A Cocktail of Diesel and Gasoline Runs 20 Percent More Efficiently Than Either One Alone

Too little, too late. Now that we're in a "crisis" about oil and desperately trying to move from fossil fuels to renewable, this doesn't seem like the type of technology that anyone wants. I get that it could save a bunch of money and lower demand for oil...but then again, you'd have to incorporate these types of engines into new models...I'm betting these engines are NOT very simple either. Worst way to get new technology off the ground is to make an already complicated machine (internal combustion engine) more complicated.

What happens when the engine uses too much of diesel or gasoline? Will the efficiency drop or will the car stop altogether?

Maybe in a hybrid vehicle, could I see this working. And then, it'd have to be only used to power the hybrid's electrical engine and not for actual power to the wheels. Set the engine for high efficiency and maybe we'll see a hybrid that can actually get to the 100 MPG rating.

So then you'd have a battery gauge, and 2 fuel gauges to check regularly. Nice and simple :)

So now you have to wait in line twice increasing fueling times 2-3 times longer due to when you put the pump back it finalizes the sale.

It seems to me that this whole process, according to the article, depends on the engine working properly and mixing the exact ratios on a constant basis, and if it doesn't then the results could be devistating. How devistating would it be if something as simple as a sensor went out thus mixing the mix incorrectly. I don't pretend to know a lot about the mixture of gasoline and deisel fuels, and I don't personnally see any hazards that are not associated with normal gasoline, but the article mentions that an incorrect mixing of deisel and gasoline is disastrous. If all this is true then I can easily see a lot of laymen going to the hospital after driving or working on such an engine.

Sheesh people.
So I guess they should not even try?
How many laymen can work on a Hybrid? Electricity will kill you faster than a poorly tuned deisel/gasoline combo.
The fact is we will be dependent on fossil fuels for a long time into the future and we need to continue to work out ways to use them more efficiently.
Do you think that Edison invented the light bulb on his first try?

So now you have to wait in line twice increasing fueling times 2-3 times longer due to when you put the pump back it finalizes the sale. http://www.hedefnakliyat.com

So now you have to wait in line twice increasing fueling times 2-3 times longer due to when you put the pump back it finalizes the sale. http://www.hedefnakliyat.com

Like it or not, even if we get cars up to 100 mpg, we are definitely still gonna need trucks. You people seem to be missing the full impact of what these kids have done here. Right now the most efficient 18 wheelers get maybe 4 mpg with no load and a tailwind. Great work!

Could you make it work for aircraft? Ships?

It does not matter what tpye of vhc you drive even if we use no fossile fuels to run all vhc. we will still be using oil for almost everything from makeup to our cell phones and paint if we come up with a fuel that our vhc. use that will not require oil we would be better off. we will never truely stop using oil because we use it for so many things. ceck out what oil makes when it is refined. you willbe supprised.

I agree All fossil fuels must be phased out We are already in a petroleum world crisis It is best we phased in alternative fuels I 'm 100 % for natural gas with electric combo. I think that will help our trucking industry next to public or private buses. It is much better off for prepare for tomorrow's loses than do nothing the last moment. So what we are late in the game OPEC or MERC. At least must do something. This article will help for vehicles of today or the next couple years.

Markomyt1, this experiment was a good try and could lead to an even more effiecient invention. So kudos for that, but this system as it stands now is not what the world is looking for. I must disagree with the comment about depending on fossil fuels. In the past it seems that the advancments which the general public leans on the most usually gets results a lot faster. If you look at centuries before the 1900 not many changes came about. When you look at the time between the 1900's to now you see man kind go from most people riding horses, to landing on the moon, to land rovers on mars. From having to poop in a pot and wipping your butt with your bare hand to using toilet paper then flushing and forgetting. (had to throw that last comment). The point is that we may not be free from fossil fuels tomorrow, but as long as the people push the issue it will happen a lot sooner.

What happened to the article on installing solar panels on the highways? Can't find it anywhere.

There are a few things that could be done to improve fuel efficiency without huge overall change.
The catalytic converter or particulate trap could be positioned upstream of the exhaust turbine where some at least of the energy currently lost as heat could be usefully harvested. The exhaust turbine, which typically operates at high revs, would be better powering the alternator than the blower. When it comes to pumping air, a big one going slow is more efficient than a small one running fast. If this blower / compressor was situated remotely from the engine on the vehicle it could be away from the vibration and heat of the engine compartment. Hollow body chassis members could serve as compressed air cooler / reservoirs with little or no increase in weight. If the air pressure raised was sufficient that air could act as it's own refrigerant for air conditioning, thus eliminating another compressor pump. If the starter motor was built into the flywheel and another clutch was placed between it and the crankshaft, the flywheel could be run up to a given starting speed with lower power requirement from the battery and wiring loom. If the car comes with a reliable supply of cool compressed air and has an exhaust turbine as described then a compact two stroke engine could be the choice of engine with great savings in weight , both for the engine and for it's support structure.

i don't think its needed. but my old vw would run on up to %25 gas to keep the diesel running in the cold. it put out lees power with the weak gas but i always wondered if the gas lit off the diesel better. cars put out less than %10 of the co2 in the world. we need to spend the maney on getting the co2 now in the air out. and it can be done cheaper than changing the way every thing is made

A small turbine engine, running at optimal load gets about 80% efficiency, can run just about any liquid flammable fuel, and so would serve as the perfect interim hybrid generator, or electric range extender. Electric wheel motors placed in each wheel optimize the power train layout. Now that, with antispin technology would make an awesome all wheel drive vehicle that won't tear up your lawn! Worried about towing capacity? Railroad locomotives use this basic arrangement! 18 wheelers could be twice as efficient, quieter, less polluting, and less stressful on the drivers! This concept would be such a win for everyone, why is no-one working on it?

Hi RBND - would that you were correct about small turbine engines. They like all heat engines are subject to the carnot equation for thermodynamic efficiency This gives a figure for theoretical maximum and is the difference in temperature from the hottest temperature of the working fluid and it's coldest temperature divided by the hottest temperature. The catch is that these temperatures are in degrees absolute -which means that the coldest temperature is usually about 300degrees kelvin. To acheive 8o % efficiency then the turbine would need to operate above 1200 degrees centigrade. Turbine blades can be made to operate in these regions, but require sophisticated cooling systems would be too expensive for a small engine. A good diesel engine can do the job because the peak heat is intermitant and away from the walls of the cylinder. A diesel and a turbine compliment each other and can get the highest efficiency economically, especially if the turbine is multi staged and powers a generator, rather than a blower

Just make sure to filter the diesel first cuz its known to clog up fuel filters fast, especially gas ones.