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Bonjour à tous
BMW has developed an integrated water intake air injection system of an engine turbocharged gasoline. This system reduces the fuel consumption of the engine 8% while increasing performance and reducing emissions. Ultimately, it is conceivable that such a system can be integrated with a range extender electric vehicle, similar to the GM Volt or Vtrux Via Motors.
See http://www.autoblog.com/2015/02/13/bmw- ... on-system/
In this article we find an illustration of the BMW system that I have reproduced below by adding text and green lines to identify key components
It is now well known that a turbocharger allows for more air into an engine while recirculating part of the exhaust gases with air into the engine intake. Having more air for a given volume of the combustion chambers increases the engine power without gaining it. Or when a motor is smaller, for a given power, friction is lower and the surface of the combustion chambers are smaller, with less control the heat loss via the cylinder walls and engine head. All this translates to increased efficiency of the engine and thus a reduction in fuel consumption.
The problem is that in compressing a gas is heated and the hot gas has a lower density, which goes against the desired effect ie bring more air into the engine. It must cool the gas compressed using a radiator (called the intercooler in English). But when the engine runs at higher speeds with a heavy load, this heater is not sufficient to the task, hence the idea of adding a water injection system in the form of mist after the radiator before air and recirculated exhaust gases into the engine. This results in a temperature drop which increases the density of the air and allows more air into the engine, even at high speed and high load. The water also reduces the combustion temperature in the cylinders and improve combustion.
BMW also thought to empty the water pipes after engine shutdown to prevent freezing of pipes. The water tank is also frost proof. A reservoir 5 liters of water is enough to 5 full of trees.
BMW has installed the water injection system on a race car but intends to eventually integrate an ordinary car.
The benefits of injecting water or water doping engines have been known for over 100 years. I devoted a section in my book Driving without oil (Éditions Multimondes 2008) one can find reproduced on the website of the Quebec company Synergy TEM here (with my permission)
http://www.temsynergie.com/informations/dopage-a-l-eau
I have already spoken of TEM Synergy founded by Alain St-Yves, Quebec pioneer of electric vehicles. Alain had converted a Chevrolet truck S10 electric vehicle 1998 (see https://sites.google.com/site/vehiculevert/home ). Their main product is a humidification of the air intake system of diesel engines, called "Oxidizer H2O". TEM Synergy has installed several semi trucks, and also gets the order of 8% fuel consumption reduction, on average.
I did not need to tell you that I am very happy to see that finally a major auto company is seriously interested in water doping combustion engines.
Sincerely
Pierre Langlois, Ph.D., physicist
Consultant in sustainable mobility
Edit: this is the subject that analyzes the BMW patents on the injection of water Patent-bmw-on-the-injection-of-water-in-a-motor-t13760.html