Technical Innovations for Yemen: NATURAL GAS CARS [Archives:1999/08/Science & Technology]

When you fill your car with gasoline, it is burned in the engine to produce the energy needed to drive your car. It produces a huge amount of carbon dioxide and smaller amounts of sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide (SOx) and an even smaller amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx).
These gases are the most dangerous polluting gases. Carbon dioxide is causing the green house effect in the globe’s atmosphere and is responsible for the continuous increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide are acidic, poisonous and corrosive gases. They cause severe damage everywhere; starting from the car engines where they are produced, to polluting everything on earth. The nitrogen oxides are also acidic, corrosive and poisonous. Together with the sulfur oxides they cause acid rain. The acid rain kills plants, bacteria and animals. It also leaches important minerals from the soil.
Many countries have encouraged the use of natural gas as car fuel since it is cheap and does not cause pollution. Pollution is a characteristic of many huge cities at the end of this century. Home pumps are widely spread in Canada, Australia and the United States. Thousands of second-hand gas fuelled cars were sold in the Yemeni market in the last few years. These are brought from Korea. The delegates of the Olympic games used the cars in 1994. Unfortunately, these cars must be modified to run on gasoline, as Yemen does not have natural-gas filling stations, or home natural gas connections.
For houses with natural gas connections, the car can be refilled in 4-8 hours, usually during the night. An electronic unit will control the gas filling process and close down the gas-pumping machine automatically when the gas pressure reaches a specific level.
Thanks to Allah we do not have any significant pollution in Yemen; the number of cars is relatively small, although they are not well maintained, to lower production of pollution gases. We do not have many industries either.
We have a good supply of natural gas. When used instead of gasoline to fuel our cars, natural gas will produce no sulfur gases. Pollution will be much lower. We will help preserve the environment and eventually our planet. Also, we will be using the available free natural gas. Yemen will be able to export more gasoline.
An adjustment has to be made to convert our engines to work on natural gas. The government is advised to support the import of carburetors that will allow engines to use both gasoline and natural gas. Why don’t we sell them tax-free? If supported they can be produced in Yemen, too. To import the materials is much cheaper than importing the equipment. Everything needed is available.
Future Industries Consultants,
Sanaa,
Tel: 7916940

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