Is it possible to make an electric heat coil with a 12v battery?

[cody_e]

As mentioned in the title I want to be able to make an electric heater coil that is capable of producing temperatures of 350-400 degrees farenheit with a simple 12 volt car battery? Thanks for the help.

[DV8 2XL]

Probably easier to buy on, but if you want to go homemade you will need to supply us with more detail; like wattage and size.

[cody_e]

Ok I'm not that good with physics as of yet. I'm only 16 and haven't taken it yet. I want it to run off a car battery that has approximately 540 cold cranking amps. Sorry if I'm not very explicit. If you have any questions just ask and I'll try to clarify.

[DV8 2XL]

Pillage some NiCr wire out of a discarded toaster or toaster-oven and experiment with various lengths. If you don't have the theory, your best to work empirically, until you do.

[cody_e]

Well I'll pick up a physics textbook from work (I work as the computer guy at the local public library) and start studying. Thanks for your help.

[YT2095]

agreed ni-chrome wire is ideal for this purpose, as stated, an old toaster or electric bar heater is a great source for this, however the temp attained over a long straight peice of this wire will be significantly greater when wound into a coil and what was once just nice and warm can easily overheat and burn out!

[cody_e]

What about using that material and making a pipe that will superheat water or gasoline?

[gcol]

Superheated gasoline? Did you really mean that? The mind boggles....

[cody_e]

Superheated gasoline? Did you really mean that? The mind boggles....

Vaporize the gas before it hits the cylinders will add greater effeciency. The electric thing is just to get it heated up until the excess heat off the exhaust manifold can take over.

[YT2095]

heating the fuel mix to those sorts of temps is very counter productive, the ideal is to have the fuel as a mist and the air as cool as possible, that way you get more more Molecules of reactants in the cylinder, heating it and you`ll get less. gasses expand on heating!

[d22k]

YT hit the nail on the head there, as usual ^^

That is why turbos come with intercoolers, you would be best trying to atomise the fuel mechanically i imagine.

It may even be possible to cool the fuel using the AC...


i imagine it would be horribly complicated doing it all, BUT fun to try, or at least look into.

[cody_e]

heating the fuel mix to those sorts of temps is very counter productive, the ideal is to have the fuel as a mist and the air as cool as possible, that way you get more more Molecules of reactants in the cylinder, heating it and you`ll get less. gasses expand on heating!

Then how come they run cars on natural gas an LP? The dry gas is going to have more surface area so it should burn better.

[d22k]

You are correct in that the gas will have more "surface area" and thus could burn better.

However, in the engine cylinder there is a finite amount of space.
In order to exctract the most power from the engine u need as much as possible of both fuel and air.

By heating the fuel and the subsequent gas u make it expand, the expanded gas leaves less room for the air (containing the oxygen to burn the fuel)

that will mean either;

1. Alot of fuel is left unburned - resulting in low power output AND a dirty exhaust

or

2. Less fuel is put into the engine which also results in less power.

either way, the gains you may see from heating the fuel to make a gas would be counteracted by the aforementioned problems.

hope that helps :)

[cody_e]

But as mentioned before what about the cooling system? That heat is going to waste there. After it electronically heats right away then the heat from the cooling system and the exhuats manifold will heat this. The stuff is going to waste anyway so you might as well use it.

[d22k]

yes, you may aswell use it.

But heating the fuel like that before it goes in isnt the best use of it.

[DV8 2XL]

This ones gotta be sixty years old at least.

Piston aircraft engines, before they all became injected, used carb-heat as a way of stopping the fuel vapor from recondensing in the throat and intake manifolds, which lowered fuel efficiency, and to keep it from icing up from condensation. Evey once and a while someone would think that applying this to car motors will save gas.

Didn't work then. won't work now.

[Externet]

Yes, look at a plain car cigarrette lighter. That is what you want, already made and available.
My seventysomething Chevette did have under the carburetor, an electrical heating grid, about half inch thick to aid vaporize gasoline. You can find one at the wreckyard and recognize it by a couple of thick wires getting to it.
Miguel