Science Quiz
by J. P. Garg

Alternative fuels are here to stay
by Manoj Roorkiwal

AS petrol is fast vanishing into thin air, alternative fuels like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane are increasingly occupying the centerstage in the automation industry. In the present scenario when petrol is very expensive and diesel cars are difficult to buy and can burn a hole in one’s pocket, people all over the world are switching over to eco-friendly and unconventional alternative fuels. The conventional fuels i.e. petrol and diesel are also not very clean and eco-friendly. They are in a way very big polluter of the environment. Now people in India are very conscience about environment pollution and they are gradually switching over to green fuels. In the countries like the USA and the UK people are already using alternative fuels like CNG, LPG and propane for the past several years.

In Japan which has specific congestion and pollution problems, virtually all taxis run on LPG and the country has the highest usage of automotive LPG in the world. Italy has the highest number of vehicles running on the fuel with around 1,100,000 followed by Australia with 490,000, North America with 400,000 and the Netherlands with 360,000.

The principal gaseous fuels are LPG and CNG and both offer very similar environmental advantages. However, as its name implies, LPG liquefies under a very modest pressure of only seven bars and, therefore, a lot of energy can be stored in small space. It is obtained from the refining of crude oil or directly from extraction areas. Its big advantage over main gas is that it can be easily and conveniently stored as a liquid. This liquid expands about 250 times when it becomes a gas, so a lot of fuel can be stored in a relatively small space, for use almost anywhere.

CNG on the other hand does not liquefy and, therefore, a pressure of around 200 bars has to be used to compress the gas and results in heavy and expensive tanks on the vehicle, which are substantially larger than those required for LPG.

LPG is the generic name for commercial propane and butane. There are hydrocarbon products produced by the oil and gas industries. Commercial propane predominantly consists of hydrocarbons containing three carbon atoms, mainly propane (C3H8). Commercial butane predominantly consists of hydrocarbons containing four carbon atoms, mainly n-and ISO — butane (C4H10). They have the special property of becoming liquid at atmospheric temperature if moderately compressed and reverting to gases when the pressure is sufficiently reduced. An advantage about this is to transport and store these products in the liquid state, in which they are roughly 250 times as dense as they are when gases propane is stored at a pressure of around 100 p.s.i.g (6.9 bar) at 15°C and butane at 25 p.s.i.g. (1.7 bar) at 15°C. Both can be supplied in cylinders.

LPG is obtained as a by-product of the distillation of oil from crude oil and from “wet” gas, i.e. gas directly obtained from the source. When this gas is pressurised it becomes a liquid and it is in this form that it is pumped into a vehicles tank. Compared to petrol, LPG has a higher octane content (according to the RON method). Super grade petrol has a 98 per cent octane content, where as Lead free petrol has 95 per cent and the LPG has got over 100 per cent octane content.

The advantages of LPG used as a fuel in automobiles is that its combustion is smoother as a result of the higher octane content. Unlike other fuels, no additives are required to guarantee high quality. It contains no lead and is, therefore, cleaner. It is actually better than petrol because it reaches the engine in pure gas form with improved combustion resulting. With modern technology, there is hardly any discharge if carbonmonoxide, and compared to petrol and diesel, the exhaust fumes contain less harmful substances. The life of the engine is extended as a result of the absence of acids and carbon deposits. The engine oil does not become diluted with consequential reduction in servicing costs. Unlike diesel, one does not have to adjust his driving style. Cold starting is no problem, engine performance is almost exactly the same as with petrol. There is no spilling when one is filling the tank and no possibility of theft or pilfering. Engine noise is low and one will be driving in a more environment-friendly way. The environmental advantages of LPG for automotive use are indisputable.

Around 60 per cent of the world supply of LPG comes from the separation of natural gas products with the remaining 40 per cent coming as a by-product of the operations. Its long-term supply position is, therefore, at least as secure as petrol and diesel.

The automotive use of LPG has an excellent safety record and various crash and fire tests have proved that, owing to the strength and integrity of the fuel tank, it is safer than petrol and, as a minimum, on a par with diesel.

The conversion of vehicles to LPG has, of course, to be undertaken by a competent person working in accordance with the latest standards. Although in many countries of the world it is possible to buy LPG-powered vehicles, this situation is only just starting to happen in the India. In most cases at the present time in this country, petrol-driven vehicles have to be purchased and then converted to run on LPG. Spark ignition is used for LPG and, therefore, petrol engines are relatively straightforward to convert. Diesel engine, on the other hand, are much more difficult to convert as the compression ratio has to be altered and an ignition system added. It is generally only practical to consider conversions of very large diesel engines and, at the smaller end, it is more economical to purchase a petrol engine of the appropriate size and convert this.

LPG is gaining increased support as an environmentally-friendly automotive fuel, particularly in towns and cities where heavy duty vehicles and public fleets cause specific pollution problems. Considerable improvements in emissions from LPG-powered vehicles have taken place in recent years when using the latest technology equipment.

Recent tests have shown the following advantages for LPG.

LPG emissions as compared to petrol contain 85 per cent less hydrocarbons, 40 per cent less oxides of nitrogen and 87 per cent less ozone.

LPG emissions as compared to diesel contain 90 per cent less particulate, hydrocarbons and carbonmonoxide and 50 per cent less oxides of nitrogen.

According to study, the scientists have come across that smoke particulates are responsible for several thousand advanced deaths each year and many thousands of instances of illness and reduced activity. Road transport is the largest single source for particulates and LPG can reduce these emissions by 90 per cent compared to diesel. The other pollutant, which is causing significant problems and requiring further measures, is oxides of nitrogen. As stated above, substantial reductions in oxides of nitrogen emissions can be made by using LPG. Apart from this the noise pollution which is a serious health hazard can also be curbed by use of LPG, as LPG engines are 50 per cent quieter than diesel engines and marginally quieter than petrol engines.

In India the LPG conversion kits are priced between Rs 10,000 to 12,000 depending on weather the kit is Indian or imported. LPG is much cheaper than the petrol or any other fuel option. It works out to nearly one-thirds of the cost of running the vehicle on petrol. The kit delivers low cost per kilometre (i.e. 50 paise per kilometre) and a pollutions free exhaust. The kit is housed in imported aluminium pressure die cast body.

Along with the advantages there are certain disadvantages in using LPG as a fuel in automobiles. There is a 10 per cent decrease in efficiency or the engine, when run on LPG, and the pickup is little slower. Apart from this some people has to face starting trouble with some idling problem. Bigger engines are the one’s which are prone to more trouble. currently most LPG kits are imported from Lovato Autogas of Italy.

Despite various difficulties LPG is a very safe alternative to petrol, because it causes less pollution than petrol. Carbonmonoxide formation is less than 1 per cent as compared to petrol’s 7 per cent. Being non-polluting and environment-friendly, LPG is considered a good alternative fuel. It is very friendly with the engine and soft on combustion chambers and spark plugs.

In terms of safety LPG again scores ahead of petrol because the flashpoint of gas is much higher than that of petrol. Which means that it takes longer for gas to catch fire than petrol and if there is a leakage, the gas just disperses and mixes with the air, so there is no danger of fire breaking out.

Soon running of the automobiles on LPG in India will be reality as the government is very keen on exploring the potential of LPG as an automotive fuel. A Bill to this effect has already been drafted by the government and may be tabled in the next session of Parliament. In order to make the Bill a success the government has to make amendments in the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and LPG Distribution Order, 1974. Firstly the government has to make amendments in Section 52 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act which prohibits the use of LPG as fuel for motor vehicles. Secondly the government has to amend the LPG distribution order, 1974 so that the private LPG producing companies are allowed to divert a part from their production to be used as fuel for motor vehicles.

New wonder can developed
By Sahil Kamboj

AS the saying goes, necessity is the mother of all invention. Perhaps you have thirsted for a cold drink after a day of long drive or during picnic you forgot to carry ice bucket to keep beverages cool. The very necessity has indeed yielded a sensational invention that could revolutionise the conventional method of beverage cooling. It is the wonder can. This self-chilling wonder can requires a flip of a tab situated on its bottom and then its only matter of time. The can is based on simple principles as a portable refrigerator and is likely to remodel the world’s beverage can industry, which has until now relied on technology that is unchanged since the end of the World War. The wonder can is the discovery of researches at WillBes & Co. Ltd, situated in Korea. The wonder can has its own refrigeration system. Inside the can is a tiny cooling apparatus filled with a gas coolant. Once the gas is released, it vaporises causing the temperature of surrounding to drop, following the law of vaporisation. In wonder can these principles are put to effect by pulling the tab, which activates the coolant, which in turn rapidly chills the beverages (see figure). The wonder can will chill a drink at room temperature 0°C to freezing temperature within 90 seconds. This means you can have ice cold beer and soda without having to lug around a cooler. The can also friendly as the coolant does not affects the ozone layer and poses no harm to humans.

Operating theory: The can works on the operating theory that the refrigerant gushes out when the tap on the bottom of the can is removed. The refrigerant takes away the heat of beverage by heat transfer (conduction and convention) method is liquid refrigerant gushes out.

Science Quiz
by J. P. Garg

1. Name the US physicist who won two Nobel Prizes in physics, once in 1956 for his researches on semiconductors and secondly in 1972 for developing the theory of superconductivity.

2. Name the two Indian satellites to be launched by the European Space Agency, Arianespace, this year and in the middle of next year.

3. MEG is a new brain scanning technique that measures very small changes in the magnetic fields in the brain using superconducting sensors. What does MEG stand for? What is the similar technique called in which weak electrical signals are detected in the brain?

4. TNT and PTEN are two high explosives used in bombs and artillery shells. What are these chemically?

5. Water is called the elixir of life. If water did not have two special properties, blood and other fluid contents of human body and other living organisms would freeze in very cold weather, causing serious damage. What are these two properties of water?

6. We normally think of our solar system as extending up to the last planet Pluto. What is the region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Pluto called, that contains millions of objects, a few of which visit the solar system as comets?

7. Name the instruments that is generally used in experiments for finding the height of building and in navigation for determining latitudes by measuring suitable angles.

8. ‘Magnesia alba’ is usually used in tooth-powders and paste for cleaning teeth, and in medicine as an antacid and a laxative. What is the complete chemical name of this compound?

9. A movement of a part of a plant in response to an external stimulus like light, air, gravity etc is called ‘tropism’. What is the movement of an entire cell or an organism in response to an external stimulus called?

10. AWACS is an electronic system that can detect both low and high flying enemy aircraft using radars mounted on an aircraft. What is the full form of AWACS?

Answers
1. John Bardeen 2. Insat -3B and Insat- 3A, respectively 3. Magnetoencephalography; Electroencephalography 4. Trinitrotolume; Pentaerythritol tetranitrate 5. High specific heat (heat capacity) and latent heat of fusion (or solidification) 6. Kuiper’s belt, named after the US astronomer Gerard Peter Kuiper, who made significant discoveries about some planets 7. Sextant 8. Magnesium carbonate magnesium hydroxide dihydrate 9. Taxis 10. Airborne Warning and Control System.

Crompton launches desktop modems
CROMPTON Greaves Ltd has launched a new range of desktop modems certified by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre. The desktop modems are available in two models — CyberXpress E-56bps and CyberXpress E-33.6 kbps.

These modems offer the best in high speed data, fax and voice communication products and are capable of up 33,600 kbps data transmission, 14400 kbps fax send and receive and 56 kbps download capacity when the chip set is compatible to a 56 k server side equipment.

These modems are the gateway to fast connectivity to the Internet, speedy interactive game playing and downloading of larger files or extensive graphics. These modems come complete with all software and accessories needed for easy installation and immediate use. These modems allow the user to speak hands-free over the phone lines via attached microphone (optional) and speaker (optional).

Nortal Networks' new software
Nortal Networks has introduced Preside Policy Services, new software that will do for IP services what the web did for merchandising - provide a solid understanding of customer preferences; deliver tailored services specific to each customer, and leverage creative, new self-service tools.

With Preside Policy Services, service providers can consolidate customers’ service information, provide rapid service activisation and delivery and customise service package and billing to meet individual business and consumer needs.

Preside Policy Services would provide the foundation for delivering personal IP services through preside Internet name and address management which consolidates and simplifies the management of IP services with an easy-to-use tool for address administration, domain name services and dynamic host configuration protocol.

Preside radius provides a powerful capability for carriers to introduce retail, wholesale or partially-outsourced remote access services in addition to providing leading-edge support of virtual private networks, prepaid services, roaming and usage-based billing.

Preside quality-of-service provides a comprehensive priority management solution for provisioning, enforcement and verification of differentiated services traffic on a range of routing technologies, including Nortel Networks’ router portfolio and legacy third party routers.

Virtual Education Network
THE three industry innovators, Aptech Limited, Lotus Development Corporation and Wipro Net Limited, have announced the launch of the Virtual Education Network (VEN).

It will create and deliver world class business education via Lotus Learningspace to netisens across the country. The Virtual Education Network is the first of its kind in India and is a major initiative in the distributed learning arena.

3Com Corporation’s new plans
New plans have been announced by 3COM Cor-poration to build two distinct leadership companies by making its highly successful palm Computing subsidiary an independent publicly traded company. This new structure will enable 3Com and Palm to build on their market leadership position in networking and handheld computing by allowing each company to independently focus on growth opportunities in the most promising markets.

Within the handheld computing arena, significant new growth opportunities are developing the Palm, as a separate company, can capitalise on to create an entire new industry. Palm is uniquely positioned to aggressively drive a number of emerging strategic market segments, including handheld operating system licensing, enterprise computing solutions, wireline and wireless Internet services, portal sites and Palm-brande devices.

ESS to provide ERP on Internet
EASTERN Software Systems (ESS) has become the first ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software company to provide ERP on the Internet in India.

Through the use of this facility potential users of ERP will not have any need to invest in expensive servers and expensive ERP solutions. They will be able to use the ERP by paying a monthly rent of Rs 9,000 per month.

ESS has made ERP as an easy reliable proposition for small and medium enterprises. “Makes on the Net” takes advantage of the ease and accessibility of the Net and provides a solution that enables you to leverage the benefits of the Internet, while maintaining the strengths of client-server computing. This application is scalable to large numbers of users and open to all kinds of business environments.

A traditional ERP implementation requires a server, Oracle as the RDBMS and Database/ERP administrator. “Makes on the Net” cuts all these costs as the user just requires to have an Internet browser loaded on his machine. It can be used with any operating system that has got Jaya-based Internet browser and it has got authorisation levels to provide for security. Different people can have different access rights.

— R. Suryamurthy/Gaurav Choudhury