Not really FD specific, but pretty cool never the less.................

The next generation rotary engine.

Fires 9 times per revolution

http://www.aviationweek.com/media/fl...yanimation.mov

Currently produces 1.3 hp per pound with projection of 1.6 hp.

16% more efficent compared to the same displacement & compression ratio 2 stroke engine.

 

your link doesn't work

 

Right-Click -> Save As -> Download -> Open with Quicktime

 

So this engine is already in working prototype form? If so, I'm wondering how it keeps the exhaust gases from building up behind the backside curve of the "inner" main rotor's "blade" as it rotates. The intake charge will force most of it out, but I can't see the intake flow rounding a sharp corner like that. Also, I'd think those sharp corners would retain quite a bit of heat.

 

Interesting to watch, but it doesn't look efficient. It just seems like the exhaust is not fully scavenged before intake starts. In fact just watching it, it is difficult to see when intake starts, compression, expansion/power and scavenging occurs. That aside, mechanically speaking, lots of little sharp parts sweeping past each other are not likely to result in a robust long lasting engine. The really interesting brain tickling aspect of this is something I have been thinking about for years: how to make a true rotary engine that is not a turbine? Even our Wankel's have vibration due to the eccentric orbit of our rotors. The design shown (efficient and practical or not) has no reciprocating mass, it is all rotational. Intriguing!

 

I wonder how it would work as an air motor? That would be a nice practical test for design integrity. I agree that all those sharp points would not be good in a combustion engine. Especially when youstart throwing carbon around in there.

 

Here's another interesting zero reciprocating mass engine concept, but unfortunately it involves pistons of a sort! I saw this idea in Popular Mechanics 15 or 20 years ago. I haven't seen anything about it since. I modeled this in CAD myself to create the picture and linked AVI file below. There would be challenges like how do you get AF mixture in and exhaust out? And how do you spark the cylinders. Still interesting though...

http://www-eng.lbl.gov/~osborn/curious_engine.avi

 

mezmerizing.. Seems to be a large amount of overlap and a tiny exhaust port. If you notice, there also isn't a consistent surface that is doing the sealing..

I stumbled across this the other day... nothing new but the rotatorque has no eccentricity and it looks like a prototype has actually run.

http://www.rotatorque.de/english/page4.htm

 

crazy stuff

 

I don't like the exhaust port on the first model... it allows for exhaust overlap, which may or may not be a good thing as it's basically built-in EGR

And there's always that pocket of intake air that doesn't get compressed/combusted and is just exits... you could look at it as an inefficiency, but on second look it provides a pressure differential that acts as exhaust scavenging. The exhaust phase still makes me twitch though

also, when the outer shafts reach the middle of the outside archs, (compressed and combusted air on both sides) there's a point when the shafts switch edges. The fact that between the switch the only thing keeping the compressed and combusted air apart is a curve, and that's more prone to compromise the air pocket's integrity. kinda shady

the end of the exhaust phase on the rotatorque also makes me nervous...


anwyay, i hope development continues on these things. Things would get pretty interesting

 

pft there are TONS of alternate engines out there its just impossible to build most of them in mass quantities.

 

One word: quasiturbine.

 

http://www.deadbeatdad.org/eliptoid/menu2.htm

 

I would like to see a dyno graph for the Quasiturbine. That is hard to believe, 800 HP from a 600cc motor. I wonder how reliable that would be.

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/quasiturbine2.htm

 

That was a very informative link on the Quasiturbine.

 

I dont see how the exhuast gasses going out the center shaft would work, it would get way to hot and have failure at some point no? but it is a bad *** design, I think it probably moves more smoothly that a reg rotary engine but who knows.