Part I OF I Tamil Nadu.pmd - National Innovation Foundation

PART I : INNOVATIONS FROM TAMIL NADU
06
Environment friendly oil engine
Akasi had set up a shop armed with a high-speed oil engine compressor, which generated
sound and smoke pollution. The annoyed neighbours who complained about the same,
demanded that he be shifted elsewhere. Akasi hence had to invent a silencer with
minimum sound pollution and with lesser smoke emission levels. He first converted his
high-speed engine into a low-speed one and increased the muffler size from 10 inches
to 20 inches. Next, he cut three tin sheets, of 20 inches diameter each, and carefully
welded them together, keeping a gap of two mm between the sheets. He also made
holes similar to those he had observed in the old muffler. He fitted this new modified
muffler into the silencer tube.
M Akasi
Sivakasi
The advantages of this modification are that the sound and smoke produced are much
less with this device and cleaner smoke is emitted, indicating lesser amount of carbon
monoxide in the smoke. He received a Consolation prize in NIF’s First National
Competition for Grassroots Innovations and Traditional Knowledge Practices in 2001.
TAMIL NADU INNOVATES 17