Thread: Liquid Air Technology

For decades now car manufacturers have spent time and money in developing alternative power technologies so that now any of us can go out and buy an electrically powered car, given the damage being done from overuse of fossil fuels and ever rising oil prices this can be no bad thing.

However there are drawbacks with the current technology being used with most electric cars. When compared with their petrol driven counterparts they can be slower, more expensive to buy, have far less range and take a long time to recharge, however this is not say they arn't without their advantages, many are much cheaper to run, quieter and produce very little polution.

Details in a news story are now emerging of a new technology that may allow for the development of a new generation of cars that can combine some of the main advantages existing in current electric cars whilst eliminating some the main disadvantages, such as lack of range and long recharging times.

The idea behind this technology is that normal air can be used to store energy by cooling it to 190C, turning it into a liquid. When the liquid air is later warmed, it rapidly expands into a gas, creating high pressure that can drive the piston engine of a car, or generate electricity in a turbine.

It should also be noted though that whilst this technology may offer hope for a whole new generation of alternatively powered cars it allows offers the potential to be used for the powering of homes and factories in a much more enviromentally friendly way.

BBC News - Liquid air 'offers energy storage hope'

BBC News - Inventor's creation not just hot air

Liquid Air: An Efficient Energy Storage System

Believe you meant -190C.

Neat ideas and seems far more straight forward and practical than most of the storage schemes being proposed. Very long shelf life unlike hydrogen, no toxic chemicals during use or true to dispose of such as batteries, and pretty easy to transport around. The issue is efficiency.

Originally Posted by Lynx_Fox

Believe you meant -190C.

Lol, yes that is correct minus 190C, copy error from wordpad it likes to cut the bit off the line end, it's becoming annoying.

It may have some possibilities for grid energy storage, but it probably won't be powering your car, unless you have an electric car.

It has the same drawback for cars as liquid hydrogen, in that it needs to be kept refrigerated or else it will warm up, expand, and lift a relief valve. Also, you need a source of heat to warm it up and make it do work. This would be available as waste heat from a thermal power plant. Your car wouldn't have such a source.

The inventor used it to power a car for the demonstration.

Actually I don't think it needs to be refrigerated...just kept under pressure, similar to how liquid propane is stored for your BBQ--not sure though. If so it's just a matter or controlling the release and letting ambient air temperature boil off the liquid.
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He did use it to power a car, but could he get say a hundred miles off that rig? Personally I wouldn't consider a vehicle that couldn't get at least 250 miles with a less than hour refill/recharge unless it was inexpensive (say less than $15K) and still practical (2 seats and a grocery bin).

Hey my friend I watched an episode of topgear last year where they test drove a Nissan Leaf and Peugeot Ion, both electric cars. Both cars I wouldn't go near.
First off the Leaf obviously the price is a no no, from £26,000 thats with a £5000 government payment towards the cost, think I'll pass on that, but 7 hours to charge - seriously how is anyone willing to put up with that, then there's the range 100 miles tops that's with a foot like a feather. If that wasn't bad enough it won't top 100mph and the battery will last 5 years if your lucky and don't even get me started on that Peugeot Ion thing. But the funniest thing of all was they couldn't even find a charging point before running out of power.

What this screams loud and clear is electric cars have a long long way to go before becoming an ordinary every day practical option. If by chance this new liquid air technology can go some way to helping things along then it can only be a good thing.