The Effect Of A Desiccant-Based Dehumidifying Air Intake System On The Power Output Of A Gasoline Internal Combustion Engine
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Oral Presentation Award
3rd Place
Written Paper Award
1st Place
Abstract
Since automobiles were first introduced to the public, consumers have been trying to make them more powerful. In the modern age of technology, there are many ways to significantly increase the power of internal combustion engines used in automobiles, but most are quite expensive. Because of this, there is always a market for low cost options for improving performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a dehumidifying desiccant system in the air intake of the engine of an automobile could serve as an inexpensive method of improving engine performance. This was tested by designing such a system for a 1994 Mazda Miata, and implementing that system with different levels of activated alumina, a common desiccant, during timed acceleration tests. The vehicle’s acceleration from 2,000 r.p.m. to 6,000 r.p.m. was timed a total of 90 times. 30 times with no desiccant, 30 times with one kilogram of desiccant, and 30 times with one and a half kilograms of desiccant. It was hypothesized that one kilogram of activated alumina would give the highest power increase. The acceleration was timed by recording a video of the tachometer at ⅛ speed and using the timestamp of the video to determine the acceleration time. These values were then analyzed using a one way ANOVA test with correlated samples in order to negate any variance in the data caused by changing weather conditions over the course of testing. At α = 0.05, it was found that there was a significant difference between the mean times of at least two groups, F(3.16) = 7.53, p = 0.0012. A Tukey test was then conducted to determine and determined that the only significant difference was between the control tests and the 1.5 kg tests, with a p value of p < 0.01. Based on this, the hypothesis that one kilogram would perform the best was not supported. However, the concept of implementing a desiccant in the air intake of an engine to produce more power was significantly supported.
Recommended Citation
Drescher, Frederick, "The Effect Of A Desiccant-Based Dehumidifying Air Intake System On The Power Output Of A Gasoline Internal Combustion Engine" (2016). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 234.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2016/all/234
Location
Owens G08
Start Date
4-16-2016 9:15 AM
The Effect Of A Desiccant-Based Dehumidifying Air Intake System On The Power Output Of A Gasoline Internal Combustion Engine
Owens G08
Since automobiles were first introduced to the public, consumers have been trying to make them more powerful. In the modern age of technology, there are many ways to significantly increase the power of internal combustion engines used in automobiles, but most are quite expensive. Because of this, there is always a market for low cost options for improving performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a dehumidifying desiccant system in the air intake of the engine of an automobile could serve as an inexpensive method of improving engine performance. This was tested by designing such a system for a 1994 Mazda Miata, and implementing that system with different levels of activated alumina, a common desiccant, during timed acceleration tests. The vehicle’s acceleration from 2,000 r.p.m. to 6,000 r.p.m. was timed a total of 90 times. 30 times with no desiccant, 30 times with one kilogram of desiccant, and 30 times with one and a half kilograms of desiccant. It was hypothesized that one kilogram of activated alumina would give the highest power increase. The acceleration was timed by recording a video of the tachometer at ⅛ speed and using the timestamp of the video to determine the acceleration time. These values were then analyzed using a one way ANOVA test with correlated samples in order to negate any variance in the data caused by changing weather conditions over the course of testing. At α = 0.05, it was found that there was a significant difference between the mean times of at least two groups, F(3.16) = 7.53, p = 0.0012. A Tukey test was then conducted to determine and determined that the only significant difference was between the control tests and the 1.5 kg tests, with a p value of p < 0.01. Based on this, the hypothesis that one kilogram would perform the best was not supported. However, the concept of implementing a desiccant in the air intake of an engine to produce more power was significantly supported.
