Dominant Fuels

MRC’s research in the field of internal combustion engines is tailored to capitalize on the dominant fuels of the 21st Century.

Of course, predictions about what will be the dominant fuels for the 21st Century has been a vexed issue for some time.

Should power stations cease to use coal in favor of natural gas? Should they go nuclear? Which fuels should dominate the global transport sector?

Robert Bryce, the author of “Power Hungry- The myth of “Green” energy and the real fuels of the future”, has argued that coal, oil and natural gas will continue to dominate the World’s energy needs. He reasons that there is simply no substitute known that can match these fuels’ “power density”.

He defines “power density” as “the amount of power that can be harnessed in a given unit of volume, area, or mass.”

In effect, Robert Bryce challenges wind and solar energy as these sources of energy have a very low “power density” in comparison to coal, oil and natural gas. Likewise he challenges the use of lithium-ion batteries given that they have approximately eight times less “energy density” compared to gasoline (according to Bryce).

In his studies on dominant fuels for a rapidly urbanizing World, Bryce also observed: “when it comes to the global commercial transportation market, there is simply no substitute for oil. The centrality of diesel engines- and the diesel fuel needed to power them can be demonstrated by this one simple fact: 94% of goods shipped to the United States use diesel-powered vehicles”.

And of course, freight transport across the United States is dominated by diesel engines- whether it be by truck or train.

At MRC, our innovation center is designing revolutionary internal combustion engines designed to harness more mechanical work from natural gas, diesel fuels (including bio-diesels) and also gasoline.

MRC’s ultimate goal is for innovation created by MRC to help enable natural gas to become a significant force in the power generation sector generally, and for diesel fuels and natural gas to play a more significant role in the transport sector (including passenger vehicles) specifically.

Compression ignition for all fuels

The efficiencies associated with diesel engines and compression ignition generally are well known. At MRC, our engineers are now experimenting with compression ignition (with all suitable fuels) in our revolutionary “opposed-piston” configuration. Experimentation characterized by a dual focus of enhancing the mechanical efficiencies inherent in our revolutionary design along with a resolve to greatly simplify the fuel injection system.

The goal of this research is to produce greater mechanical efficiency in engine designs that in turn will enable greater energy to be harnessed from high “power density” fuels. To follow our scientific research, download, MRC’s quarterly reports.