Prototype: Vincent Carman's Inertial Storage Transmission
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 05. 3.05
Believe it or not, both these old beat up cars have something amazing in common: They get double the gas mileage of standard models, because of an ingenious new transmission system developed by inventor Vincent Carman (seriously, could your name be any more perfect for making cars?). Not only that, but he did it in the 1970's! Even more unbelievable (or maybe not, considering) is that the government was sandbagging the implementation of his innovation for 2 years...
Carman's transmission relies on hydraulic fluid under pressure to transfer energy from the engine to the wheels. A major downside of piston engines is that they are most efficient at a very high RPM -- much higher than would be effective for starting. So, in current cars, manual, or automatic mechanical transmissions try to use gearing to keep the engine running at its optimum RPM. But these systems inevitably run the engine too slow or too fast, because there are just not enough gears to cover everything. Some recent cars (like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius) have used continuously variable transmissions which theoretically have infinitely many gears, to make an even more efficient motor running profile. But problems still happen when the car is starting (since the engine starts from rest, and is therefore inefficient), and when it accelerates quickly from a stop.
The Inertial Storage Transmission (IST) that Carman developed bypasses all these problems by storing the engine's energy in high-pressure fluid. The fluid is pumped out of a reservoir by a small gas engine, into an accumulator at high pressure, which holds the fluid like a super-soaker holds water. Then, based on acceleration, more or less high pressure fluid is fed out of the reservoir through a hydraulic motor (like a turbine) to drive the wheels.
The system works almost identically to current hybrid electric systems, with some major advantages. First, it's cheap; hydraulics are a common technology with low service costs and cheap materials. Second, there are no expensive batteries or electronic systems to damage. And third, energy loss in pressurizing the accumulator tank is much less than for charging batteries.
So what held up this wonder? It looks like the usual bureaucratic nonsense. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. Some think it just wouldn't work. And yet Vincent has been drove a version of this car for two years with no trouble. Did we mention that this was in 1977! Surely we've worked out the kinks since then. He was getting 40 miles per gallon in a real junker of a car. If you're a handyman, this might be a project worth resurrecting. And, if you know anyone in the automotive lobby, I'm sure that Vincent would be much obliged for any mention.
:: IST at Mother Earth News [by DM]
Hydraulic systems are prone to leaks at gaskets, couplins, and hoses. Anyone who has ever worked in or visited a machine shop can testify to what a mess it is and how intensive maintenanc must be to keep leaks down and handle spills. Also possible in this application: seriously unpleasant fluid control failure consequences in a minor car accident.
The amount hydraulic fluid required would likely be significantly greater than in existing vehicles. Hydraulic fluids break down over time into nasties and they are in virgin state not at all benign. Multiply the current recycling/spilling issues with engine lubricating oil several times and you get an idea of the unanticiapted environmental consequences that could come about if this path were followed on a large scale.
Very possibly there are good engineering solutions to the above, but at what cost?
John, hydraulic fluid is not the problem you are making it out to be.
I have a 20 year old Citroen CX which has hydraulics for suspension, steering and brakes, and have had no problems. Apart from one of the 20 year old steel pipes rusting through, but that was replaced with an aluminium pipe.
I'm not clear on how the government is sandbagging.
I'm sure, if this works, the guy could set up a retrofit shop as has been done by electric car and biodiesel enthusiasts in the last 10-20 years.
I note that Jay Leno just took posession of a retrofitted Chrysler Crossfire ("R-Car") which has been made into a high performance electric.
WQe are both correct at once, as there are sides to the coin. Traditional mineral based hydraulic fluids are toxic indeed, as indicated on this product MSDS: http://library.cbest.chevron.com/lubes/ehlchevmsdsv9.nsf/0/0a157d676e71496d88256b05005dba3b?OpenDocument
However, there are non-toxic biodegradable alternatives available http://www.superiorpetroleum.com/html/mobil_eal_224h_.html
The critical choice is to pick the biodegradable one and materials of construction that are compatible.
What choice do you suppose the invenor has made?
Odo-
Obviously an under-the-radar retrofit shop would be one way to get this technology into the world, but probably not the mainstream. By sandbagging, I meant that the government was delaying evaluating the technology for use in mail delivery trucks -- vehicles who's stop and go idling would be perfect for this sort of drive. It's really all outlined in the article if you take a look.
Unfortunately, the more involved the conversion, the much less likely it will become mainstream if not endorsed on the front-end (i.e. by car manufacturers) and it is unlikely that car companies will get there without government approval and the large initial orders that the govt. can give. Biodiesel has enjoyed a growing grassroots following because all you have to do to make it work is fill up your tank and be careful in cold weather. This technology is much more like Straight Vegetable Oil conversions of cars, which have never become mainstream, and likely will not without government or automotive company involvement.
Such as system is used in trucks since years, it's not used in cars because the inertia and the related energy gain is not important enough to justify the costs associated with such a system.
It looks like the motherearth article on this was published in 1977. Unless I'm reading it wrong, I'd guess its no longer being developed.
Unbacked allegations that the government is somehow "sandbagging" your environmentally-friendly technology are a great way to explain your own failure to bring something to market without any individual responsibility...and thereby make your own failure a self-fulfilling prophecy.
People, the government is slow, uninnovative, and behind the times. If they were trying to sandbag you, they'd do so in a slow, uninnovative, and kind of ineffective way. If they try to support you, same thing...
...positing that the black helicopters are thwarting the development of some eco-friendly technology is not cynical, it's painfully, knee-jerk naive, and it makes me sad that this weak hypothesis is such a mainstay of the enviro community. If you've got something this cool, people, go out and Burt Rutan it! Don't whine about the feds not doing it for you.
Yeah, hey--what's up with that date? If this article was written in 1977, does that mean he's been driving those two cars around for almost 30 years?? Or what? This is the kind of thing we need follow ups on...
Guys, You're totally right. I get a feed from Mother Earth News, and I thought this was recent, so it's my bad. But that doesn't change much; In fact, it makes me wonder even more why we haven't explored this sort of system. Maybe CVT transmissions do make engine usage efficient enough that this system is out-dated.
I tried to find anything else online regaurding Vince and his cars, but I couldn't get anything (not too surprised though, considering the age of the article)
But I did see another article on a hydralic drive in a recent newspaper clipping. I'll try to dig it up and post it asap. Thanks for all the interest -- even if most of it was about my bad dates :)
Maybe this guy didn't achieve anything but hydraulic hybrids (similar to this design) are developed right now. Just google hydraulic hybrid or see those links:
http://www.permo-drive.com/
http://www.infinitebang.com/shepinc.com/
www.eaton.com is also working on it
even EPA have some info on it.
Hydraulic drives research seem to be done under the radar of general public but they are getting things done.
Wojciech
Great links.
I also found another company that uses pneumatics instead.
http://www.1-2-free-forums.com/mf/evuk-about111.html
More interesting than anything is that Mr. Carman (if indeed that was his real name) has COMPLETELY disappeared from the radar. Even Scott Burns, the columnist who wrote about Vince while criticizing the government's handling of him (and is no longer at that newspaper)doesn't remember the guy.
Most importantly, why does anyone think that nothing is going to happen unless the government gets its mitts in on the deal? It seems to me that this was where Carman's problems began.
Accumulators ain't cheap, boys. Just priced two 5000 psi 30 gal units at almost $30k/each. Lower pressure is cheaper but to get the same energy it gets bigger, so at the end of the day higher pressure is better. Hydraulics has its place but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it isn't in a mail truck. The Post Office isn't as dumb as I thought if they passed on that one.
Debbie:
Re: Accumulators. Thirty gallons? A couple of 2 or 2-1/2 gallon units in tandem will do. It's your reservoir that you want with capacity so that the system will not starve for oil. Those are relatively cheap. As for the post office, the EPA was fooling with silly flywheel technology in the seventies and wanted the p-o to use that, too. Not surprising that it was all turned down, considering the p-o's record for using the most up-to-date technology available. [ha!] Look how long they dragged their feet in getting everything computerized. Remember: any time the government gets involved, innovation and creative problem solving slows in proportion to the increasing rate at which money is spent. The government in the U.S., at least.
I believe it was Mother Earth News that did another article on a Minnesota University project using a VW chassis power from an 8HP engine and the necessary hydraulics to make it work and they figured around 75MPH.