An ICE fuel conversion is a form of green tuning where the internal combustion engine is adapted for use with a alternative fuel. [1]

Types of conversions

Several types of conversions exist. These include:

Comparision of conversions

Vegetable oil conversions are undoubtably most known and popular conversions. However, vegetable oil, as well as most other combustible fuels (exept hydrogen) are polluting to some degree. Although purer fuels (as ethanol, methanol, ...) burn cleaner, they too still emit poisonous gases, and toxicologic and climate reports have stated that they are not more clean than gasoline/diesel and are sometimes even worse.

When compared against each other, conversion to liquid hydrogen, oxyhydrogen or liquid nitrogen internal combustion is undoubtably the most ecologic. [9]A conversion to hydrogen will completely eliminate all engine emissions. Hydrogen however has less energy per kg. These downsides however may also be reverted by improving the efficiency of the internal combustion engine itself, which is generally only 20% efficient (the remaining 80% of energy is lost as waste heat). This may be done in practice by the installation of heat exchangers hooked up to a stirling engine (which may use the heat difference between the engine and the outside air to generate extra power). Liquid nitrogen conversions finally are also very ecologic, yet little information is already available on how a conversion can be done and how inexpensive liquid nitrogen generators can be made.

In practice

The possibility and difficulty of the ICE fuel conversion depends on the type of engine.

The easiest and most versatile to alter is the Quasiturbine which runs on several more "regular" alternative fuels as well as compressed air.

2-stroke engines are probably not convertible.[10] Though most automobiles no longer use 2-stroke engines, some marine engines (eg simple outboard engines) and smaller vehicles (eg scooters, ...) still use them.

Rotary engines can be quite easily converted due to the fact that in most conversions, basically only the fuel is changed and not the engine itself, relatively few modifications need to be done

With 4-stroke engines, conversions are also simple due to the fact that again only the fuel needs to be changed and not the engine. [11]Diesel variants are most useful for vegetable oil conversions, while petrol engines are more simple in design and easier to convert with certain most fuels besides oil-based fuels. [12][13]

For example with ethanol fuel conversions, only some mere changes in the carburator (eg boring out of 2 jet orifices) and a alturation in the ingition timing needed to be done. [14]

Conversions may be outsourced to professionals, depending on the type of engine and conversion to be done. [15]Amateur conversions may also be done, either 'on the touch' or with a conversion kit.

Conversion assistance

Due to the increasing popularity of internal combustion engine fuel conversions, commercial conversion kits have recently become available. Kits allow a relative cheap conversion together with an easier installation [16](requiring less knowledge/skill in these conversions). Kits can be found trough sites as Hydrogencarconversion, ...

References

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See also

Interwiki links

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