Green Car Congress: Concept Engines

Concept Engines

[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]

RadMax Axial Vane Rotary Diesel Engine Drawings Released for Bid

July 07, 2009

Rad Max assembly. Source: REGI US. Click to enlarge.

REGI US, Inc. and Reg Technologies Inc. have completed a final set of manufacturing drawings for the RadMax Diesel Engine, and have released them competitive bid.

The companies are developing an improved axial vane type rotary engine known as the RadMax. The RadMax design was mainly developed by Radian Milparts and assigned to REGI US, Inc. in December 2005. (Earlier post.) The RadMax engine has only two unique moving parts, the vanes (up to 12) and the rotor; the design makes it possible to produce up to 24 continuous power impulses per one rotation that is vibration-free and extremely quiet.

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UK LowCVP Launches ‘Technology Challenge’ to Accelerate Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation; Libralato Engines First Registrant

June 08, 2009

The first registrant in the Challenge is Libralato Engines, developer of a novel rotary engine (cutaway shown) promising a 5.5% gain in combustion efficiency and 50% reduction in NO_x emissions. Click to enlarge.

The UK Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership is launching a Technology Challenge to provide a platform for promising innovations to be showcased to senior managers and directors of the component and vehicle manufacturers. The LowCVP is calling on UK innovators to submit creative concepts with the potential to cut emissions from road vehicles without the need for radical new infrastructure. The target of the Challenge is mainstream passenger cars producing less than 80 g CO₂/km.

The LowCVP Technology Challenge is supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and with an associated media partner, Cleantech Investor.

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Australian Cam-Drive Gasoline Engine Reaches 39.5% Efficiency in Independent Testing; Potential for Production Engine in China

June 06, 2009

The 2.4-liter X4V2 prototype was originally designed for an aviation application. Click to enlarge.

Australia-based Revetec is designing what it calls the Controlled Combustion Engine (CCE)—a cam-drive gasoline spark-ignited internal combustion engine that is smaller, lighter, cleaner, less expensive to manufacture and that produces higher torque due to higher mechanical transfer than equivalent conventional engines.

Revetec has prototyped 6 different versions of Revetec engine designs over the last 10 years. The latest version, the X4V2, was designed as a development engine for the aviation industry, and in early 2008 it was independently tested by Orbital Australia.

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Concept Engine: Ilmor Engineering to Show Cutaway of 5-Stroke Engine at Engine EXPO

May 07, 2009

Rendering of the Ilmor 5-stroke concept engine. Click to enlarge.

Ilmor Engineering will present a new cutaway version of the Ilmor 5-stroke concept engine at the upcoming Engine EXPO 2009, 16-18 June, in Stuttgart, Germany.

Ilmor is a UK-based independent engine design, development, testing and manufacturing company, founded in 1984 by Mario Illien, Paul Morgan and Roger Penske. It traditionally has focused on racing engines, although its business is becoming increasingly diversified, with recent projects in production automotive industries (including diesel), among others. It is also a member of the UK Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership.

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Concept: AET Reaches Final Development Stage of OX2 Barrel Engine

April 30, 2009

Exploded view of the OX2 Engine. Click to enlarge.

Advanced Engine Technologies Inc. says it has reached the final development stage of its OX2 rotary engine, achieving a performance objective of more than 300 lb-ft (407 N·m) of torque along with 46 hp (34 kW) at an approximate operating speed of 760 rpm.

The OX2 engine was conceived in Australia by inventor Steve Manthey. The engine is an 8-cylinder barrel configuration, using a stationary head and cam plate, and rotating cylinder block and piston plates. Each cylinder fires twice per revolution and two cylinders fire simultaneously, resulting in four times the output per revolution of a conventional four-stroke engine at the same displacement. The engine can be adapted to run any combustible gas or liquid as fuel.

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Concept: Honda R&D Developing Variable Compression Ratio Engine with Dual Piston Mechanism

April 22, 2009

Engineers from Honda R&D Co., Ltd. presented a pair of papers at the SAE 2009 World Congress describing the development of a variable compression ratio (VCR) engine enabled by a dual piston mechanism. The compact VCR uses the inertia force of the piston and external hydraulic pressure to raise and to lower an outer piston to switch the compression ratio between low and high stages.

In testing in an otherwise conventional production 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine, the dual piston mechanism was able to adjust the engine from a CR of 9.6 to 14.2 and back again. Combining the high compression ratio with the Atkinson cycle, the engineering team demonstrated a 7.4% improvement in fuel economy in operation over the Japanese 10-15 cycle. As part of the study, the team also demonstrated switching durability of the dual piston mechanism of more than one million cycles.

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Scuderi Group Unveils Cutaway Model of First Production Prototype of Split Cycle Engine

April 20, 2009

Model of the working prototype. The engine is packaged as a research engine, with easy access for instrumentation, a balancer shaft, etc., not as a production unit. Click to enlarge.

The Scuderi Group unveiled a cutaway model of the first proof-of-concept prototype for its Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine (earlier post) at the SAE World Congress in Detroit. The engine cutaway is an exact duplicate of the prototype undergoing testing and analysis by SwRI in San Antonio, Texas. First firing of the working prototype is slated for May, according to President Sal Scuderi.

The prototype is of the naturally-aspirated Split Cycle gasoline engine, and is intended to be a proof of the basic technology of the split cycle with firing after Top Dead Center (one of the key attributes of the engine and cycle). Subsequent implementation of the Split Cycle will be a turbocharged split cycle unit, an air hybrid version of the engine, and a diesel-fueled version.

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Concept: Compact Two-Cycle, Co-generating Piston-Driven Turbine to Deliver 60+% Efficiency

April 09, 2009

One implementation of the two-cycle Reinhardt Turbine. Click to enlarge.

A German company, vv-tec GmbH, is developing a compact piston-driven turbine—the Reinhardt Turbine, named after its inventor—that it says is a two-cycle (gas and steam) thermodynamic process machine that can be built with conventional components and can achieve efficiency of at least 60%.

The engine components are contained within a sphere. The first cycle is a “conventional” combustion engine process using a combustible fuel with the crankless (i.e., free) pistons converting their linear motion to rotary via a sinus disc. Waste heat is transferred within the sphere to create steam in a closed process that then drives the second cycle and set of pistons (built around the first set), using a similar sinus disc.

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Lotus Engineering to Showcase Omnivore Engine Concept in Geneva

February 25, 2009

The Lotus Omnivore engine. Click to enlarge.

Lotus Engineering will display a single-cylinder research engine monoblock demonstrating the architecture of the Omnivore engine concept at the upcoming 79^th International Geneva Motor Show. (Earlier post.)

The Omnivore was designed in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast and Orbital Corporation Limited Australia for high thermal efficiency when fueled on any alcohol-based fuel or gasoline. It features an innovative variable compression ratio system and uses a two-stroke operating cycle with Orbital FlexDI direct fuel injection. It is ideally suited to flex-fuel operation with a higher degree of optimization than is possible with existing four stroke engines, according to Lotus.

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ETH Zürich Developing Pneumatic Hybrid Engine; Approaches Hybrid-Electric Performance at Lower Cost

February 01, 2009

Pneumatic hybrid engine on the test bench. Photo: P. Rüegg / ETH Zurich. Click to enlarge.

Researchers at ETH Zürich are developing a pneumatic hybrid engine—an internal combustion engine connected to a compressed air tank instead of a battery system. A member of the ETH research team, which is led by Lino Guzzella, Professor of Thermotronics, will present a paper on their work at the upcoming SAE World Congress 2009 in Detroit in April—one of a number to be presented on the topic there.

The pneumatic hybrid engine, which follows the downsizing and supercharging paradigm, offers a fuel-saving potential that is almost equal to that of hybrid electric powertrains while inducing much lower additional mass and cost penalties, according to the ETH Zürich researchers.

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Stratified Charge Engine With Two-Stage Combustion Mechanism Shows 17% Reduction in Fuel Consumption Without Direct Injection

December 29, 2008

Two-stage combustion mechanism in twin swirl combustion (1, zone containing pure air; 2, spark plug; 3, turbulizer; and 4, zone containing the fuel-rich mixture). Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS

A team of researchers from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey has presented a 1.6-liter stratified charge gasoline engine featuring a twin swirl combustion chamber operating with a two-stage combustion mechanism and experimentally shown that it can deliver a 17% reduction in fuel consumption with a 7% increase in power compared to a conventional 1.6-liter port-injected engine.

The proposed combustion mechanism does not require high fuel injection pressures and can be applied on current production engines without significant modification and without direct injection fuel systems, according to the researchers. A paper on the work was published online in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels on 15 December.

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Comparison Suggests Gasoline-Powered MUSIC Engine Could Exceed Diesel Efficiency

December 21, 2008

Comparison of the BTE of 2.0L MUSIC and 2.4L diesel at different load points. Click to enlarge.

A recent comparison of a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder implementation of the Merritt Unthrottled Spark Ignition Combustion (MUSIC) engine, initially developed at Coventry University (earlier post) with a 2.4-liter diesel engine suggested that the gasoline-fueled MUSIC engine could attain a higher brake thermal efficiency than the diesel across a wide range of engine loads.

The MUSIC performance data was taken from testing in April 2008 at the end of an Energy Saving Trust funded project. The diesel data was provided, in confidence, by a “reputable” engine R&D company, according to MUSI Engines Ltd. The BMEP conditions at which the diesel results were taken only approximate to those of MUSIC’s, and MUSI said that it did not have details on the exact construction of this diesel or on the parasitic loads which were included in the evaluation of its BTE.

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Modeling a Free-Piston Engine Genset for Hybrid Applications

September 16, 2008

Cross-section of the FPLA. Click to enlarge.

Researchers from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China have developed a new and more accurate computer model of the alternator component of the free-piston linear alternator (FPLA)—a two-stroke, free-piston engine combined with a linear alternator to generate electricity, with potential application in a hybrid electric vehicle. A paper on their work is scheduled for the 17 Sept. issue of the journal Energy & Fuels.

The free-piston engine offers a number of benefits, including optimization of the combustion process through variable compression ratios, making multifuel operation possible; reducing frictional losses because of fewer moving parts; and allowing homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) to be more easily achieved. A linear alternator can use the linear piston force without requiring additional mechanical components necessary in a rotary configuration.

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Concept: Moller International Designs a PHEV with Short Flight Capability

September 09, 2008

Model of the Autovolantor.

Moller International has completed the design of a 2-passenger sportscar capable of lifting off vertically and flying for about 15 minutes. Called the “autovolantor”, it is designed to function on the road very much like a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) until one gets stuck in traffic. At that point, it can lift off vertically and fly at up to 150 mph for a short distance. Upon landing it can drive on the ground for up to 40 miles or longer using one of its eight Rotapower engines (earlier post) to generate electrical power.

Moller International received a request to design this vehicle from a wealthy foreign businessman who was unable to commute from the city to his country home due to the overcrowded streets of Moscow.

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Concept: Rotary Shaft Power Extraction from an Efficient, Free-Piston HCCI Engine

August 14, 2008

The mechanism for rotary power extraction uses a pair of one-way clutches (one clockwise, CW; the other counter-clockwise, CCW) attached to the power output end of the pivot shaft. Click to enlarge.

Energy Transition Technology, Inc. (ETT) has devised a mechanism to extract direct rotary shaft power from its Free-Piston Floating Stroke (FPFS) engine—an Otto cycle, four-cylinder free-piston engine (FPE) featuring a continuously variable compression ratio and full-load-range homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion. ETT projects an FPFS engine simple cycle efficiency of 60% and, with turbo compounding, near Atkinson-cycle efficiency of ~65%.

Free piston engine (i.e., without a crank) power output is provided by an oscillating pivot shaft which can directly drive a compressor, hydraulic pump or electrical generator. However, with rotary shaft output, the free-piston engine is suitable for a broader range of applications than usually considered.

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Frost & Sullivan Names Sanderson Engine Development Emerging Company of the Year

August 12, 2008

Frost & Sullivan recently recognized Sanderson Engine Development, LLC (SED) with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Emerging Company of the Year. Sanderson is the desinger of the Sanderson Rocker-Arm Mechanism (SRAM) for converting reciprocating motion into rotational motion without the use of a conventional crankshaft. (Earlier post.)

Frost & Sullivan called the SRAM an emerging core technology for an entirely new generation of engine-driven pumps, compressors, generators, and any other device for which current power systems deploy multiple components (as in a crankshaft engine and a swash plate hydraulic pump) to transfer power.

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Concept: VGT Developing “Plug-in” Gasoline/Compressed Air Hybrid Based on the RoundEngine

August 08, 2008

Basic design of a two-piston RoundEngine. Click to enlarge.

Canada’s VGT Technologies, the developer of the RoundEngine, has started development of a “plug-in” compressed air hybrid vehicle using the RoundEngine technology. In this application, “plug-in” refers to connecting to an external air compressor to top off the storage tanks. The RoundEngine is a novel variable geometry toroidal (VGT) engine.

The gasoline/air hybrid vehicle is similar to a gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle but uses compressed air instead of electricity for an auxiliary drive. In the first phase of development VGT will focus on the air drive using the RoundEngine technology by modifying an AWD vehicle to incorporate the air drive on the rear axle. The front axle will be powered by the gasoline engine. The purpose is to prove the air drive in an automotive application and to demonstrate fuel and emissions savings. VGT is manufacturing a toroidal engine for this application.

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Concept: Zajac Motors Proposes Split-Cycle Engine with Separate Combustion Chamber; 15% Improvement on Diesel Fuel Economy

August 05, 2008

Basic elements of the Zajac engine. Click to enlarge.

Zajac Motors is developing a split-cycle engine concept that significantly prolongs fuel burn time through the use of a combustion chamber external to the compression and expansion piston chambers. John Zajac, who presented a poster session on his concept at the Diesel Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research (DEER) conference this week in Dearborn, Michigan, claims that his engine will deliver 15% better fuel economy than a diesel, run on any liquid fuel, and be essentially non-polluting.

The Zajac engine uses new head parts that are compatible with a standard diesel engine block. The in-block cylinders are split into compression and expansion roles, and connected by an external “hot wall” combustion chamber. The engine presumes the use of new rotary valves, also developed by Zajac. The combustion chamber, valves, and control systems are the core of Zajac’s IP.