Good points jag. I'm not familiar with the ferrous oxide catalysts, but anything is worth exploring at this point.
Its going to take some very strong officials to go up against oil companies to force us to improve the efficiency of engines and explore other real fuel options.
Shootfighter1,
A catalyst is something that initiates a response. In chemistry, it is a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. Ferrous is simply the chemical name for iron.
What ferrous oxide catalysts do is to cause a change in what is called the "in-cylinder rate shaping" of the combustion of fuel. This, in turn, provides for a 30% increase in pressure on the down stroke of the piston, in a time frame slightly altered from a non-catalyzed state. It speeds up the burn of fossil fuels. ie: gasoline or diesel etc.,
In the 1970's when lead was removed and banned from gasoline, the oil companies signed off on adding any type of metal to the fuel. Iron is a form of metal and therefore prohibited from being added by the oil companies. IMO it's probably not something they would want to add it even if they were permitted to do so. Ferrous oxide catalysts are a continuation of the hydrocracking process used by the refineries to make the fuel. The process cannot be continued by the refineries because it would make the fuel too unstable for transport or storage. By continuing the process in the combustion chamber, the catalyst breaks down the primary components of the fuel just prior to ignition so the combustion process is started as the spark is applied, and causes the fuel burn to complete within the cylinder itself. You get a burning of fuel in the cylinder where you need the power, without the afterburn or unburned hydrocarbons going into the exhaust valves.
If you were to light gasoline in a 10" X 100' vacuum tube, it would take 7 seconds to burn through to the other end.
In a standard automobile, the exhaust valves open up, and you see the fuel still burning as it's going out the exhaust.
If any of you have ever watched NASCAR, or seen race cars etc., you see flames shooting out the exhaust. If you were to remove the exhaust manifold on your own vehicles, you'd see the same thing. This is because the rate at which your fuel is burned, is not fast enough for the fuel to complete it's burn within the combustion chamber itself. The exhaust valves open up, and the fuel is still burning as it's going out the exhaust. Your vehicle is not getting the benefit of all the fuel that has been put into it. Simply put, ...you're wasting fuel.
If you were to light gasoline containing a ferrous oxide catalyst in a 10" X 100' vacuum tube, the catalyst continues the hydrocracking process, breaking out the free hydrogen in the fuel, creating a hydrogen fuse, and when you mix the two together, the hydrogen fuse brings the combustion of the entire mixture along with it. As a result, it would take 2 seconds to burn through to the other end.
The burn occurs during the first 20 - 30 degrees of the crank, and the combustion is completed by the time it gets to the bottom of the power stroke, before the exhaust valves open up.
This results in more power to the engine, as well as a more efficient burn to the fuel itself. Because you now have all the fuel burning within the combustion chamber, rather than burning out the exhaust. The benefit is two-fold. In addition to a more efficient burn, increased mileage, and less fuel consumed, ...you also see a dramatic reduction in pollutants and specifically NO
x.
Nitrogen + Oxygen = NO
x.
NO
x is the precursor for both smog and acid-rain, and it comes from automobile exhaust.
It is both temperature dependant, as well as time dependant.
By speeding up the rate of the fuel burn, NO
x is not permitted sufficient time to form.
The end result of using a ferrous oxide catalyst is that the fuel in your tank takes you even further.
Merely getting an additional 3 or 4 miles per gallon of increased mileage will reduce America's consumption of fuel by 1 million barrels a day, which is the same amount that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could produce at best.
The overall result is improved mileage, less fuel consumed, less foreign oil imported, a longer lasting, more efficient engine, and a dramatic decrease in smog & acid-rain precursors, environmental pollution, climate change gasses and fuel costs.
Gavin, your right, American's traditionally like larger vehicles...but SUV sales in the past couple months have dropped and hybrid sales have increased. People in the US typically have to drive a lot more than in Europe because everything is so spread out here (plus public transportation is not nearly as efficient). Nonetheless, people should downsize to some degree.
As much as I'd love to see it, I don't think downsizing is as practical a solution as we'd all want it to be.
Granted some SUV's are merely vanity statements, ...but for some families, a mini-van is a must, ..especially in this neck of the woods. Try getting the kids off to hockey practice and loading up all that equipment in your SMART car?
Society's infrastructure is such where the internal combustion engine and the burning of fossil fuels will be with us for quite some time. Until such time as alternative sources of energy, and/or more fuel efficient engines that don't increase pollution, and drive up food prices are designed, ...the solution is imo to use a ferrous oxide combustion catalyst.
