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The reduction of air pollution by the use of hybrid engines

Introduction

Environmental awareness is becoming implemented in almost every aspect of life and the development of eco-friendly engines is not an exception. Gas engines are arguably one of the most forms of air pollution in the present times irrespective of their high power output [2]. Electric engines on the other hand are more efficient in terms of minimal air pollution. One of such milestones towards the realization of eco-friendly engines was the development of hybrid engines, which can be viewed as engines that are powered from two different sources, with the most common form of hybrid engine being the gas-electric engines. The gas-electric engine integrates the low air pollution aspect associated with the electric engine and the high power output of the gas/ internal combustion engine [3]. Hybrid engines are important in ensuring that there is minimal air pollution by reducing the emission of gases into the atmosphere, and at the same time ensuring that the engine power is not compromised, resulting to the development of power efficient and eco-friendly engines. This paper examines how air pollution can be reduced through the use of hybrid engines. The paper also provides an overview of the history of hybrid engines.

History of hybrid engines

            The onset of the development of hybrid engines was witnessed during the early 1900s, it was basically implemented on the design of automobiles that consisted of generators that powered by IC engines. The basic arrangement of the early hybrid engines comprised of a battery that was being powered by the electricity produced by the combustion engines, which were used to transfer the current to the electric motors. During the late 1920s, there was an increasing necessity of charging automobiles at home due to the incorporation of the gas engines to the electric power engines used for engine propulsion. This concept remained until the 1960s when there was an increasing need to reduce the amount of smog in the atmosphere. The General Motors adopted the strategy of developing hybrid cars in order to prevent the increasing smog posed by the gas-powered engine automobiles. The 1973 oil crisis presented a possibility of people running out of the fossil fuel supplies; as a result, there was an increasing need to develop a fuel efficient engine, which was the hybrid engine with other significant features such as energy storage during idle time and transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy in order to save on fuel consumption [5].

How hybrid engines helps in the reduction of air pollution

The development of hybrid engines was steered by the increasing need to have engines that are friendly to the environment without compromising on the power performance of the whole engine. Therefore, a hybrid engine utilizes two different power sources arranged in either series or parallel to drive the main engine. In most hybrid engines, internal combustion is reduced in the sense that the internal combustion component of the engine is usually shut down in cases whereby it is idle and powered on when necessary in order to enhance engine efficiency and minimize the emission of gases to the atmosphere, which might cause global warming [3]. In aIDition, hybrid engines usually consume fewer natural resources compared to single powered engines such as internal combustion engines and they emit minimal or no gases compared to internal combustion engines. The basic implication of this is that hybrid engines is one of the perfect solutions to the preservation of air.

The consumption of natural resources and emission of gases to the atmosphere implies that the hybrid engine is more fuel economical. This aspect of the hybrid engine can be achieved through the design of the hybrid engine that depends on the internal combustion component and the electric component for the power needs at the peak level, resulting to the development of an engine that is smaller in size and can function efficiently at the peak power needs. The basic argument is that hybrid efficiency provides a framework through which the engines can be used to reduce air pollution. The electric component of the engine also ensures that the hybrid engine is eco-friendly because it facilitates the storage and re-use of energy; this is effective between the busy and idle time of the engine. This helps in the recovery and storage of energy for later use during the engine cycle [1].

The hybrid engines have a lot more advantages compared to the internal combustion engines that currently exist, with the most significant advantage being that they have almost zero emission rates to the atmosphere. The electric component of the hybrid engine plays an integral role in the regeneration of power during the engine idle time. This implies that hybrid engines significantly reduce the dependency on fossil energy because they operate on alternative forms of fuels. An integration of the internal combustion and electric power implies that hybrid engines can function in a larger range compared to the conventional combustion engines such as the diesel engines. The classification of hybrid engines can be either series or parallel depending on the manner in which the combustion and the electric component are linked to drive the main engine. In series hybrid arrangement, a heat engine is used as a source of power for the generator, which can be used for either providing charge for the electric component or driving the engine propulsion system directly, the latter helps in the reduction of the power reliance on the electric component of the hybrid engine. The series hybrid engine is the most commonly used because it facilitates the design of smaller and powerful engines [4].

The environmental friendliness of the hybrid engine is significantly determined by design/ arrangement of the hybrid engine. For example, hybrid designs that are biased on the internal combustion component and engine operations that significantly rely on the engine/ generator system are bound to generate harmful emissions. However, during normal operations, they generate minimum or no harmful emissions to the environment, making the hybrid engines an important milestone in the reduction of air pollution posed by full combustion engines. The hybrid engine needs a significantly lesser strain on the motor, this translates to less emissions and helps in the solving the problem of harmful emissions associated with gas engines. For instance, diesel powered engine vehicles normally release extreme levels of emissions through their exhaust pipes. Some of the chemicals that are emitted by the gas engines include the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides; this is due to the intense reliance on combustion of the fossil fuels in order to drive the engine [3]. Apart from resulting to fog due to smoke from the engine exhaust pipes, gas engines have played a significant role in accelerating global warming and posing health concerns due to pollution. Due to the fact that hybrid engines emit minimal or almost zero emissions to the atmosphere, they can significantly reduce air pollution. The principal argument is that the amount of air pollution allowable is not dependent on the run time of the engine; rather, an engine that combusts double the amount of fossil energy for the same run time is likely to produce double the amount of air pollution. This form of air pollution will only be eliminated if the emissions produced by the engine can be controlled; therefore, an engine design that helps in the reduction of the consumption of the fossil fuel can be one of the best strategies to decrease emissions and help in the reduction of air pollution. Basing on this approach, it is arguably evident that air pollution can be significantly reduced through the use of hybrid engines [1].

Conclusion

The hybrid engine is one of the most effective solutions the impending problem of air pollution through the increasing emission of the greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. As a result, the design of hybrid cars can be seen as an effective strategy for reducing the level of air pollutants now and during the future. In aIDition, the hybrid engine implies that the fossil fuels will not be depleted in the near future due to the fact that the hybrid engine is economical in terms of fuel compared to the traditional gas engines. Therefore, it is arguable that the hybrid engine will play an integral role in ensuring a sustainable environment through a reduction of the air pollution by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere that might accelerate global warming.

 

 

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