Baking Soda Powered V6 Engine

In this instructable, I will guide you to create a baking soda powered V6 engine. The engine is powered by 6 syringes, which will serve as the cylinders and pistons. Baking soda and vinegar (or any acid of your choice) will flood the combustion chamber. While this happens the alkaline baking soda will react to the acidic vinegar, causing a chemical reaction resulting in a production of air forcing the piston downward. The power of the other cylinders will force the piston back up, forcing any excess waste through the tanks and out of the engine, then, the same will happening all over again resulting in a circular motion.

Step 1: Gathering Materials and Tools

You will need these supplies and materials to complete this project:

1. Drill with phillips drill bit
2. Scissors
3. Super glue
4. measuring tape or ruler (and optional protractor)

1. 2 small plastic bins ( 5" by 7" by 1.5" or less, one has to have two compartments)
2. Screws
3. 12 gauge aluminum wire
4. 6 syringes (10 mL)
5. Small eye pins (wide enough for 12 gauge)
6. Wood: 2 12" by 8cm by 2cm,2 10.5" by 8cm by 2cm, 1 3' by 1cm by 1cm, 2 3" by 2 cm by 2 cm, 2 5.5 by 1 cm by 1 cm, 2 4" by 3" by 1cm, 2 8" by 7" by 1 cm boards.
7. Aquarium airline tubing
8. Duct Tape
9. Hot glue gun with hot glue sticks
10. Baking Soda
11. Vinegar

Step 2: Building the Base

Cut two 10.5" by 8 cm by 2 cm pieces of wood, and two 12" by 8 cm by 2 cm. Screw together to form a square shaped base.

Step 3: Structure

Cut four 1.5 ft by 1" by 1" pieces of wood and screw onto base 1.5 inches away from sides.

Step 4: Tank Holders

Cut one 7" by 9" piece of wood to fit inside the four beams. Then screw the wood to the inside of the four beams, suspended. Screw the other onto the top of the four beams. Super glue 2 pieces of wood onto sides where cylinders will go.

Step 5: Main Shaft

Bend 12 gauge wire to look like photo:

Step 6: Piston Construction

Drill hole in the bottom of syringe (see photo). Then, thread 12 gauge wire through hole and twist around eyepin. This will give you your cylinder and piston mechanism.

Step 7: Shaft Holders

Drill holes near top of 3" by 4" wood pieces. See picture.

Step 8: Main Shaft

Test to make sure your main shaft (created in step 5), fits into holes and is neither too short nor much too long.

Step 9: Adding Cylinders

Thread main shaft through eye pins on cylinders and glue to beam for cylinders made in step four.

Step 10: Fuel Tank and Combustion Chamber

Drill 3 holes in in sides of combustion chamber (plastic bin #1). Drill two in sides parallel to each other. Drill 4 holes in sides parallel to each other in bin # 2.

Step 11: Tubing

Cut tubes about 6 inches long. Thread into the two holes in combustion chamber and attach other ends to holes in tank. Seal with hot glue. Cut 6 more 6 inch long tubes and thread into three parallel holes and connect to top of syringes.

Step 12: Testing

Pour vinegar into tank in one of the compartments in the top bin, pour baking soda solution in other half of top bin (Baking soda mixed with warm water, half and half). Quickly shut lid of first bin to avoid any escaped air. The two liquids should then flow down the tubing into the combustion chamber (With some air bubbles flowing up the tube to indicate proper sealing.

Step 13: Troubleshooting

If liquid starts pouring pouring out, make sure all connections are air tight. If not seal with hot glue.

If pistons do not move and instead lid pops of combustion chamber, wrap duct tape around to make sure it stays shut.

Ask me in the comments box if you have any other questions.

Comments

[IndustrialDonut]

How exactly does the exhaust process happen? I understand I think how it has a 'power stroke' sort of like a normal car, but I do not see anywhere that this is an open system for waste to leave or for pressure to be relieved; so, I do not know how it is the case that the syringes/pistons will be driven continuously after like one power stroke, because the pressure going into another to drive it up should be the same as in that syringe needing to be exhausted. No 'delta P' means no net force

[ArduinoPi]

I seem to be the champion of late responses, I was maybe 12 when I made this, and so a few key parts were overlooked. Exhaust, a carburetor of some sort, and timed injection are all quite necessary for this to work properly. While I'm not sure this design with the added necessities would work, I am confident that an internal combustion engine could be designed to run off baking soda and vinegar. Maybe it'll be a future project... (;

[Marvin2843]

Looks great, but there seems to be some steps missing, or I am miss reading this. the instructions say for the lower bin (the fuel tank) you put vinegar in one half and the water baking soda mix in the other half, but there is no indication how they mix? Do you manually crank the shaft to get it to start flowing? Or do you mix it in the top bin, which drives the gas to the bottom bin, which in turn drives the syringes?

[ArduinoPi]

Hi, very sorry for the extremely late response! The project is more of an experiment, there isn't an exaust system (oops!), which I am trying to work out, I don't currently have the supplies though! I have much better knowledge of basic reciprocating engines now, than I did then!

[isaacsmith887]

I like It!!!

[JoeH235]

Wow!

[wannabemadsci]

Thanks for sharing!

[Swansong]

That would make a really neat science class project :)