WHATÃS UNDER THE HOOD?
Contact: John Varrasi 212-705-8158 [email protected]
Perhaps no other product has been changed and revised as regularly as that staple of American consumerism, the automobile. Each and every year throughout its storied history, the automobile has tantalized and, in some cases, awed the public with sleek body designs, chip-resistant paint, and a dazzling array of push-button comfort features and electronic gadgets.
Under the hood, todayÃs engines now include computer chips and other advanced electronics providing improved efficiency and performance. However, despite continual design changes and modifications in this area, in reality modern automobiles use the same fundamental power system as the cars of 20 years ago and even 70 years ago: the spark-ignited internal combustion gasoline engine. And as everyone from environmentalists to racing enthusiasts peers around the curve in the road to see whatÃs coming, there is no sure way of telling whether the internal combustion engine is here to stay, or whether it will go the way of chrome bumpers and rounded headlamps.
Electric-powered vehicles have emerged as a possible replacement for internal combustion engines. However, further research is required to develop batteries capable of delivering improved speed as well as storing high volumes of energy for long trips. Furthermore, the transportation infrastructure including locations for charging the batteries is not yet in place, and many people believe it to be unrealistic.
Another proposed replacement which has gained widening interest in some circles is the fuel cell using hydrogen gas. Experts agree this is a promising engine technology offering the benefits of high efficiency and low emissions. The problem is that hydrogen is difficult to store safely, and not available from natural resources.
Other new technologies include fusion power and liquid fuels derived from coal and natural gas. But these alternatives are either too expensive or too underdeveloped to have any real impact on passenger transportation.
All this brings us back to that old standby, the internal combustion engine. Jerald A. Caton, Ph.D., chairman of the Internal Combustion Engine Division of ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), believes that the internal combustion engine will continue to be the major power plant for automobiles through the year 2000 and for many years beyond. The internal combustion engine, according to Caton, will continue to benefit from ongoing research and development activity in the United States, Japan and elsewhere. One area of focus is the stratified-charge engine which modifies the mix of fuel and air in the chamber, producing both improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. Another is the direct-injected diesel internal combustion engine, a more robust engine system combining durability and fuel efficiency.
Will the internal combustion engine ever ìrun out of gas?î The death knell, says Dr. Caton, a professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, could be a fuel shortage created by dwindling crude oil reserves in some parts of the world.
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