Detune a rotary? Rotary hybrid?
 

Hi,
did some searching but I couldn't find anything, sorry if I'm reasking! ;)

I would like to DETUNE a rotary engie! :D

Don't throw things at me please. But I actualy saw a hybrid electric car in a mag and they used a rotary engine that was detuned to generate electricity. I believe they said it had like 40hp? But I can't quite remember.... But supposedly the engine got much better mileage as well as cleaner emmisions.

I would think just burning less fuel and less air by keeping RPMs down would be an obvious way to start. Is it really that simple? Or is there more that could be done?

I'm still learning but I love the rotary engine and think it would be great to make a rotary hybrid car. The engine is gonna be the easy part, I'm shaking in my boots when it comes to the electronics. :eek:

The engine was probably significantly smaller than the engines we have. Engines are most efficient when they run at full load. You gain even more efficiency if you tune everything to work in a narrow RPM range and keep the engine there. With CVTs, or using an engine to drive a generator (which is like having a CVT) you can do that.

I bet that engine was fairly small (like maybe 1/4 the size of a 13B?) and operated in a very narrow RPM range.

Unless my definitions of "efficient" and "full load" are different, I don't think this is true.&nbsp By definition, "most efficient" is typically peak torque.&nbsp Oddly enough, Mazda has tuned most of the rotary engines to be efficient between 3000RPM and 4000RPM, coincidently where most of the peak torque specs are.&nbsp There is also documentation (SAE papers) that show proof that intake manifold design was specifically targetted to this narrow RPM region...


-Ted

RPM notwithstanding, engines are more efficient when they are unthrottled.

Now, if you size the engine so peak torque (at full throttle of course) coincides with normal load, then you'd really have something.