October 13. /TASS/. Scientists at Samara State University have begun developing a cryogenic engine that will use liquid nitrogen or liquefied natural gas as fuel, the university’s press service reported on Tuesday.
This engine can be used in the future on environmentally friendly vehicles for specially protected natural areas, as well as on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for special purposes, which can remain invisible to infrared tracking devices without leaving heat traces in the sky.
The work is carried out within the framework of the laboratory of cryogenic technology created at Samara University with the financial support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.
"The main task of this laboratory is to study the possibilities of using cold energy, that is, the energy inherent in cryogenic substances and products. The laboratory has begun work on the creation of a cryogenic engine, and is currently condicting a series of tests of one of the main elements of the engine being created — a cryogenic fuel storage system", the press service quoted Deputy Director of the Institute of Engines and Power Plants of Samara University, scientific director of the cryogenic technology laboratory Dmitry Uglanov.
In order to operate this type of cryogenic engine, a cylinder filled with liquid nitrogen is used, with the temperature below minus 196 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen, thanks to the warmth of the environment, heats up and, having turned into a high-pressure gas, does useful work in the expansion machine. In addition, due to the temperature difference between the cryogenic working fluid and the environment, additional energy can be obtained from a cascade of thermoelectric generators used in the storage system. The storage system for the low-temperature substance, developed by the Samara scientists, is based on a specially designed cryogenic tank equipped with various sensors and valves. During the laboratory tests, technological processes of cryofuel storage and the use of low-potential energy of cryoproducts are being tested.
"This storage system has an original design protected by patents for invention. This cylinder is unique because usually such containers are designed to store either high-pressure gases or cryogenic working bodies in a liquid state. Our innovation allows to store working substances either in a liquid state or in gaseous (depending on the task of this system) and makes it possible to control the regasification time to obtain the necessary parameters of the working fluid state," the scientist explained.
According to Uglanov, it will take three-four years to create a cryogenic engine.