Although the price of crude oil in the world market has eased somewhat, there is still the specter of the world economic slowdown to be concerned about. One of the biggest costs a household has is gas, and in these uncertain times people are clamoring for more gas mileage, asking car makes for better fuel economy, and anything that can be a gas saver.
The truth is that people don’t need to wait and rely on car manufacturers to provide technologies that can help provide fuel savings. There are many things you can do already to lower your fuel bill such as looking to bio fuels, home made bio diesel, bio diesel conversions kits. Then there are some promising alternative options such as Hydro Assist Fuel Cells (HAFC) and Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter (PICC) technology. PICC is technology that has been in here for a long time already but is only new getting noticed.
PICC technology is still in its infant stages and some companies are now gearing up for mass production. But even in this early stage of development, PICC is being touted to provide up to five fold increase in gas mileage for your car.
In truth this is an old technology being used in a new way. Every factory made car has a Catalytic Converter, but is installed post ignition. It is installed in the car’s emission system and is used to break down gas that is left un-burnt in the engine. The catalytic converter breaks the gas molecules into smaller particles that can then be incinerated in the tailpipe before being released.
The PICC system posits to use this system in reverse - instead of breaking down the gas pot-ignition, it burns it pre-ignition before it is routed to the engine. PICC turns fuel into a gaseous form, breaks down the fuel into smaller particles and THEN burns it in the engine. The fuel will burn better because it is broken down into its basic components. Better burning, less fuel needed. That is how PICC is touted to work.
How can fuel savings be achieved, and how much?
PICC is seen by researchers to compliment modern fuel injection technology introduced by car manufacturers. Fuel injectors control the entry of just the right amount of fuel into the combustion engine improving a car’s fuel consumption. Adding the PICC system means less fuel is needed to output generate the same amount of power from the engine.
In one scientific test, a gas guzzling 318 V-8 Chrysler engine was run on a brand new state of the art dynamometer (the same testing equipment that Detroit uses) at 3,000rpms under a 50% load for an hour. Before the PICC modification, the engine used 18 pounds of fuel, which when converted approximates 22 mpg. Then researchers ran the same test with an engine with PICC modification and ran the engine under the exact same conditions for another hour. After the test, it was found the engine used only 2 pounds of fuel, a 9-fold increase in efficiency totaling a staggering 200 m per gallon, an amazing mileage from anyone’s standard.
Even in these early developmental stages, PICC is showing a lot of promise. For the regular consumer it means more savings and funds for other expenses. For the world, it means reduction in greenhouse gases. And for America, it means less dependence on foreign oil.