Will Liquid Nitrogen at One Tenth the Cost of Milk, Power the Next Generation of Automobiles?

The air we breathe is composed of almost 80% nitrogen. What if we could find a way to use that nitrogen to power the next generation of automobiles? We are not likely to see "peak nitrogen" for at least a billion or more years.

Air was first liquefied in 1883, using essentially the same process as today—ie, compressing it to 200 atmospheres, cooling it to -190ºC, and then letting it suddenly expand and condense. The process turns 1,000 litres of transparent gas into 1.4 litres of light blue liquid.

As long as its storage container is well insulated, liquid air can be kept at atmospheric pressure for long periods. But on exposure to room temperature, it will instantly boil and revert back to its gaseous state. In the process, it expands 700-fold—providing the wherewithal to operate a piston engine or a turbine.

Liquid nitrogen does an even better job. Being considerably denser than liquid air, it can store more energy per unit volume, allowing cars to travel further on a tankful of the stuff. Weight for weight, liquid nitrogen packs much the same energy as the lithium-ion batteries used in laptops, mobile phones and electric cars. In terms of performance and range, then, a nitrogen vehicle is similar to an electric vehicle rather than a conventional one.

The big difference is that a liquid-nitrogen car is likely to be considerably cheaper to build than an electric vehicle. For one thing, its engine does not have to cope with high temperatures—and could therefore be fabricated out of cheap alloys or even plastics.

For another, because it needs no bulky traction batteries, it would be lighter and cheaper still than an electric vehicle. At present, lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles cost between $500 and $600 a kilowatt-hour. The Nissan Leaf has 24 kilowatt-hours of capacity. At around $13,200, the batteries account for more than a third of the car’s $35,200 basic price. A nitrogen car with comparable range and performance could therefore sell for little more than half the price of an electric car.

A third advantage is that liquid nitrogen is a by-product of the industrial process for making liquid oxygen. Because there is four times as much nitrogen as oxygen in air, there is inevitably a glut of the stuff—so much so, liquid nitrogen sells in America for a tenth of the price of milk.

Finally, a breakthrough in engine design has made liquid nitrogen an even more attractive alternative than the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. An invention made by an independent British engineer called Peter Dearman dispenses with the costly heat exchanger that is needed to vaporise the liquid nitrogen quickly. Instead, a small amount of water and anti-freeze (eg, methanol) is injected into the cylinder just as the liquid nitrogen is drawn in, causing it to boil and expand rapidly—thereby forcing the piston down inside the the cylinder. “Without that,” says Mr Dearman, “you had to have a multi-stage engine, which is cumbersome, inefficient and expensive.” _Economist

Liquid nitrogen is the byproduct of the production of liquid oxygen from air. The price of liquid nitrogen is relatively inexpensive, and likely to become less costly as production scales up.

There are questions about travel range between refills, and the need for protection around the cryogenic fuel tanks. But liquid nitrogen is not flammable -- unlike gasoline, diesel, or natural gas. And the "explosions" from the sudden exposure of liquid nitrogen with the atmosphere would be easier to contain than explosions of fossil fuels -- and will not start secondary fires.

It is not a great idea, but it seems to be an improvement over today's versions of electric cars -- in terms of economics and technological feasibility.

Versatile Home Power Distribution System for Use w/ EV

The DENSO power distribution system provides both quick DC charging of an EV battery AND emergency home power in the case of a power grid outage.

ENSO Home EV Power Distribution

The V2H system can quickly charge an EV with direct current from the HEMS storage battery, and can supply the electricity in the EV back to the household. In addition, the system can efficiently distribute electricity, including power generated by residential photovoltaic systems (solar panels), to the EV and to the home through the coordination of the HEMS. The two main features of the new system are as follows:

Quick recharging function using a HEMS storage battery. Because an EV is battery-powered, the battery needs to be quickly charged for the car to be practical and functional, particularly when the battery level is low. However, a quick charger uses a substantial amount of power, resulting in an increase in the consumer’s electricity contract/bill and it is difficult to install for household use.

DENSO’s new system can quickly supply the electricity that is stored in the HEMS storage battery to the EV when charging at home, which doesn’t require a dedicated charging device. Within just 15 minutes of charge using the DENSO system, the EV can travel up to about 20 km (12.4 miles).

Eco-V2H function. The HEMS can estimate the daily EV travel distance and household power consumption to best manage the charging and discharging of the electricity of EV and HEMS battery unit. Also, to achieve local production of energy for local consumer consumption, the energy surplus produced by the photovoltaic system can be stored in the EV or the HEMS storage battery as opposed to being sold to the local electric power company.

During the electricity peak time, surplus electricity stored in the HEMS storage battery is supplied back to the house to enable electricity peak shift. These functions require technology to combine electricity supplied back to the home from the EV and commercial power. Moreover, in emergencies such as natural disasters, electricity stored in the EV can be used at home in the same way as the PHV.

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Electric vehicles are likely to achieve slow but steady penetration into the private vehicular market. This will call for foolproof home systems which allow for quick EV charging. The ability to utilise stored EV and power system energy in the case of a power outage is an added plus.

Expect more intelligence to be built into such systems, so that they will be able to also integrate and control auxiliary generator and fuel cell backup, for more extended power outages.

More on the DENSO Home Energy Management System (HEMS)

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Gasifier Equipped Honda Runs on Syngas

For more information, go to AllPowerLabs. They can get you started building gasifier kits of your own.

General Motors Timeline for Alternative Fuels

We have seen that huge international companies such as Exxon, BP, Shell, Dupont, and others are developing biofuels and bioenergy projects. General Motors has also been involved--financing cellulosic ethanol companies Coskata and Mascoma for example. Here is GM's short, medium, and long range approach to transitioning away from fossil fuels to both biofuels and the electric vehicle. Ultimately, GM aims to run its fleet on hydrogen fuel cells, according to the plan.

Beyond the ethanol activity, GM is also evaluating and considering the potential for higher alcohols such as biobutanol, as well as algae-derived biofuels and ultimately the direct synthesis of bio-hydrocarbon fuels, Dr. Wheeler said.

The key point on biofuels is that they are the most significant near-term solution to offset rising energy demand. Our focus is on next-generation biofuels. These are fast approaching, with cellulosic ethanol nearing commercialization in the 2010-2011 timeframe.

Sustainable biofuels made from non-grain sources could offset up to 35% of future vehicle energy demand by 2030, but the infrastructure needs to be in place for commercialization to be realized.

One of the great strengths [of cellulosic fuels] is to use locally grown biomass. Use what you have in the region, then convert it into fuel. You don’t have to send it far away—use it locally. There is real potential for using the fuels in the area in which we actually make them.
—Candace Wheeler

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As the realisation that bioenergy solutions can fit well at the local and regional levels, more entrepreneurs and investors will combine with engineers and technologists to create the infrastructure at those levels. When the bioenergy infrastructure pairs up with agricultural, forestry, and waste management industries in the same locales and regions, the revolution will begin.

The main thing that is holding back the energies of the Anglosphere and most European countries, is the excess of government regulations, taxation, interference, bureaucratic meddling, and debilitating "assistance." Similarly, much of India and East Asia would see far more sustainable economic activity if more local and regional solutions were available for basic infrastructural necessities.