The Thermite Engine: How to Recycle your beer cans

The video shows our development of a new concept in sustainable transport. The thermite engine is established as a practical solution for producing the energy required for motor vehicle movement while being emissionless, stable, non-volitile and efficient. The end-products of the thermite reaction can be recycled back at source (using much electricity) to recreate aluminium; making the engine's 'battery' an industial process external to the vehicle. Aluminium is the 'fuel' but really it's just a 'carrier' of the electricity that was used to create the aluminium in the first place. No oxygen from the environment and no carbon dioxide means no greenhouse gases. The power output of a thermite engine is equivalent to a gasoline fueled car--you could travel about just as we do now....on beer cans!

The concept was tested and subsequently patented.

There are many myths surrounding thermite reactions. Thermite reactions do not explode because of water; they can occur underwater; and thermite is an incendiary not an explosive. Hydrogen is released by steam reduction of the formed molten iron when it is above its Currie Temperature and this can collect and explode. Like any other reaction a thermite reaction can be controlled and can be extinguished.

To build the engine implies a design that requires attention to a huge range of factors..actually the engine is the easy bit, just add a gas turbine. The tricky bit is the combustion chamber but that's not so hard if the Thermite reaction is controllable using water.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• efficient;
• green;
• Thermite;
• Sustainable;
• Emissionless;
• alternative
• fuel;car;power;explosion

[phookadude]

the idea of using finely powdered aluminum or iorn to power an internal combustion engine has been around for some time. Thermite would be an unnessicary complication as atmospheric oxegen works just fine.

[waldar123]

@phookadude Yes, I know about alumunium oxide engines...the point here is to create an 'emissionless' engine and you can't do that by sucking in oxygen...it's also inefficient and it's very hard to keep you 'fuel' from oxidising prior to its use for work. Still, if they make one work I'll be the first in line....

[NejiFireFlame]

Whats the song?

[waldar123]

@NejiFireFlame clubbed to death



[reddog418]

Engines suggest continuous use over long distance (otherwise what's the point). In order to be efficient, the energy released must offset the weight of the fuel. In this case, the thermite reaction doesn't combust into expendable gases, but rather large chunks of iron and aluminum oxide. I don't see how this makes any practical sense seeing as you've just patented a chemical reaction, which confounds me that the patent office even recognized you.

[waldar123]

@reddog418 You'd need to read the patent... yes, the patent is for the process, but it's not an simple as your implying.

[GeistvonWut]

I would really love my first car to be powered by a Thermite Engine and beer cans XD

[astriknon]

So what happens when your "Thermite Engine" becomes a solid block of iron/aluminum from the reaction products, or did you patent some complicated exhaust system as well?

[frogjezz]

@waldar123 You could never have a emission-less engine if it runs on fuels.

[beefstew78]

also the black stain that its leaving on the bricks is carbon another biproduct or emission :(

[beefstew78]

im pretty sure its not emissionless and with out beind any kind of science major i can see the smoke coming off on the burn (that would be emmisions) im about 100% positive its not water vapor or o2. just my observation also i think prossecing aluminum and iron even if it recycling cost more then fossil fuels not trying to steal ur thunder just saying

[Blood2Letter]

i hate this song, realy

[b4ra2]

i guess the car will spit chunks of iron from its exhaust pipe

[wakmah]

Love the idea.

Where can I get to read the patent?

[phookadude]

@codeartha I really depends on what the piston and cylender are made of. That's another problem with using thermite though, when using metal powder and atmospheric oxegen you end up with finely divided oxide aftyer combustgion whereas with thermite you end up with molten metal.

[codeartha]

@phookadude the left over molten metal and the ht temps will solder the pistons together

that's just aweful

[LookWithNoHands]

@waldar123 : That's very inefficient!

1) The oxygen in the Iron(III)Oxide you use also comes from the exact same air anyway, so why bother?

2) Oxidizing Iron(III) for making thermite also wastes some energy as it's an exothermic reaction,

3) Carrying the Iron(III) with you in the car if you don't need it is more weight meaning more waste.

[antennadudedan]

Why go to all that trouble.. we have the compressed air car!.. oh wait thats right, the oil companies gave india 3 days of terrorist attacks, subsequently the indian Tata car company stopped production etc of these cars.

We can build all the alternative energy cars we want ..the oil companies WILL NOT allow them to go into production till there is no oil left!

[waldar123]

@Bellithe Yep...you're right... kerosene is awesome (so is petrol, butane etc etc). You normally have to compressed a whole lot of air to get the right mix and that makes it pretty inefficient as well. The weight of the oxide has been mentioned before--why not just use the oxygen int he air? We'll note that underwater the molten iron is reduced to iron oxide + hydrogen...it needn't explode (cf Thermit welding) and you can reuse the ironoxide--making it unecessary to carry all the weight.

[Bellithe]

Now... Iron metal burns in air if heated enough. If you are using iron oxides to oxidize aluminum you have to carry the weight of the oxides, the weight of the products and the weight of the water. Compare the weight of thermite and it's pathetic energy density to the energy density of kerosene. factor in the weight of iron metal, the weight of aluminum oxide slag and the weight of the water.

[Bellithe]

water extinguishing thermite is done by the removal of heat, unless the reaction mass is to hot then it produces a vapor explosion. A thermite reaction is self sustaining because it has it's oxidizer (iron oxides) and fuel (aluminum metal), this means it is able to burn while isolated from an outside oxidizer.

[Bellithe]

@waldar123 steam reduction of water means you are oxidizing mater. In the case of thermite before the iron is oxidized by the water, the aluminum has to be. this means iron oxides remain as a byproduct. Molten metal and water are fully able to explode without the hydrogen ever reaching oxygen, in fact they have nothing to do with hydrogen reaching oxygen. google "vapor explosion"

[waldar123]

@Bellithe You can get explosions--steam reduction of water creates hydrogen that combusts easily...the point is that you can control the reaction using water. It extinguishes by removing the fuel....I have a patentable plan for feeding the thermite into the water--actually not rocket science. I do need help to do it so spread the word that you can make an efficient emissionless engine and let's get on with it.