Would Cars run more efficiently on pure oxygen?

Question

Plus I heard it would not produce and poisonous Carbon Monoxide, it would be mostly CO2

Answer 1

You heard wrong.   What it would eliminate is nitrogen oxides, which are a source of air pollution.  But we've already dealt with these quite effectively already with the present emission controls installed on engines.

Answer 2

Why not use compressed air like the "World's Cleanest Car".

"BBC News is reporting that a French company has developed a pollution-free car which runs on compressed air. India's Tata Motors has the car under production and it may be on sale in Europe and India by the end of the year.

The air car, also known as the Mini-CAT or City Cat, can be refueled in minutes from an air compressor at specially equipped gas stations and can go 200 km on a 1.5 euro fill-up -- roughly 125 miles for $3. The top speed will be almost 70 mph and the cost of the vehicle as low as $7000.

The car features a fibreglass body and a revolutionary electrical system and is completely computer-controlled. It is powered by the expansion of compressed air, using no combustion at all, and the exhaust is entirely clean and cool enough for use in the internal air conditioning system. "

Answer 3

Yes but it would also eliminate NO2.

Answer 4

I think you need to understand the physics of combustion first before making such a statement.  Let me explain:

Most automobiles use gasoline (or diesel) fuel in their internal combustion engines.  To support combustion you need three things: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source (provided by the engine's spark plug).  Oxygen by itself will not burn and pure oxygen would burn up an internal combustion engine very rapidly.

It would be prohibitively expensive to equip cars with oxygen tanks to improve combustion though some hot-rodders use nitrous oxide as an accelerant to improve combustion efficiency for a horsepower boost.

The only fuel that has been used for automobiles that produces no greenhouse gases is hydrogen.  Soon we may see more hydrogen powered cars and more refueling stations that offer it.

Answer 5

The engine would be more efficient, since pure oxygen would let combustion reach a higher temperature.

The *car* might be less efficient, since the extra weight of another tank or oxygen enricher would lower mileage.

Answer 6

..i think they would run best on asphalt.. (kidding)

the right fuel for the right engine should give a positive result..

Answer 7

YES, here's the air car for sale in the USA for $15,000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0Y...

Answer 8

It does depend on the engine composition. Pure oxygen is quite volatile in many ways. Not only does it explode when concentrated and introduced to a high energy heat source. It affects metals, plastics and other materials with very corrosive results. We only need to look at the vitamin counter to see the results of too much oxygen in the human body. Anti-oxidant this and anti-oxidant that. We use it in small amounts(smaller amounts all the time according to Al Gore) and it can have very detrimental effects on just the human body. Concentrate this incredible gas and the effects are quite remarkable. The break down of the components of the internal engine as well as the exhaust would be accelerated and we would need some serious engineering breakthroughs as well as finding a cheap source of oxygen to overcome this possible solution. My answer is no.

Answer 9

Yes. You'd get more complete combustion and better mileage.

The engineering problem would be controlling the flow of oxygen in a car engine designed for atmosphere.

The logistics problem for a consumer would be identifying a source of pure oxygen.

There would also be the added inconvenience of buying oxygen when you still have a half tank of gas and vice versa.

The manufacturing problem would be the distilling of oxygen from air in commercial quantities. This would probably be the easiest problem to surmount.

Answer 10

It depends, they definetely would on liquid O2, but thats proably like 30 dollars a gallon, and they would not run as effiiciently on oxygen in the gas form.

Answer 11

No. You would have to replace all of the air with oxygen and then with the increase in temperature in the combustion charge, you'd start melting things and the left over oxygen would start burning the metal parts.

The heat from combustion heats the air in the combustion chamber causing it to expand and drive the piston down. Air is the working fluid in the engine, and the combustion only serves to heat it.