steam car hybrid postulations..
Interesting discussion..
Actually I have a book from 1910 on heat engines and the
'latest' addition is actually 'the car' lol. Fascinating reading
really. Car engine designs are not changed as much as
people are led to believe.
Anyway, you can pump steam into the combustion chamber
of any cylinder. And some people claim it works really well
as a fuel saver.
Having the water right where the explosion is, enables a
transfer of heat to the water. The water turns to steam
and expands some 1800 times. Driving the piston.
To get real heat recovery, have a think about how to dispose
of the radiator altogether. Once you do that you are not
throwing heat away.
1/3 of all the fuel energy gets flushed out the radiator.
I think convenience and simplicity for motorists have dictated
a recircling heat dump system. I understand why car companies
wouldn't bother with steam cars.
but in these days of environmental sensitivity, its fun toying
with the concept of a 10% fuel, 90% water automobile.
I'm all for the idea of the choo-choo car.... lol
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