so here it is. fuel costs a lot just to burn. so why is there not a way to recover heat energy lost in the high temperature exhaust systems by heating water with it. I think that steam in a pressure vessel of some sort could power a turbine/generator and in turn charge a capacitor that would run a motor connected to a tag axle assembly. the motor could even be used for regenerative braking. I think that a tag axle like that could save fuel but there is no free lunch. I was just wondering about that cause they just bear weight and cause drag while in use so why not use them to assist the truck in selective bursts when needed like up hills and low traction situations. it would be real handy in a trailer too. But im not talkin about every truck but mainly otr trucks municipal vehicles and any other sensible application. after all it would cool the exhaust in a way and wouldn't that lower emissions or not that I don't know
Yair . . . pumba . A system as you describe has been tried for marine propulsion in various configurations. While it worked to some extent it was beaten by complexity . . . this was back in the early days of diesel though and perhaps with todays technology they could overcome the problems . . . what am I saying I shudder to think, it could take trouble shooting to a whole new level. (he grins)
I was thinking the other day a water manifold off the exhaust for cabin heat. I've yet to run a diesel that had decent heat compared to a gas engine.
My dad used to tell about the school buses he rode in Minn as a kid back in the `30s. They ran the exhaust pipe down the middle of the bus on the inside, aisle seats were the prized positions on the bus. Not sure of how the safety people would react to that design these days? A little CO might help keep the kids quiet.
In addition to the exhaust how about the waste heat blown from the rad or the heat given off by the brake drums, that is why internal combustion engine vehicles are inefficient users of the total energy contained in the fuel.
I like it!
Power sources based on mechanical heat extraction are probably too complicated for buildings, much less cars and trucks. But I think we will soon see solid state systems much like PV arrays which would be viable for wringing out waste heat.
There has been alot of money spent on ways to use the heat that is a by product of a internal combustion engine. Like some has already said there is a great % of fuel wasted in unneeded heat. The electric/gas cars are as close as it gets by useing the motorer to become a generater during brakeing.
I made a fuel heater that vaporizes fuel before it reached the carb on a 2v 289 ford v8. it ran on fumes not liquid gas gas just burns away once it hits the hot manifolds insides and ends up getting sucked up the crank vent and gets wasted
Smokey Yunick built some kind of a hot vapor deal before he died.