Vehicle applications[edit]

Main article: Compressed air vehicles

History[edit]
Air engines have been used since the 19th century to power mine locomotives, pumps, drills and
trams, via centralized, city-level, distribution. Racecars use compressed air to start their internal
combustion engine (ICE), and large Diesel engines may have starting pneumatic motors.

A compressed air locomotive by H. K. Porter, Inc., in use at the Homestake Mine between 1928 and 1961.

Engine[edit]
Main article: Compressed air engine
A compressed air engine uses the expansion of compressed air to drive the pistons of an engine,
turn the axle, or to drive aturbine.
The following methods can increase efficiency:

A continuous expansion turbine at high efficiency

Multiple expansion stages

Use of waste heat, notably in a hybrid heat engine design

Use of environmental heat

A highly efficient arrangement uses high, medium and low pressure pistons in series, with each
stage followed by an airblast venturi that draws ambient air over an air-to-air heat exchanger. This
warms the exhaust of the preceding stage and admits this preheated air to the following stage. The
only exhaust gas from each stage is cold air which can be as cold as 15 C (5 F); the cold air may
be used for air conditioning in a car.[9]
Additional heat can be supplied by burning fuel as in 1904 for Whitehead's torpedoes.[31] This
improves the range and speed available for a given tank volume at the cost of the additional fuel.

Cars[edit]
Main articles: Compressed-air vehicle and Compressed air car
Since about 1990 several companies have claimed to be developing compressed air cars, but none
are available. Typically the main claimed advantages are: no roadside pollution, low cost, use of
cooking oil for lubrication, and integrated air conditioning.
The time required to refill a depleted tank is important for vehicle applications. "Volume transfer"
moves pre-compressed air from a stationary tank to the vehicle tank almost instantaneously.
Alternatively, a stationary or on-board compressor can compress air on demand, possibly requiring
several hours.