of scientists, developers of rocket and space fuels. The best scientific and technical developments in the field of fuel technologies are involved in the work of our company.
TOTEK is the search, development and implementation of environmentally friendly types of fuels and environmentally friendly production of this fuel, such as modern fuel technologies, etc. Oil is the waste of ancient life, but we can turn the waste of modern life into new fuel.
Carbonated drinks could become environmentally friendly fuel
American scientists have created a battery that runs on soft drinks as part of a project to develop an environmentally friendly fuel.
A new device that runs on almost any type of sugar can be used as a portable charger for mobile phones. Researchers at St. Louis University in Missouri believe their invention could eventually replace lithium in the batteries of many small electronic devices, including computers.
The biodegradable liquid contains enzymes that convert the fuel - in this case sugar - into electricity, leaving water as the main by-product.
In the near future, the role of coal in the country's fuel and energy balance is predicted to increase, due to its large reserves. However, environmental restrictions (especially after the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol) require the development and implementation of new environmentally friendly coal technologies that ensure high efficiency of fuel utilization with the lowest possible harmful load on the environment.
The use of suspended coal fuel is a real opportunity to replace not only “dirty” coal and ineffective methods of burning it in layered furnaces, but also scarce liquid and gaseous fuels.
The problem is especially acute in the coal regions of Russia, where large amounts of mined coal, presented in the form of fine coal slurries, accumulate in hydraulic dumps and settling tanks around coal mining and coal processing enterprises. This problem is usually solved in the most primitive way. Mine influent waters, process waters from processing plants with fine coal particles are discharged into surface settling tanks, which are periodically cleaned mechanically and hydraulically, and re-extracted coal sludge is either discharged into spent mine workings or into nearby ravines and reservoirs. In some cases, flotation waste is dewatered and stored in free areas.
Converting sludge into transportable and technologically convenient slurry coal-water fuel (CWF) will make it possible to obtain a significant economic effect and dramatically improve the environmental situation in the regions. At the same time, the resulting fuel and the technologies for its use must meet the stringent requirements of the modern market: economic competitiveness and the minimum possible hazardous environmental impact on the environment during its production and use.
Considering that the fuel component in the cost of generated thermal energy ranges from 40 to 70%, reducing the cost of fuel or its specific consumption is an important factor in obtaining an economic effect.
Coal-water fuel (CWF) is a dispersed system consisting of finely ground coal, water and a plasticizer reagent: composition of CWF: coal (0-500 microns class) - 59-70%, water - 29-40%, plasticizer reagent - 1 % ignition temperature - 450-650°C; combustion temperature - 950-1050°C;
has all the technological properties of liquid fuel: it is transported in road and rail tanks, through pipelines, in tankers and tankers, and stored in closed tanks;
retains its properties during long-term storage and transportation;
explosion- and fire-proof.
The strategic goals for the introduction of suspended coal fuel are:
minimizing costs for the reconstruction of existing heat and power systems;
increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of thermal power systems and creating economic motivation for abandoning the use of heating oil, natural gas and coal with layer combustion;
increasing the reliability and guaranteed operability of thermal power systems;
increasing energy security of end consumers.
In order to widely introduce environmentally friendly coal-water fuel, as well as organize the production of coal briquettes and briquette plants, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Scientific and Production Center "Ekotekhnika", "Sibekotekhnika" (Novokuznetsk) and the Belovsky Mining Equipment Plant (BZGSHO).
The tasks were set - to develop and provide, according to orders from enterprises, the production of modular installations for the preparation of CWF based on coal and coal sludge and technological complexes for obtaining accessible thermal and (or) electrical energy during its combustion. At the same time, taking into account the fact that a briquette installation for the production of briquette fuel from coal and coal slurry has already been created at the BZGShO, the tasks of organizing the manufacture of the necessary set of equipment for completing modular installations for the preparation of CWF, briquette installations and technological complexes, the supply of related equipment, and the assembly of developed complexes and training of operating personnel.
motor transport environmental pollutant fuel
At the first stage, a pilot demonstration technological complex for the preparation of CWF and its combustion was installed and put into operation at the plant.
Currently, suspended coal fuel from coal sludge from hydraulic mining is also prepared at a pilot plant at the boiler house of the Tyrganskaya mine. The KE-10-14S boiler was transferred to the co-combustion of raw coal and VUT. Excess fuel is shipped to the boiler house of JSC Khleb (Novokuznetsk), where the gas-oil boiler KP-0.7 is transferred to VUT. The operational experience gained in operating various boilers using suspension fuel both in summer and winter (at temperatures down to -42°C) has shown the high efficiency of using a new type of liquid fuel from coal.
The environmental advantages of VUT over other types of fuel were highly appreciated by the representative commission during the First All-Russian Competition of Russian Environmental Innovations in 2005. The project “Environmentally friendly technology for the integrated utilization of sludge and flotation waste from coal preparation plants using the combustion method of suspension fuel”, presented by ZAO NPP Sibekotekhnika, took first place.
The introduction of more efficient and environmentally friendly technologies into the energy sector is one of the priorities today. This is connected both with the need for all-round saving of energy resources and with environmental protection - a problem that will become even more acute due to the expected reduction in the supply of natural gas to Russian power plants and the increase in their consumption of coal. The reports presented at the 5th section of the international scientific and practical conference “Ecology of Energy 2000” were devoted to these issues.
The planned reduction in the supply of gas fuel to Russian power plants in the coming years forces power engineers to begin large-scale work to replace natural gas with coal and other types of solid fuel, and introduce new technologies, including those related to the use of renewable energy sources. An increase in coal consumption at thermal power plants, especially with traditional methods of burning it, will inevitably entail negative environmental consequences; The transition to renewable energy sources will require large initial costs, although, as experts believe, they can pay off fairly quickly. With this alternative, low-cost methods and technologies for energy developed by domestic science and technology, as well as world experience in these matters, are of interest.
The reports presented at the conference on the topics indicated in the title of the article can be divided into two groups:
- - dedicated to technologies for obtaining, preparing for combustion and actually burning fuels;
- - dedicated to new sources of energy and methods of its transformation.
Of the reports of the first group, the attention of the section participants was drawn, in particular, by the report of E.A. Evtushenko et al. “New technology for using solid fuel in the energy sector” (Novosibirsk State Technical University, Novosibirsk-Energo). The authors of the report proposed and tested an original technology for preparing and burning a liquid composite consisting of a mixture of coal and peat. Using this technology, a specially prepared suspension of coal dust in water is sent to a dispersant-cavitator, after which it is mixed with an aqueous suspension of crushed peat, also pre-treated in a dispersant-cavitator. In both cases, the content of the liquid phase in suspensions must be at least 15% by volume. If necessary, you can also add oil or fuel oil to the resulting mixture. Thus, by varying the components, the intensity of processing of each of them and the composition as a whole, environmentally friendly liquid fuel of a given quality is obtained. It can be used both as the main fuel and as a kindling fuel. The experience of burning composite fuels turned out to be very successful.
In the report G.N. Delyagin “Environmentally friendly fuel ECOWUT - a way to dramatically improve the environmental situation in the Russian energy sector” (SUE “Scientific and Production Association “Gidroturboprovod”, Moscow) proposed in the boilers of thermal power plants and boiler houses currently in operation, instead of natural gas, to use coal-water fuel created on the basis of coal, with properties required by consumers. ECOWUT fuel is a cheap, environmentally friendly fuel, the production technology of which was created in the last decade at NPO Gidrotruboprovod. During the production of this fuel, as a result of the mechanochemical activation of its initial components, the structure of coal as a natural “rock” mass is almost completely destroyed. Coal breaks down into separate organic and mineral components with high surface chemical activity resulting from such processing of solid fuel. Source water, which has an associated structure, also undergoes a number of transformations during the production of ECOWUT, resulting in the formation of a dispersion medium saturated with ionic components. Thus, ECOWUT fuel is a highly stable fuel, explosion- and fireproof; When stored for a long time in storage containers, a dense sediment never forms.
When ECOWUT is burned, there are no carbon monoxide, secondary hydrocarbons, soot and carcinogenic substances in the combustion products; The formation and emission of micron-sized particulate matter, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides is sharply reduced. The level of nitrogen oxide emissions, as a rule, does not exceed 0.08-0.1 g/MJ, which is 50-60% of the permissible level. The price of ECOWUT fuel significantly depends on the price of the initial raw materials (coal, water, chemicals). The share of initial coal (per 1 ton of fuel equivalent) in the cost of ECOWUT fuel is 40-60%. The final cost (per 1 ton of fuel equivalent) of ECOWUT fuel, ready for use and not requiring any preparation from the consumer, exceeds the price of the original coal (also per 1 ton of equivalent fuel) by only 5-18 %. According to data for 1999, with the consumer price of initial hard coal equal to 300 rubles/t (460 rubles/tce), the price of ECOWUT fuel will be from 290 to 325 rubles. for 1 ton (480-540 rubles/ton standard fuel). The technology for preparing and burning ECOWUT has been tested at a number of thermal power plants in Russia, including the Irkutsk CHPP-11, Semipalatinsk CHPP-2, etc. The method of burning ECOWUT fuel in a fluidized bed has been tested at the heating boiler NR-18 of the boiler house in the village of Ulyanino, Moscow region. The boiler running on ECOWUT fuel has been put into permanent operation.
Fluidized bed combustion has been discussed in a number of reports. The experience of burning coal and combustible waste on an experimental industrial boiler at USTU with a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) was discussed in a report by employees of the Ural State Technical University (USTU) A.P. Baskakova, S.V. Dyukina and others. The USTU CFB boiler with a thermal power of 11.6 MW is designed for combustion in the CFB mode of a number of types of coal: Berezovsky B-2, Kuznetsky T, Bulanashsky G, waste from theological coal enrichment. The data obtained during the experimental combustion were used in the development of a project for the reconstruction of the KVTS-10 boiler. A small-sized fluidized bed boiler with a power of 1 MW has been developed, specifically designed for installation in existing bed boilers for the afterburning of slag and entrainment leaving the furnace of the main boiler.
The problems of environmental safety when burning low-grade fuels and recycling combustible waste in fluidized bed furnaces were discussed in a report by employees of the Ural State Technical University B.V. Berga et al. The experimental dependences of the concentration of nitrogen oxides in flue gases on the temperature of the fluidized bed and the coefficient of excess air during the combustion of Neryungri and Kizelovsky coals are presented. It has been established that the concentration of nitrogen oxides in flue gases increases with increasing temperature of the fluidized bed. At the same time, the presence of sulfur in the fuel significantly reduces the yield of nitrogen oxides, since simultaneously with their formation they are spent on the additional oxidation of sulfur oxides:
- 2NO + 2SO2 = N2 + 2SO3;
- 2NO + SO2 = N2O + 2SO3.
The use of low-temperature fluidized bed technology can significantly solve the problem of reducing emissions of sulfur oxides into the atmosphere. To do this, appropriate additives (limestone or dolomite) are introduced into the fluidized bed, which bind sulfur into sulfate according to the reactions:
CaCO3 = CaO + CO2; CaO + SO2 + 0.5O2 = CaSO4.
The possibilities of using a fluidized bed to suppress the formation of dioxins were considered. Average dioxin emissions from thermal power plants, according to the authors, are 2.5 ng/m3, which is 2.5 times higher than permissible. However, it should be noted that in terms of total dioxin emissions, thermal power plants are in fourth place among various sources (individual heating devices, old waste incinerators and vehicles) and their share is 0.13% (excluding energy enterprises that burn various wastes). According to the authors of the report, a low level of dioxin content in combustion products can be obtained by single-stage combustion of fuel (and waste) in furnaces with a fluidized bed, but for this it is necessary to provide a regime that would increase the residence time of combustion products within the bed.
A new technology for burning coal with high-temperature preheating of coal dust, developed at the Siberian Thermal Engineering Research Institute (JSC SibVTI), was presented in the report by V.V. Bely, etc. Using this technology, a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions is achieved by preheating coal dust to 850 degrees. C under conditions of a reducing environment, when nitrogen passes into the free state (N2), followed by stepwise combustion of hot coal dust. Based on the experimental data obtained, a pilot industrial boiler unit was designed at the Minusinskaya CHPP, which should have the following emission indicators (mg/nm3): nitrogen oxides - up to 200, sulfur oxides - up to 300, ash - up to 50, i.e. comply with both old and new standards, as well as comply with the best international standards. The pilot industrial boiler unit at the Minusinsk CHPP is designed to test and demonstrate this new technology for fuel combustion and gas purification. If it is successfully mastered, the proposed technology can become widespread at thermal power plants.
An environmentally friendly thermal power plant with catalytic combustion of gas fuel was discussed in the report of A.I. Polywaters, etc. (MPEI, UTECH). A large amount of research work has been carried out at ENIN and MPEI aimed at developing an environmentally friendly catalytic thermal power plant (CTPP), which ensures the complete elimination of emissions of harmful substances into the air due to the combustion of fuel in the presence of a catalyst. The use of catalysts makes it possible to carry out flameless deep oxidation of fuel at temperatures in the reactor in the range of 600-800 degrees. WITH.
Catalytic reactors can be divided into two types: the first - with a fixed catalyst and heat transfer to the working fluid through infrared radiation and the second - with a fluidized fluidized bed. Fixed catalysts are used primarily for fuel-air mixtures containing gaseous and vapor fuels. In fluidized fluidized bed reactors, oxidation of gaseous or liquid fuel occurs with atmospheric oxygen in a suspended mass of granules with a diameter of 2-4 mm. Gamma aluminum oxide is used as the granule material. Currently, development work is underway on the construction of the first experimental combined heat and power plant with a capacity of 2 MW for electric heat supply to the autonomous Kurkino microdistrict in Moscow. The use of catalytic power plants instead of low-efficiency old boiler houses will significantly improve the environmental situation in the city.
The second group of reports, related to the topic “Environmentally friendly technologies using renewable energy sources”, covered: geothermal energy technologies (report by O.V. Britvin, O.A. Povarov and others from RAO “UES of Russia”, NTC “Geo” MPEI, JSC "Geotherm"); joint coordinated use of solar and geothermal energy (G. Erdmann and J. Hinrichsen - Technical University of Berlin); the use of heat pumps for heat supply to autonomous consumers (G.V. Nozdrenko and others - NSTU, OJSC Novosibirskenergo).
At this section of the conference, reports and communications were also made on a number of other issues and problems related to the ecology of energy, including the improvement of energy vortex burners (B.V. Berg et al. - USTU); environmental protection during transportation and storage of solid fuel at thermal power plants (V.V. Demkin and V.I. Kazakov - RAO "UES of Russia" and UralVTI); methods of utilizing the energy of transported natural gas without emitting harmful substances into the environment (V.S. Agababov and others - MPEI, CHPP-21 "Mosenergo", Mosenergoproekt); assessing the effectiveness of technological environmental measures for gas-oil boilers (L.E. Egorov and others - MPEI); alternative systems for storing natural gas in an absorbed state (L.L. Vasiliev et al. - Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer); improving methods of operational monitoring of the technical condition of turbine equipment to reduce fuel burnout and harmful emissions from thermal power plants (E.V. Dorokhov and others - MPEI).
A Sheffield car design firm has begun developing a new, economical and environmentally friendly fuel system for cars that runs on hydrogen. Representatives of ITM Power claim that upon completion of development, hydrogen fuel will be able to be reproduced at home for the first time.
According to the company's official statement, the new type of fuel can be used in gasoline-powered vehicles for travel distances of up to 25 miles. Moreover, for longer trips it is possible to switch back to the gasoline version. The first prototype was designed on the basis of the Ford Focus.
Developers at ITM Power say that until now the only factor preventing such vehicles from becoming more widespread has been the cost of the equipment that converts water, platinum and electricity into hydrogen.
Currently, there are only a few cars in the world that run on hydrogen fuel. The number of gas stations capable of servicing such cars is also small. In addition, current vehicles run on liquid hydrogen, which is difficult to store. As an alternative, it is necessary to use ready-made interchangeable fuel cells or electric motors.
ITM Power's Ford Focus-based prototype will be equipped with a fuel system that allows it to burn hydrogen in a conventional gasoline engine.
It took specialists from ITM Power eight years to develop a new, relatively cheap way to produce hydrogen. Their patented refueling station uses a unique, low-cost material that reduces platinum requirements at a cost of approximately 1% of traditional, previously used technology.
The new system will allow you to produce hydrogen at home. It is expected that if such a station is produced on an assembly line, its cost will be equivalent to the purchase of a conventional boiler for heating water. It is also estimated that once the new technology becomes widespread, the hydrogen equivalent of gasoline will cost approximately 80 cents.
The main element of the system will be the so-called “electrolyzer”, which will convert water and electricity into pure hydrogen and oxygen. In order to make production completely environmentally friendly, it is proposed to generate electricity using the energy of wind, tides, the sun, and also through hydroelectric power plants.