Questions tagged [fuel-economy]

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8 votes
6 answers
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Can we add treadmill-like structures over the airplane surfaces to reduce friction, decrease drag and producing energy?

I am curious about a method to enhance the efficiency of passenger aircraft during cruise speeds by integrating treadmill-like structures on the fuselage and beneath the wings without changing the ...
Siames's user avatar
  • 81
1 vote
2 answers
64 views

Why don't cars have manual valve timing?

This really confuses me. On the late steam engines, you let in as much steam as possible to start the engine, and "notch up" as you pick up speed so you waste less fuel. Some stationary ...
Ethan Miller's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
22 views

Calculating fuel mixture from injector pulses

I have a simulation of a fuel injection system and the result is a set of pulses that operate the injectors. I know how long the pulses are in milliseconds and I know how much fuel is emitted from a ...
user150402's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
154 views

Which is fuel efficient, roadways transport vs waterways transport? [closed]

Which will be more efficient in term of fuel price: Transport via roadways, say truck or motor vehicle. Transport via waterways, say via ship or motor boat. Assumptions: Same caliber engines (same ...
Anurag Vohra's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
919 views

How to Calculate Approximate Fuel Consumption from Engine Specs

I have a marine diesel engine, and I'd like to calculate the approximate fuel consumption based on the size of the engine, at a given number of RPM - specifically for the cruising recommended cruising ...
Adrian K's user avatar
  • 103
4 votes
1 answer
678 views

What does MM prefix mean in MMtoe?

I was reading documents about energy importation and came across the following: The import was of 5,915.87 MMtoe I wonder if MMtoe = $10^6*10^6$ toe = $10^{12}$ toe. First time coming across a ...
RMS's user avatar
  • 273
0 votes
1 answer
38 views

Where can I find efficiency metrics for diesel engines?

I am doing long term planning for a small fleet of tugboats. A lot of the engines (propulsion, generators, hydraulics) are Detroit Diesels of various sizes (e.g., 4-71, 6-71, 12V-71). Newer engines ...
Gene McCulley's user avatar
22 votes
4 answers
4k views

How does turning off electric appliances save energy

We all know if we use less electricity we save energy. But the energy we're getting is result of burning (not necessarily the literal meaning) the fuel. Even if we don't use that energy that fuel is ...
ShivCK's user avatar
  • 331
-1 votes
1 answer
65 views

Does the shape of a car really matter for how much gasoline it drinks?

Let's say that we have a mid-1950s "gas guzzler". Now, we take away the exterior "shell"/chassis and replace it with a modern car's. That is, it will visually look just like a modern car from the ...
Joshu's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
1 answer
94 views

Can we currently achieve 55 MPG on Non-Hybrid vehicles using internal combustion engines?

With recent debates, one frequently hears that it's currently not possible for car manufacturers to meet the 55 MPG energy efficiency rating required by 2025. So, is there something physically ...
Beliod's user avatar
  • 49
0 votes
1 answer
131 views

Can turbine engines really run on "just about anything"?

I often read that turbine engines can run on almost any fuel source. I understand that turbine engines are less "picky" in terms of the fuel source that they can use, but surely there would still be ...
PhysicsGuy123's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
29 views

PLEASE ANSWER Sterling vs Combustion Engine

This may be difficult to answer but, theoretically, if you had a car with a sterling engine that produces say approximately 300 horsepower how much of any specific heat source would need to be used if ...
Ethan's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
1 answer
126 views

does payload weight distribution affect rolling resistance?

Recently came across the following 2-minute YouTube video that claims A Balanced Rig Saves Fuel While nicely done, it is a marketing video. Does anyone know of any unbiased studies that support the ...
mathematrucker's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
229 views

How much air will an engine use per tank of gas?

Apparently I have a stupid question. I got curious and crunched some numbers to determine approximately how much air an engine consumes in total to burn a full tank of gas. Something went horribly ...
CDB's user avatar
  • 123
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Whats the purpose of a main metering system in a carburetor?

I'm confused on how to differentiate mixture control from the main metering system, and why we even need one at all. Let's say we had a large resovior, and a needle type mixture control system. The ...
ApolloMission4's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
282 views

Best fuel for supercar engines

To experienced supercar owners/engineers: What is the best fuel for a turbocharged 6 liter V8, 7.6 liter V10, or 9.2 liter V12 (Audi R8 or Lamborghini Aventador type cars) in terms of speed/...
SuperMaku's user avatar
  • 111
4 votes
4 answers
4k views

Why wont Petrol engine run on Acetylene?

Boiling temperature of Acetylene is -84°C and that of Petrol is 95°C (at Atmospheric Pressure). So the spark is efficient to ignite the compressed Acetylene and run the Engine. But why wont that work ?...
Dasaradh M S's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
83 views

seperate engines working vs single engine [closed]

Assuming we have 2 identical cars. What is the total energy consumed by the two cars to start and accelerate up to a specific speed versus the total energy for one of them to accelerate up to a ...
sloupioc's user avatar
  • 313
16 votes
2 answers
11k views

While going downhill, does my car consume less fuel when in neutral or in gear?

I once meditated on the fact that a car, in downhill, would consume more fuel when in neutral to keep the engine on, rather than in gear. To keep the engine on when in gear, in fact, you mostly need ...
Wes's user avatar
  • 263
4 votes
1 answer
601 views

How does the optimal-gear indicator work?

Some modern cars, including models by BMW, Ford and Audi, have a system on the panel that tells the driver the next gear to use while driving, for optimal fuel economy. How does the vehicle decide ...
NG_21's user avatar
  • 201
9 votes
10 answers
7k views

How can "mpg" be high under low engine load?

Let's say a car at 60 mph requires roughly 20 hp to maintain its speed (i.e., to overcome rolling resistance and drag). If this car makes 240 hp and gets about 34 mpg (not too unrealistic), how is it ...
NumberJuan's user avatar