Hydrocity

Hydrocity is an efficient & eco-friendly engine that does not leave a carbon footprint.

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases like methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm, resulting in changes to the climate we are already starting to see today. 

• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation account for about 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. 
• India today is the world’s fourth most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter – contributing 7.08 per cent of all global emissions. It ranks third amongst countries with the world’s worst air quality, and 13 of its Indian cities are among 15 of the world’s most polluted. Transportation plays a villainous role here. Globally, it contributes nearly 305.3 MtCO2e – 0.64 per cent of all GHG emissions, while in India, this sector is the fastest-growing source of carbon emissions. 
• The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history. The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean. These risks increase as temperatures climb. Exacerbated by climate change, the world is losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history. One million species are at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades. Forest fires, extreme weather, and invasive pests and diseases are among many threats related to climate change. Fisheries, crops, and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. With the ocean becoming more acidic, marine resources that feed billions of people are at risk. Changes in snow and ice cover in many Arctic regions have disrupted food supplies from herding, hunting, and fishing. Heat stress can diminish water and grasslands for grazing, causing declining crop yields and affecting livestock. 
• Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people. Changing weather patterns are expanding diseases, and extreme weather events increase deaths and make it difficult for health care systems to keep up. Climate change increases the factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweep away urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods. Heat can make it difficult to work in outdoor jobs. Water scarcity may affect crops. Over the past decade (2010–2019), weather-related events displaced an estimated 23.1 million people on average each year, leaving many more vulnerable to poverty. Most refugees come from countries that are most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Hydrocity is a piston based hybrid engine that runs on both electricity and water. It sprays water mist into the cylinder, then the water is arced by high voltage which heats it up and converts it into plasma. This conversion of liquid to plasma increases the volume which in turn increases the pressure and will push a piston to drive an engine. The heated water vapor going out of the exhaust will flow through a series of tubes which converts the heat energy back to electrical energy which will be used to arc the water. Through this the battery will be supported by the water which will increase the efficiency of the battery. The arc will be generated using a transformer and the transformer will be powered using the battery. In normal electric motors higher the load more the battery drains. But in this Hydrocity engine no matter how much load it is subjected to, the battery won’t be drained as much as electric motors, instead the water will drain which can be refilled. The water can be refilled easily as compared to charging a battery. China had tried a similar technology which used microwaves to turn air into plasma and provide thrust, but it was inefficient as a lot of energy was wasted in converting air to plasma using microwaves. There was also a lot of energy wasted in compressing air before converting into plasma. Whereas Hydrocity uses a more traditional piston engine which works more efficiently and instead of microwaves, Hydrocity arcs a water mist to turn it into plasma.

Hydrocity engine solution will help to achieve the Net Zero Emissions by 2050. It serves the whole world and all the living organisms impacted by global climate change. Three segment users to be served/benefited are government(s) to meet climate change targets, vehicle owners to save on fuel costs and the common people to breathe clean air. 

Climate change is impacting human lives and health in a variety of ways. It threatens the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – and has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health.

Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone. The direct damage costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030. Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.

With quick testing and implementation of Hydrocity engine we can phase out of polluting energy engines/systems. This could lower carbon emissions and cut the burden of household and ambient air pollution, which cause 7 million premature deaths per year. According to WHO applying higher standards for vehicle emissions is calculated to save approximately 2.4 million lives per year, through improved air quality and reduce global warming by about 0.5 °C by 2050. Hydrocity engine could be the most practical solution to achieve the above much faster.

“Science is the key to our future, and if you don’t believe in science, then you’re holding everybody back.”-Bill Nye. 

Science is a very powerful tool that can change the world. Today technology has been changing the way people work, study, play etc. It makes our work more efficient and accurate. 

I am Sujai Aravindakannan (individual submission) and I wish to become a scientist. I have a passion for electronics and mechanics. I believe that the future of our planet depends on power sources and technologies that use the power efficiently without leaving any pollution behind. 

In my early childhood, I used to buy hands-on science kits and do the experiments with my dad, that set the spark to my passion towards physics and electronics at a very young age. I wish our schools also have science lab sessions at primary level itself with safe, easy to do hands-on experiments with simple things like solar panel toys. When I was a kid, I loved to watch my favorite cartoon on steam trains. I really liked the way they work and the fact that they leave lesser carbon footprint than diesel trains. With that motivation, I made attempts to make a steam engine for one of my school science fairs though it did not work out, I never lost my interest towards it. After that my interest further progressed into developing a power source that does not pollute the planet. My uncle too played a role in increasing my interest for physics, I always enjoyed talking with him about cars and automobile technology. In one of my summer breaks, I had attended a workshop from Baba Automobiles where I had dismantled and reassembled car and bike engines. In that workshop I had learned a lot about vehicles and how they work. I had started learning electronics from a basic robotics workshop by Bluewings, with that knowledge I was working with a basic robot (QU- Bot) for few years. Two years later I had joined an advanced robotics workshop by Skyfi labs and learned a lot more in electronics and robotics. 

I have been using the knowledge I gained to make things like drone, garden watering system, Tesla coil model and automatic car parking alarm system. At school I have participated in science fairs, model parliament and student exchange program.

India today is the world’s fourth most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, it ranks third amongst countries with the world’s worst air quality, and 13 Indian cities are among 15 of the world’s most polluted. I feel responsible and committed to find an eco-friendly energy source to play a role in saving my community and the world. The Hydrocity idea kept me awake at nights & dreaming during days. 

I have discussed this idea with few people who are into the field of automobile and thermal power plant. Though there are some practical challenges that need to be solved to take this forward. I believe that this will work out well if I could get access to the experts and equipments.

This involves four segment users to be served/benefited. Government, Vehicle owners, Automobile companies and the common people. 

• The Indian government has Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme which provides incentives for purchasing electric vehicles, tax benefits, reduced GST rates to encourage electric vehicles. 
• Vehicle buyers are more willing to shift to an eco-friendly vehicles. EV sales see spike in India, from 48,179 in 2020-21 to 4,42,901 in 2022-23. 
• Mahindra was the first Indian company to set a carbon price internally, helping to decarbonise its energy use, reduce waste and bolster water security. My survey with 20 car owners showed 100% interest to switch to eco-friendly cars even if they are expensive given that they don’t have to buy petrol/diesel for the remaining lifetime.

Both NASA and China had tried a similar plasma propulsion technology. They do not use water to thrust engines and they are used to propel huge jets and rockets but I thought about turning it into a piston based engine for people to use the technology every day and contribute to reducing pollution.

My goal is to create a proof of concept model to make it work by next year. After that I hope to fit it in a motorcycle and test it on roads. I will start a company, gather a team, design the vehicles and start helping the world achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2050. 

Hydrocity is powered by electromagnetic induction. It also uses the concept of reciprocating engine.

15.2 million people in Delhi can be served for the first year to measure the impact on air quality index. 

As this is a complex technology I need the right team and tools to accomplish my goals. I have to connect with technical experts that I am unable to reach now.

For the next 6 to 12 months its will an incubator period to test and prove the concept. Post that a business model can be worked out with Engine manufacturers, VPP and automobile brands.

Once the concept is proved, there will be investments from governments and other organisations to take it forward.