A compressed-air-powered vehicle, the Pneumobil — built by engineering students and using mainly liquefied nitrogen extracted from the atmosphere as a green alternative to fossil fuels — has been put on display at the Museum Room of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy within the Library of George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures.

'The colleagues from the Faculty of Engineering kindly donated a pneumobil to us. It is an eco-friendly vehicle built by engineering students as part of an international student project, under the coordination of Mihai Simon. The pneumobil runs on compressed air, using mainly liquefied nitrogen extracted from the atmosphere, and was built in 2011 by students of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences. People say it runs on air, but in fact it uses liquefied nitrogen. That is why we consider it an extremely environmentally friendly vehicle. With this project, the students achieved outstanding results in international competitions in 2011-2012,' said Georgeta Fodor, coordinator of the university museum.

The pneumobil won second place in the endurance test at the 2011 Rexroth Pneumobil international competition in Eger, Hungary. A year later, it took first place in the endurance category at the Bosch Rexroth Pneumobil competition, covering 9,193 metres with 10 litres of compressed nitrogen.

In 2012, the vehicle also ranked fifth overall and won first prize for best project at the 'Alternative Energy' competition organised by Audi Motor Kft and Szechenyi Istvan University. The same year, it received an excellence award at a national mechatronics competition hosted by the Politehnica University of Timisoara.

'This project is another example of applied theory. Beyond providing theoretical foundations, the university helps students put knowledge into practice. A project like this pneumobil is a very good illustration of how theory can be translated into practice, especially in the context of the fuel crisis. We are increasingly concerned about green energy and finding renewable sources, while also facing traffic congestion and pollution. Seeing such initiatives from young people gives us confidence that there is both interest and determination to improve quality of life in Targu Mures,' Fodor said.

The vehicle on display can travel between 10 and 15 kilometres per charge, with a consumption of about one litre of compressed gas per kilometre and a minimum speed of 15 km/h. Its energy source is a 15-litre tank of liquefied nitrogen at 200 bar.

The pneumobil is powered by a pneumatic engine consisting of a cylinder with a capacity of around 2,000 cc, monitored and controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC), which manages the entire operation, including pressure and cylinder stroke.

The vehicle frame is made from lightweight alloys and designed to carry a single person. It allows for different operating modes that influence performance, including speed, acceleration and energy consumption.

The pneumobil was built over eight months, with an investment of around 7,000 euros at 2011 prices.

Students from the same faculty, coordinated by Dr Eng German-Sallo Zoltan, also previously built an electric vehicle, which took part in a European competition in 2011. That vehicle reached speeds of around 30 km/h and had an autonomy of between one hour and one hour and a half under normal operating conditions. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dorina Matis; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)