Project: Golf cart

[PrimoRocker]

I had this idea for a few months now and want to bring it to life!
This project is unique because the golf cart is to be powered by an air motor. I figure I'd ask some AO'ers some questions having to do with fluid dynamics. Air motors already exist, it's just finding one that is powerful enough that's hard. Does anyone know any formulas I'd need to estimate the motor cylinder diplacement to get a certain HP or torque?
To clarify, air motors typically operate similar to an Otto combustion engine, but with two strokes, and no sparkplug. The intake stoke takes in the compressed air (probally 20-100psi) and the exhaust stroke ends it. I'd probally be making a 4 cylinder engine with 2 valves per cylinder.
Don't be afraid to put in your input.

[Duck Hunt]

Try the general Tech forum over at Doc's Machine ( http://www.network54.com/Forum/66863 ) they'd probably be able to help you

Sean

[trains are bad]

how the hell are you going to feed it? It's going to drink air like crazy.

[noahyay]

ive always wanted to try this so i could drive around campus in a non gas cart

what kind of efficency would you get

would you just hook up a scuba tank to the engine?

[Wassupstranger67]

you could make it steam powered

["the FitZ"]

What kind of efficiency would you get Who cares. Put a compressor on it

[Glickman]

What kind of efficiency would you get Who cares. Put a compressor on it

connected to a generator?

that uses...


gas?

[OneEyedPimp]

connected to a generator?

that uses...


gas?

Or a couple of car batteries, it only needs to go 20-100psi.

[SlartyBartFast]

Or a couple of car batteries, it only needs to go 20-100psi.

If there's a compressor on-board you're wasting energy. Why use energy to compress air when that energy could be used directly to move the cart?


If you don't get it: just make the cart electric.

[ScatterPlot]

I might've misunderstood but I think he wants to make it powered by a tank of air, not compress it onboard the cart. It's like using batteries. They are charged by the big ole electric company, which uses big ole gas burners or whatever to generate power, and is stored elsewhere. You end up wasting energy, but then again I don't want to have to power my laptop with a gas engine all the time.

[SlartyBartFast]

Well, there's a company trying to promote a car that's powered by compressed air.....

http://www.theaircar.com/howitworks.html

Neat idea. But, and this is identical to my argument against hydrogen in another thread, unless you're getting cheap clean electricity the overall eficiency probably stinks.

Heck, even if you ARE getting cheap clean electricity, the electricty should be put to better use than an inefficient energy transformation.