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Water for Life March 8, 2009

Posted by wicanzayu in Thii Krungthep.
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Jadi inget salah satu topik yang dibahas pada saat Training ISO14001 beberapa waktu yang lalu. Air selama ini memang kurang mendapat perhatian yang layak, padahal air adalah faktor penentu keberadaan manusia di Planet bumi ini.

Air????? Kenapa Air??? Karena tanpa air manusia tidak akan bisa bertahan hidup. Maka tidak salah kalau orang orang menyebut air sebagai Blue Gold. Sadarkah kita berapa liter kita mengkonsumsi air per kapita??? Data menunjukkan bahwa saat ini total populasi didunia mengkonsumsi 4000km3 air per tahun sedangkan kemampuan alam menyediakan air hanya lebih kurang 9000 km3/tahun. Sebenarnya air yang tersedia untuk dimanfaatkan berdasarkan penelitian para ahli berkisar 42,700 km3/year, tapi dikarenakan ada bagian yang tidak bisa digunakan maka yang available hanya sekitar 9000 km3 saja. Dari 4000 km3 yang dikonsumsi tadi, lebih kurang 20% (~700 km3) berasal dari air tanah yang dimanfaatkan oleh lebih kurang 1 milyar penduduk asia dan 150 jt penduduk Amerika Latin. Air tanah ini sebagian adalah berasal dari fossil water yang tidak termasuk dalam normal cycle runoff dan tidak tergantikan dan sebagai akibatnya kelangkaan air tanah bisa dipastikan akan terjadi.

j-suresh-4th-prizeSeiring dengan bertambahnya penduduk dunia, maka kebutuhan akan air pun akan meningkat secara signifikan. Apabila situasi ini tidak bisa dimanage secara baik, maka dapat dipastikan manusia akan mengalami kelangkaan air dan akan timbul berbagai penyakit yang menghinggapi manusia dikarenakan mengkonsumsi air yang tidak layak.

water_related_deaths

So, mulai saat ini marilah kita menggunakan air secara bijak, karena air sangat menentukan kelangsungan hidup umat manusia dimuka bumi yang fana ini. Kita harus bisa memberikan peninggalan yang baik buat anak cucu kita kelak……………..

save-water-save-life

EGR Sistem -> Reducing Pumping Loss March 4, 2009

Posted by wicanzayu in 1.
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Pada mesin internal combustion engine, khususnya SI Engine, engine performance salah satunya dipengaruhi oleh design sistem pernafasan engine (engine breathing system).  Agar mesin bisa lebih baik performancenya dalam hal fuel consumption bisa dengan cara menurunkan pumping loss. So, apa yang dimaksud dengan pumping loss??? Pada mesin bensin, udara dari luar dipompakan masuk kedalam ruang bakar lewat throttle, tetapi karena ada perbedaan tekanan udara luar dan didalam intake manifold, mengakibatkan perlu tenaga extra dan tenaga ini tentunya diambil dari proses pembakaran. Otomatis fuel consumption jadi naek……….

egr

Agar pumping loss berkurang, maka pada mesin bisa ditambahkan EGR sistem (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), dimana sebagian dari gas buang dimasukkan kembali ke ruang bakar. Penambahan gas inert hasil pembakaran ini pada jalur intake akan menimbulkan perubahan tekanan sehingga udara didalam intake mempunyai tekanan yang hampir sama dengan tekanan udara luar dan pada akhirnya pumping loss bisa dikurangi. Manfaat lain dari sistem ini adalah bisa menurunkan emisi NOx, dikarenakan inert gas bisa menurunkan suhu pembakaran dan mengurangi kemungkinan terbentuknya NOx sebagai akibat dari tingginya suhu pembakaran diruang bakar.

lossSeperti terlihat pada grafik diatas, pada typical 40km/h, besar mechanical loss yang disebabkan oleh Pumping loss adalah sebesar 27% dan secara total dengan dilengkapi oleh sistem ini maka total fuel consumption bisa dikurangi sebesar 8-10%.

Hemat Bahan Bakar -> Start/Stop System alias Microhybrid March 2, 2009

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
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Banyak cara dilakukan oleh Auto Engineer untuk meningkatkan efisiensi pemakaian bahan bakar dan salah satunya yang terakhir banyak diperbincangkan adalah penerapan sistem micro hybrid pada kendaraan. Sistem ini intinya mampu membuat mesin untuk hidup/mati secara otomatis apabila sistem mendeteksi mesin dalam keadaan idle. Dengan cara ini , pemakaian bahan bakar bisa dihemat sebesar 5-10%. Apalagi kalu diterapkan pada kondisi berkendara pada saat jalan macet (banyak stop-go) dan lampu merah yang lamanya bukan kepalang………….(ampe ampe ada yang 3 menit lebih..). BMW adalah leader pada teknologi ini, walaupun FIAT sudah menerapkan pada modelnya sejak dua dekade yang lalu (80`an). Pada salah satu modelnya,  sistem BMW akan mematikan mesin pada saat driver menginjak rem dan kecepatan kendaraan <8km/h dan akan otomatis start pada saat driver melepaskan pedal brake.

800px-start-stop_system

from wikipedia

Untuk bisa berfungsi perubahan utama adalah pada motor stater, dimana dibutuhkan motor stater yang mempunyai daya tahan lebih lama dalam kondisi on/off dan didukung oleh control sistem lewat sensor yang lain. Ada beberapa vendor yang mengembangkan sistem ini bagi pabrikan, diantaranya Bosch, Denso dan Valeo dan untuk valeo mereka beri nama STARs. Dalam sistem ini ada fungsi tambahan untuk memanfaatkan tenaga dari proses braking(regenerative braking)

valeo-stars-diagram

Valeo Stars System

Produsen India (Mahindra-mahindra)  juga telah mengintroduce sistem ini pada line-up mereka (scorpio & balero) dan hanya menambah cost Rs:3,800 dan tentunya sangat menarik buat pasar India. Seandainya mobil dijakarta dapat dilengkapi dengan sistem ini, maka bisa kita bayangkan berapa banyak fuel yang bisa kita saving dan pada akhirnya bisa mengurangi beban pemerintah untuk mensubsidi BBM.

Dari sini apa yang bisa kita petik, bahwa untuk mendapatkan efisiensi 5% saja, butuh effort yang sangat besar, jadi bisa dibayangkan kalau ada produk dipasaran yang mengklaim bisa menghemat sampe 40% tanpa perubahan yang radikal pada sistem power train kendaraan, maka sangat bisa jadi itu adalah hanya klaim semata (Good to be true……….Kata orang bulek). So mungkin ada yang berminat untuk research mengenai start stop sistem ini??? Peluang terbuka besar……..

New Year 2009 -> Challenge the Change January 5, 2009

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Hari ini tanggal 5 Januari, adalah hari pertama kerja di tahun baru 2009. Pagi-pagi udah siap dan ternyata cuaca kurang mendukung. Waktu udah menunjukkan jam 6.15 tapi diluar masih gelap dan cenderung berkabut. But, anyway harus semangat, soalnya uda 3 minggu take rest. Ampe dikantor terus sarapan dan say hello dengan beberapa staff and diterusin dengan Employee Communication 2009 ceremony. Dan walhasil, pagi pagi sudah disuguhin berita yang kurang mengenakkan, tahun ini bisnis otomotif akan terkena dampak krisis yang cukup besar, sehingga sangat mempengaruhi kinerja bisnis dan tergerusnya profit perusahaan yang unprecendented. Boss besar menekankan bahwa, semua harus merubah mindset, mulai hari ini kita harus sadar bahwa perusahaan ini sudah terkena recessi dan kita semua harus berupaya sekuat tenaga agar kita bisa terbebas dan menyonsong better future. So, this year Slogan is Challange the Change, because without adaptable change we will not survive in more fierce competition in Auto business.

Challenge the Change

Finally dengan semangat baru, dibukalah lembaran baru 2009 dengan harapan apa yang dilakukan hari ini bisa membuat masa depan lebih baik………………….

Bangkok, 5 Jan `09 (Minus 6 months)

Animasi Vvt-i December 7, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
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Buat yang kepingin belajar lebih jauh tentang VVT-i & VVTL-i, bisa mampir disini

http://www.cnorth.com.au/vvtli/vvtl_i.htmvvtli2

Chipping -> Don’t Do It ….Why ??? December 7, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
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Performance “chipping” upgrades (Piggyback)

Devices of this type include: Superchips, Eurochips, Unichip

Dozens of companies now offer “performance upgrades” to vehicle ECUs. The usual claim for these is increased performance, but interestingly there is also a fuel consumption effect as well.

Adding 10 or 20% more torque / power to a turbocharged engine (petrol or diesel) is relatively simple, and there is no question that these upgrades do approximately what they say. As a result, the engine may be able to cope with a particular driving situation in a gear one higher than is normal (say fourth rather than third). This means the engine runs more slowly, and so there is less power wasted in friction. The principle of using very “tall” gearing for better economy is well understood and indeed can be seen in many of today’s 6-speed vehicles.

Generally the engine’s combustion efficiency will be worse at full power, since both petrol and diesel engines “over-fuel” to some extent at full load and so some fuel is wasted. But the friction reduction effect will normally more than compensate for this and so overall the economy will be better.

Performance “chipping” is the one “bolt-on” device that really can improve fuel consumption, which is ironic since it is almost never marketed in this way! Having said that, I would not recommend anybody to go down this route – certainly not if your aim is to save fuel, and not generally either, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, safety. The companies making these upgrade chips are undoubtedly clever and resourceful, and in some ways I admire them. But they don’t have full knowledge of the detailed operation of the software in the ECU, so there is a risk that the changes they make may cause unexpected behaviour in certain rare fault conditions. With a modern “drive-by-wire” engine, there is then a chance of uncontrolled acceleration! Having said that, the risk is extremely small, is theoretical rather than actually having been observed, and any reasonably alert driver could easily take “avoiding” action such as pressing the clutch.

Secondly, emissions. Smoke (diesel) and CO (petrol) emissions inevitably increase when an engine is worked harder. Admittedly this performance will only rarely be used, but if environment-friendliness is your main concern then performance chips should be avoided.

Thirdly, engine durability. The car maker will have set the engine power at the maximum level the engine can safely produce. Increasing the power risks damage to the engine, particularly if the extra torque is used extensively (eg towing a caravan up hills) rather than just for short overtaking bursts. Of course the makers will have built in a certain safety factor, but it inevitably increases the risk.

Many engine “families” are produced in several different power ratings, for example VW’s 1.8 turbo petrol (150 / 180 / 225 bhp) and 1.9 PD diesel (100 / 130 / 150 bhp). If you have one of the lower-rated engines you may think you can safely “chip” it to the higher level. Unfortunately the higher-rated engines often have mechanical changes as well (piston cooling oil jets, modified crankshafts, etc).

Finally, economics. Although using a higher gear does save fuel, a lot of the time the engine will be in the same gear as normal (for example, a motorway cruise would be in top gear either with or without the upgrade). As a result the overall “real-world” saving will be quite small, and will probably not pay for the cost of the upgrade. Also note that the trip computer’s fuel consumption reading may be very different to the real value, because of the modifications to the ECU.

Of course, the great majority of “chipped” engines do deliver many years of trouble-free service. But I, personally, wouldn’t take the chance.
Special mention should be made here of the devices that are connected to the engine ECU’s air temperature sensor plug. These are sometimes referred to as “performance chips” by the people who sell them, though in fact they are nothing of the sort. These devices are just ordinary resistors, worth about 2p, which “work” by fooling the ECU into thinking that the intake air is much colder than it really is. These devices have two main effects:

1) Richer fuelling. On engines that use a manifold pressure sensor (not an air meter) to determine the air flow into the engine, air density is a critical parameter. Colder air is more dense, so at a particular manifold pressure there is more mass of air flowing into the engine. If the ECU thinks the air is cold, it will inject more fuel to cope and so the mixture will be richer. Unfortunately, while it is quite true that a rich mixture (around lambda 0.9) gives more power than a stoichiometric mixture (lambda 1), all engines are set to run pretty close to this optimum mixture at full load anyway. Hence adding more fuel is unlikely to be of benefit – what is likely to happen is that your fuel consumption will be terrible since the excess fuel is simply wasted.

If your engine uses an air flow meter, then air temperature has very little effect on the injected fuel quantity so the device will do almost nothing to the mixture. Even on systems with manifold pressure sensors, the lambda sensor will try and correct back to lambda = 1 and so the effect on fuelling may be small.

2) More advanced ignition timing. When the intake air is cold, the engine is less likely to “knock” . Therefore you can use more ignition advance, which would normally provide more power. (As a general rule, on most engines, the ignition timing is set somewhat retarded from optimum because of the danger of knocking). So, if you fit a device like this that fools the engine into thinking the air is very cold, it will (in most cases) apply more ignition advance, which will probably produce more power. But, it gives a very much greater risk of catastrophic knock, which can effectively destroy the engine! Normally there is a certain amount of safety reserve built in and so generally you would get away with it, but the risk is very high.

So one of these “chips” may give you a slight increase in performance, but may also seriously damage your engine. And on any modern vehicle you are quite likely to trigger the Check Engine Light / Malfunction Indicator Lamp, as the ECU will realise that the air temperature signal is implausible.Avoid!

Source : fuelsaving.info

Fuel Saving -> Apakah itu?? December 7, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
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Fuel “saving” gadgets

I have worked in the car industry for over fifteen years, everything from development of novel fuel-efficient engines to mapping of production vehicles. In that time I’ve seen dozens if not hundreds of supposed “fuel saving devices” advertised. Without exception, I advise you not to buy them! Over and over again, a company starts selling a “miracle” fuel-saving product, which of course is supposedly revolutionary and different to every other product that’s been offered in the past; over and over again, the product turns out to be bogus and buyers lose thousands (or even millions) of pounds / dollars. To the best of my knowledge, no “add-on” fuel economy device or product has ever demonstrated worthwhile savings, yet new ones are always being introduced to the market, and uninformed customers are easily taken in by the claims and marketing “hype”.

I have no involvement with any of the companies selling these fuel “saving” devices, nor do I get any benefit if people don’t buy them. But I’m an honest sort of guy who doesn’t like to see people get ripped off, and felt it was time to explain the engineering truth behind the claims. I also object to the fact that some of these devices make emissions worse, which obviously is bad for people’s health. Finally, as a car industry engineer, I resent the implication that my colleagues and I are “too stupid” to see the benefits of these fantastic planet-saving gizmos!

I haven’t tested every one of them personally, but the physical processes they claim to use are well understood and I have sound practical and theoretical knowledge to go on. Anybody who doubts my views can find a mountain of supporting evidence in the technical literature, based on work by the many thousands of expert reserchers in the field. These are however my own personal views and not those of my employers.
Most “fuel saving devices” fit this pattern:

  • About a 10 – 15% claimed fuel saving (gas saving / gas mileage improvement)
  • Claimed reduced emissions
  • Claimed improved performance
  • Cost about £50 (80 US$) (so costs about £5 to make!)

There are many different types, and you can find information on the technical problems with each below. But there are also some general issues with all of them.
Firstly, it’s very rare to have any good test data for these devices. Some have been tested scientifically, but often on very old cars, and the data is either suspect, or irrelevant to more modern vehicles.

Measurements showing emissions reduction are nearly always taken from the UK MoT test or something equivalent. This consists of measures of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and is taken at idle. This completely ignores oxides of nitrogen (NOx), one of the most dangerous pollutants from car engines. It also ignores the fact that the emissions while driving are very different to the emissions at idle, because of the higher load and speed.

Sometimes with catalysed cars you will see results such as “reduction in hydrocarbons from 10 ppm to 5 ppm – a 50% improvement!”. This is an essentially meaningless result, since the accuracy of typical workshop test equipment is only about +/- 5 ppm. In any case, 10 ppm means that only about one part in 5000 of the fuel used in the engine is escaping from the exhaust, so the effect on fuel consumption or overall emissions is pretty marginal.

Performance increases are usually just users reporting “my car feels quicker now” (memorably described by one US commentator as a “butt dyno”.) What kind of evidence is that? It’s hard for a driver to detect small changes in performance, and measures such as 0 – 60 time are extremely dependant on driving style. There are objective ways to measure car performance, the main ones being in-gear acceleration times and “before and after” rolling road measurements. Companies selling devices that genuinely improve performance (such as “chipping” upgrades) always quote measurements of this sort, and they are not difficult or expensive to do. So when somebody claims a performance increase but doesn’t have any data of this sort to back it up, ask yourself why. (Also note that variations of two or three percent on rolling-road tests are not at all unusual, due to such things as changing air temperature, so unless there are several “with” and “without” repeats an apparent improvement of this level is insignificant.)

Fuel consumption is what most people are interested in. Again the claims are almost always based on users reporting fuel consumption improvements, and not any kind of objective measure. The basic problem here is that fuel consumption is extremely sensitive to driving style, type of journey, even the weather. On my own car, I often see variations in excess of +/- 10% from the average fuel consumption. These variations occur both between subsequent refils, and over a longer period of time due to changes in weather and journey type. You can find a lot more information about the dangers of relying on testimonial evidence, including your own personal experiences, here.

Often some users report big improvements while others find no improvement or even a deterioration in fuel consumption. This is not surprising, given the variability you always see. Funnily enough, the companies selling these devices only report the positive results! There is a long history with fuel “saving” devices of glowing customer testimonials followed by scientific tests proving the device has no significant effect.

It’s even worse, though, because it’s not a blind trial. In drug testing, neither the patient or the doctor is allowed to know if they’re getting the real drug or a fake, because it affects the results. When the driver knows they have a fuel-saving device fitted, it’s bound to affect driving style. (If you inject a hundred sick people with plain water, most of them will report an improvement in their symptoms. That’s why we have double-blind trials, control groups and the like – scientific testing, in other words.) With the greatest of respect to people who have tried these things, uncontrolled testing under variable conditions does not constitute proof!

Some people argue that this doesn’t matter. If fitting one of these devices apparently improves fuel consumption, does it matter if this is due to a change in driving style rather than an actual technical improvement in how the engine works? (the “pragmatic fallacy“). Personally, I think it does matter, as:

  • Some devices (eg air bleeds) may greatly increase toxic emissions
  • It distracts attention (and money) from genuine ways to save fuel
  • The makers are still effectively lying in their advertising

Another issue with these tests is that you almost never see an A-B-A test. Fit the device, see an improvement in MPG. But to prove the point you must then take it off again and prove the MPG gets worse. Otherwise it could have just been a coincidence, or due to something else changed at the time of fitting.

The “gold standard” for emissions and fuel consumption testing is the emissions drive cycle. This is a standardised profile of speed against time; all new vehicle models are driven over this cycle on a rolling road to provide legal proof of compliance with emissions limits. The European cycle covers about 5 miles and includes both “town” and “country” driving, so is fairly representative of what happens in the real world. The test is run under absolutely controlled conditions, with even the air temperature fixed, and so gives repeatable results. This test – and only this test – is accepted by governments all over the world as proof that a particular car has the emissions and fuel consumption that the maker claims.

When a “fuel saving device” presents results from an emissions drive cycle, then there may be something in it. Any other sort of test data should be taken with a large pinch of salt! Many independent test facilities are certified to carry out this testing, and the process is not difficult or time-consuming. As a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of pounds a year profit made by some makers of fuel “saving” devices, the tests are not even particularly expensive. When someone makes claims that are completely at odds with current scientific and engineering knowledge, surely it is up to them to prove that their claims are true, with proper scientific testing.

The definitive guide to testing fuel “saving” devices is that of the US Environmental Protection AgencyThe EPA has been testing such devices since the early 1970s – both because of a desire to save fuel, and equally because many such devices actually make emissions worse. The EPA guidelines clearly explain what must be done to properly evaluate a fuel “saving” device, and in particular make it absolutely clear that emissions measurements on the Inspection & Maintenance test (the equivalent to the UK MoT) are of no value in this evaluation. The essential requirements to prove a fuel “saving” device works are:

A device that has test data conforming to these requirements, and where the gain is several times larger than the test-to-test variability, is almost certainly of genuine benefit. Anything less rigorous (old car, no repeat tests, etc) should be treated with some suspicion.

Many American devices claim “We have a CARB number and so it is legal to fit this device”. While true, this does not in any way indicate that CARB (California Air Resources Board) certify that the device actually offers the benefits claimed. The CARB number merely indicates that CARB do not believe the device makes emissions worse, and does not indicate anything else. For example, the CARB Executive Order for the Tornado Fuel Saver specifically states: This executive order does not constitute a certification, accreditation, approval, or any other type of endorsement by the Air Resources Board of any claims…concerning anti-pollution benefits or any alleged benefits. Since the vast majority of fuel “saving” devices have no effect at all, either positive or negative, it is unsurprising that they can obtain CARB numbers (and in many cases this is based on “engineering judgement” rather than actual tests). To check if a particular device has a CARB number, visit theirdatabase.

People frequently ask why I criticise such devices without having personally tested them. The reason is that I could fit one to my car but it would prove absolutely nothing. Any fuel economy effect would be lost in the variation of normal driving (as discussed here). The emissions tests I could do (basically CO and HC at idle, as measured on the MoT test) would say nothing at all about the effect on overall emissions while driving, and hence environmental impact. Proper performance testing would require multiple rolling-road tests with and without the device, which would be expensive and time-consuming. For these reasons, I also believe the customer testimonials often quoted by makers of such devices to be of little value.
Often these devices claim to alter the combustion process in some way. Even assuming that this were possible, remember that the engine has been optimised for the “normal” combustion. To get any benefit from this “altered” combustion you would need to change fuel delivery, ignition timing or even the design of the cylinder head to suit! Diesel combustion is a lot more efficient than petrol combustion, but you can’t just fill up your petrol car with diesel and expect a 20% economy improvement (no, don’t eventhink about trying it – it will be very expensive to repair!)

A typical claim is that the combustion with the device fitted is somehow “better” or “more complete”. There is never however any detail as to what is meant by this. And it is a firmly established engineering fact that, on any reasonably modern engine under normal operating conditions, the burn is already at least 98% complete. The unburnt fuel in the exhaust (even before the cat) represents 1 or 2% at mostof the input fuel. If you factor in the energy in the CO emissions, the figure still only rises to 3% maximum. So even if the fuel “saving” device could totally eliminate unburnt fuel and CO in the exhaust, and give an absolutely 100% complete burn, you would only save 3% of fuel. Claims that 10%, 20% or even more of the fuel is not burnt and escapes into the exhaust are entirely false - the unburnt fuel figure is higher when the engine is stone-cold, and at high load and speed conditions, but since the engine only spends a small fraction of its time under these conditions their contribution to overall fuel consumption is small.

(NB That is not to say that the overall efficiency of a modern engine is close to 100%. There are losses due to the fundamental nature of the engine cycle (the “Otto cycle” or “Diesel cycle”), which limit even theoretical efficiency to about 40%, and there are also losses due to friction, heat loss to the walls of the cylinder and the piston, “pumping loss” due to sucking air past the partially-open throttle blade, etc. These losses are however well understood and the gains to be had from various technological changes are accurately known.)
The other reason why these devices can’t work is simple business. Fuel consumption is a very hot topic in the European car industry at the moment, because it is directly related to carbon dioxide, which is a “greenhouse gas”. Consumers and legislators are demanding ever-better fuel consumption from new cars. The industry is investing literally billions of pounds on more efficient engines, for example diesels (and we wouldn’t do that if we were in the pay of oil companies, would we?) But these more efficient engines are also much more expensive to make – for example a diesel will produce about 15 – 20% less carbon dioxide, but adds about £500 – £1000 to the cost of a car. These “fuel saving devices” claim nearly as much benefit for a tenth of the cost – the car industry would not only sell its grandmother for this kind of saving, but sacrifice its first-born son too!

Given that, you have to ask why any such device isn’t fitted to new cars as standard. The answer is simple – industry believes they are of no significant benefit. Otherwise, they would be on new cars. No question. The car industry has seen hundreds of these things go by, and can’t afford to waste thousands of pounds on testing each and every one of them. But if you’d invented a miracle gismo like this and knew it worked, wouldn’t you pay your own money on tests to prove it, given that you could then sell millions?

Some people argue that car makers are so keen to reduce costs that even the few pounds that one of these devices costs would be too expensive. And of course on some entry-level cars, and in cheap-gasoline America, there is some truth in that. But in Europe (especially in the UK with CO2-based company car tax) many consumers have proved willing to spend several hundred pounds more on a car if it is more economical. You need only look at the booming sales of diesels, which cost anything up to £1000 more than the petrol equivalent, for proof of this. There is a clear profit incentive for car makers to equip at least part of their range with more economical engines and so the potential market for a genuine fuel saving device runs into tens of millions of pounds a year. Sufficient incentive for any manufacturer of such a device to spend a few thousand on tests, you would think.

Exactly the same argument applies to the claims of increased performance made by many makers of such devices. For some car makers, even just one or two percent more horsepower is worth thousands of pounds. If a cheap and simple device like a magnet, air bleed, fuel “catalyst” or turbulence increaser could really give 5 – 10% more power, would they not be fitted as standard on most BMWs, Porsches, Ferraris, etc?

I have worked for or with some of the world’s biggest car makers and component suppliers, and nobody I have spoken to in the industry has ever regarded these fuel “saving” devices as anything other than a con. They are never advertised in the journals aimed at engineers within the new car industry, the makers almost never present results at trade conferences, and no serious books on the subject (of which I have read dozens) even give them a mention. Certainly you don’t find car engine designers saying to each other, “If only we could fit (device x) to our engine, but (company y) has got the patent on it”. Even at normal market price these devices are allegedly massively more cost-effective than any known fuel-saving technology. Arguments about the difficulty of fitting them to new cars do not wash either, since current cars contain extremely complex devices that only a few years ago would have been considered impossibly difficult; the car industry has a good record of solving such problems.
You may well wonder, if these things don’t do what they claim, why are the makers not prosecuted by (in the UK) Trading Standards or the Advertising Standards Authority? The answer is that many are, but it is difficult and expensive to prove the device doesn’t work. The device usually then simply pops up again under a slightly different name claiming some slightly different technical features. For devices sold in the UK, it is however well worth while searching the ASA website, just in case. Remember that the ASA is effectively funded by the advertising industry, so does not make judgements against advertisers without good reason.

Several such devices proudly state that they are “award-winning!”, to which I have just one comment: so were Milli Vanilli
One more thing to remember is that thousands of scientists and engineers all over the world have been working on car engines for decades. The physics of engines is pretty well known now and you have to ask yourself if some amazing new breakthrough, only involving bolting something to the outside of your engine, would really have escaped the car industry’s notice all that time.
The following pages give some more information on the types of “fuel saving device” you see advertised, and why they can’t work as described (note that some devices claim more than one effect). I can’t list every device on the market, because there are literally hundreds of them – in many cases the identical device sold under multiple names. Even if the device you’re looking at isn’t specifically listed, it almost certainly falls into one of these catagories:

Magnets round the fuel line or in the air flow (Ecoflow, FuelMAX, FuelSaverPro, etc)
Catalysts in the fuel line or tank (Broquet, Fitch Fuel Catalyst, Prozone, etc)
Platinum-based combustion enhancers (PVI, Gasaver, Ctech3000, etc)
Ignition enhancers (Fuel Saving & Power Push, Fireball Ignition, etc)
Air bleed into the inlet manifold (Ecotek, Khaos, Powerjet USA, etc)
Turbulence increasers (Ecotek, Tornado Fuel Saver, Powerjet USA, SpiralMax, etc)
Devices to “atomise the fuel better” (Ecotek, Tornado, SpiralMax, Vaporate, etc)
Oil additives (Slick 50, Duralube, etc)
Fuel additives to enhance combustion (Acetone, PowerPill, BioPerformance, etc)
Engine “cleaning” products (10k Boost, Powerboost, etc)
Electrical modifications (grounding straps, voltage stabilisers, etc)
Hydrogen generators

Source: Fuelsaving.info

Pertamina Pasti Pas September 9, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
1 comment so far

Barusan membaca artikel di Tabloid kontan yang membahas bagaimana customer di Indonesia itu apabila dihadapkan dengan persoalan energi hanya akan menjadi follower saja dan tidak mungkin untuk bisa menjadi “raja”. Apapun yang disediakan oleh penyedia mau nggak mau harus diterima tanpa bisa memberikan complaint yang berarti. Contohnya Pertamina Pasti Pas, semuanya ini hanya baru bisa kita nikmati belakangan ini setelah ada suasana persaingan antara Pertamina dengan penyedia bahan bakar lain seperti Shell dan Petronas. Tapi secara persentase, masih sangat kecil, data per februari 2008, hanya 280 SPBU diseluruh Indonesia yang sudah disertifikasi dari keselurahan 4050 SPBU (6%). Jadi berapa banyak customer di Indonesia yang dirugikan pada saat mereka mengisi bensin/solar di SPBU yang tidak disertifikasi ???????? Target Pertamina dalam tahun 2008 mereka berusaha untuk mensertifikasi 1000 SPBU (25%) patut kita hargai, tapi dimana letak tanggung jawab mereka selama ini?????

Di Amerika, ada istilah “Hot Oil” dimana bensin or solar karena sifat kimianya akan mengembang apabila suhu disekitarnya naik (data menunjukkan untuk bensin setiap ada perubahan 7 derajat celcius maka akan ada perubahan volume 1% -> PV=nRT). Customer di Amerika bisa mempermasalahkan hal ini karena memang pada saat mereka mengisi bensin pada musim dingin akan sesuai dengan standar, tapi pada saat summer mereka akan menerima jumlah bensin yang lebih sedikit dibandingkan dengan yang mereka bayar. Misalnya 15 derajat berbeda maka akan ada perbedaan 2% dan apabila dikalikan dengan jumlah pemakaian bensin/solar per tahun, maka 2% itu merupakan jumlah yang cukup besar.

Untuk mengatasi Hot oil ini, dibeberapa negara lain seperti Kanada, mereka menggunakan Automatic Temperature Adjustment, dimana pada saat bensin or solar disalurkan ke customer, pada mesin dispenser akan ada penyesuaian suhu otomatis dan di set sesuai standar pada 60 derajat fahreinheit.

Kembali lagi ke tanah air, bayangkan selama ini berapa banyak kerugian yang diderita customer, karena ketidakakuratan pengukuran dan tidak ada yang bisa dilakukan oleh kita sebagai pengguna. Saya kurang tahu apakah sudah ada research di Indonesia mengenai hot oil ini??? Karena kalau memang ini juga terjadi, maka kita tidak saja dirugikan oleh ketidaktepatan alat ukur tetapi juga oleh perubahan volume bensin/solar sebagai akibat dari perubahan suhu.

So, ada baiknya pada saat isi bensin dilakukan pagi hari saja or setelah hujan, siapa tahu pompa di Pom bensin tidak ada automatic adjustmentnya dan suhu didalam tangki penyimpanan bisa berubah juga sesuai suhu disekitar……………………..hehehehehhehe.

Tapi kalau memang ada waktu dan dana, boleh deh di Survey di berbagai SPBU Pertamina, baik yang udah di Sertifikasi maupun yang belum, terus dibedakan pada saat ngisi waktu pagi hari (dingin) or Tengah hari bolong pas panas-panasnya.

Challenge the new Dreams !!!!!!!!!!!!

Berubah September 7, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Tentangkoe.
4 comments

Barusan coba-coba daftar DNS gratisan, soalnya kalau beli nggak ada duitnya……….hehehehehhehe. Dan alhamdulliah sekarang udah berhasil. So, mulai saat ini alamatnya bisa diakses di www.wicanzayu.co.cc

Untuk email juga bisa kirim ke wicanzayu@wicanzayu.co.cc……..

Anyway, walaupun gratis tapi paling nggak bisa kagak sepanjang wordpress.com………hehehehehe

And last but not least, now i’m presenting

” www.wicanzayu.co.cc”

Indonesiaku Sayang, Indonesiaku Malang……. August 24, 2008

Posted by wicanzayu in Automotive.
3 comments

Pagi ini barusan baca berita mengenai rencana pemerintah menaikkan pajak kendaraan bermotor dengan tujuan mengurangi pemakaian BBM dimasyarakat. Sempat shock juga, karena kalau dipikir lagi, seolah kebijakan ini mengindikasikan keputus asaan pemerintah dalam mengatasi krisis BBM dan Energi di Indonesia. Apakah pemerintah sudah memikirkan baik-baik, bahwa kebijakan seperti ini akan memberikan efek negatif ke Industri kendaraan bermotor nasional yang ujung-ujungnya berakhir dengan lay-off dan penutupan beberapa industri pendukungnya. Berapa banyak karyawan yang nasibnya akan tidak menentu dikarenakan kebijakan ini.

Mobilisasi, dalam hal ini sudah menjadi sifat dasar manusia untuk selalu berpindah dalam menjalankan kehidupannya. Seiring dengan meningkatnya pendapatan dan kemakmuran seseorang, maka mode transportasinya pun akan berubah. Yang dulunya hanya jalan kaki, maka ia akan membeli sepeda, yang dulunya bermotor pasti ingin mengendarai mobil. Itu sudah jadi Fitrah manusia dan ini adalah hal yang baik dan tidak perlu kita halang-halangi. Kalau penjualan kendaraan baru yang dijadikan alasan utama timbulnya kemacetan dan pemborosan BBM, saya pikir salah besar. Ketidakmampuan kita untuk mengatur adalah kesalahan terbesar !!!!!!!!!. Mengapa demikian, coba kita lihat dari sudut pandang ini, setiap kendaraan baru selalu dipungut pajak, dan setiap tahun pun masih bayar pajak dan kecenderungannya selalu naik proporsinya, tapi apa yang didapat oleh pengguna?????????????Begitu mobil keluar dari dealer untuk didelivery ke yang punya, udah nemu macet……………….!’”&”#&$”##))#. Gimana nggak bete………………..

Macet Banget......

Macet Banget......

Kemana pajak yang dibayarkan tadi pergi?????????????????? Apakah kita tidak berhak untuk menikmati hasil dari pembayaran pajak kita????????. Pajak seharusnya dikembalikan kepada pembayar pajak, jumlah jalan yang memadai, tol yang cukup, pengaturan lalu lintas yang baik, itu harus diberikan oleh pemerintah………….bukan malah menyalahkan bahwa karena jumlah yang banyak itu menjadi penyebab macet. Dinegara-negara maju, penjualan kendaraan mencapai Jutaan pertahun dan memberikan kontribusi yang besar bagi negara dalam hal penyerapan tenaga kerja, devisa, dll. Tapi mereka tetap mengupayakan bagaimana sarana transportasi public yang nyaman dan terintegrasi, sehingga frekuensi pemakaian kendaraan pribadi bisa dikurangi. Saya pribadi yang tinggal dijakarta, kalau memang ada angkutan umum yang nyaman akan saya pilih, dan kendaraan pribadi akan digunakan pada saat yang memang dibutuhkan saja. Dan saya pikir banyak orang yang sependapat dengan ini.

Maksud baik pemerintah ingin mengurangi pemakaian BBM yang tidak efisien sudah bagus, tapi tidak dengan menaikkan pajak. Tapi bisa juga dengan memberikan alternatif energi yang bisa menggantikan BBM, misalnya bio-fuel, CNG, LPG, LNG, Hybrid, dll. Untuk awal, kebijakan energi alternatif ini harus didorong oleh pemerintah, bukan hanya slogan dengan bahasa P4, tapi aksi real. Pemberian tax incentif, bagi pemakai yang menggunakan energi alternatif, subsidi untuk energi alternatif, dan kebijakan lain yang bisa menumbuhkan pemakaian energi alternatif semuanya itu harus dilakukan dan dievaluasi dengan milestone yang jelas dan melibatkan semua stakeholder. Hal lain yang bisa dilakukan adalah pemberlakuan dengan tegas, proper maintenance thd semua kendaraan yang beroperasi (Unit in Operation vehicle). Uji kir, selama ini terkesan hanya formalitas dan akibatnya banyak sekali kendaraan yang sudah Bobrok, tapi masih bisa beroperasi sehari-hari. Saya pikir orang-orang yang sekarang duduk sebagai pembuat kebijakan adalah orang-orang pintar dan tahu benar apa yang dimaksud dengan “Benchmark”. Masalah keruwetan lalu lintas, pengaturan pajak kendaraan, pentingnya proper maintenance, bukan hal yang rumit dan kita bisa mencontoh itu dari negara-negara maju, bahkan tetangga yang dekat. Tapi semuanya perlu komitmen dan keikutsertaan aktif semua stakeholder, dan memang yang namanya koordinasi di lembaga pemerintahan kayaknya hal yang langka……………………………….

Terakhir, ini bukan keluhan……….tapi ajakan agar kita semua memandang sesuatu itu secara komprehensif dan memiliki rasa empati yang tinggi. Memang efek dari semua kebijakan pasti akan ada pihak yang kurang diuntungkan, tapi kalau memang mudharatnya lebih besar, dari pada manfaat ada baiknya dikaji lagi. Pertanggungjawaban tidak hanya kepada atasan, tetapi yang paling besar kita harus mempertanggungjawabkan itu semua di Akherat yang kekal…………….Wallahuallam…………..

Merdeka…………….