111–120 of 211 posts
I know this is targeted towards military/aviation applications (now, initially it was different), but, I honestly cannot understand why there is so little research on just making a hyper-efficient low-maintenance engine that runs at maybe 2 optimal rpms and powers a small battery bank plus electric motor (i.e.. typically series hybrid). None of these gas engines will come anywhere near the power-per-pound & torque ou…
I know this is targeted towards military/aviation applications (now, initially it was different), but, I honestly cannot understand why there is so little research on just making a hyper-efficient low-maintenance engine that runs at maybe 2 optimal rpms and powers a small battery bank plus electric motor (i.e.. typically series hybrid). None of these gas engines will come anywhere near the power-per-pound & torque ou…
Kind of weird article that doesn't talk about either the main benefits or design hurdles. The advantage of the LiquidPiston design is that at the time of ignition, the combustion chamber is a roughly round shape, as opposed to a traditional rotary where it's a long crescent. This should theoretically improve the emissions and fuel economy to be more like piston engines. I don't think Liquid Piston was talking about a…
I know this is targeted towards military/aviation applications (now, initially it was different), but, I honestly cannot understand why there is so little research on just making a hyper-efficient low-maintenance engine that runs at maybe 2 optimal rpms and powers a small battery bank plus electric motor (i.e.. typically series hybrid). None of these gas engines will come anywhere near the power-per-pound & torque ou…
Are you aware you are essentially describing the original Toyota Prius? the engine is optimised for constant low rpm/low torque/high efficiency, whilest relying on the battery/electric motor for torque and temporary extra power
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake-specific_fuel_consumpt...
Which covers a range of RPMs.
Kind of weird article that doesn't talk about either the main benefits or design hurdles. The advantage of the LiquidPiston design is that at the time of ignition, the combustion chamber is a roughly round shape, as opposed to a traditional rotary where it's a long crescent. This should theoretically improve the emissions and fuel economy to be more like piston engines. I don't think Liquid Piston was talking about a…
The four strokes of a four stroke cylinder are intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust. That's down, up, down, up. Since there's no down or up in any of this engine's combustion chambers, "strokes" is probably inappropriate.
As you said, 4 stroke has intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust. That's expansion, compression, expansion, compression. It fires between compression and combustion.
A 2 stroke motor has compression and expansion. It fires between compression and expansion. Intake, exhaust, and combustion happen during the expansion phase.
A rotary motor is traditionally 4 stroke, and I'm not sure a 2 stroke version is feasible. The LiquidPiston rotary appears to be a 4 stroke to me, despite the article text.
Sounds like it could be awesome for some GA applications given the lack of weight budget and it seems like they did solve the issues with rotaries. Hopefully someone starts cramming them in some experimentals!
That is not to say change is impossible, GA's overdue changeover to unleaded gasoline seems like an inevitability. Unleaded gas is already being approved for many of these engines, like new production O-360 engines (which date back to the 1950s.)
A non-turbo diesel is an interesting choice of competitor. The big selling point of the Kohler motor is that it's almost silent - even the valve train is belt-driven to reduce noise. Not sure a rotary engine screaming at 6500RPM is comparable here to a diesel with a peak torque at 2000 and peak power at 3600. > LiquidPiston has been working on these X-engines for nearly 20 years now, I'm guessing they will never actu…