I find it hilarious that an energy war makes inventions like this suddenly come out of the woodwork.
“Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
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Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#182I find it hilarious that an energy war makes inventions like this suddenly come out of the woodwork.
It comes out of the woodwork with a $9 million grant from the US Army, that is true. On the other hand, the article states "LiquidPiston has been working on these X-engines for nearly 20 years now, with numerous prototypes already tested in small planes (see above) and go-karts."
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
yes I am well aware of Prius series configuration but it is still a regular engine shrunk down and fine tuned. What I am asking for is something very ground up redesigned for maximizing one thing only efficiency of energy conversion. couple of examples of this are Aquarius engines or [1]. basically you cut out all the unnecessary stuff and all the maintenance/repair plus cost with it. Current engines are complex beca…
I think you're greatly overestimating just how efficient a conventional ICE can be if designed and tuned for single-rpm, maximum-efficiency operation.
Basically, the Chevy Volt is exactly the car you're describing. It wasn't that great: it had a separate engine that only ran a generator, and would only come on when the battery was depleted. The problem is having a full EV powertrain, plus an ICE driving a generator, adds a lot of hardware, complexity, and cost to the vehicle, and the result was a car that people liked, but just wasn't cost-effective compared to the Prius, or to a BEV.
The Prius can get away with a much smaller battery because it's just a parallel hybrid and doesn't need to drive 50 miles on a charge like the Volt. Batteries are expensive and take up a lot of space. And a BEV can get away with not wasting space and weight on an ICE engine (plus fuel tank), and instead just have a big battery. The Volt basically had the worst of both worlds. Reportedly, the car worked well, but with all that stuff packed inside, it just cost too much, plus it didn't have a lot of cargo space.
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
yes I am well aware of Prius series configuration but it is still a regular engine shrunk down and fine tuned. What I am asking for is something very ground up redesigned for maximizing one thing only efficiency of energy conversion. couple of examples of this are Aquarius engines or [1]. basically you cut out all the unnecessary stuff and all the maintenance/repair plus cost with it. Current engines are complex beca…
The Prius utilizes the Atkinson cycle rather than the conventional Otto cycle, which is more common in traditional gasoline engines. The Atkinson cycle is designed for higher efficiency, sacrificing some power output for improved fuel economy.
The Atkinson cycle has a longer expansion stroke compared to the compression stroke, resulting in a more efficient conversion of heat to mechanical work. However, this cycle tends to have a narrower range of operation, with less torque and power available at lower RPMs compared to an Otto cycle engine.
Perhaps a more efficient cycle is possible by reducing the RPM/torque range even further, but I am under the impression that a lot has been left on the table efficiency wise.
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
this is backwards. the reason cargo ship engines are big is because they don't care about size. they would rather have a 2x bigger engine that was 1% more efficient
> this is backwards. the reason cargo ship engines are big is because they don't care about size. they would rather have a 2x bigger engine that was 1% more efficient Depends on the fuel cost.
Or the fuel volume. Think of LNG-powered LNG-tankers.
Like these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMA_CGM_Jacques_Saad%C3%A9
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#186Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you had 18 such engines it would get you precisely 18x the performance, at precisely 18x the weight.
No, because you would need to add structural elements, some way of combining power output, and cooling if you’re aiming for a similar form factor.
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Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
yes I am well aware of Prius series configuration but it is still a regular engine shrunk down and fine tuned. What I am asking for is something very ground up redesigned for maximizing one thing only efficiency of energy conversion. couple of examples of this are Aquarius engines or [1]. basically you cut out all the unnecessary stuff and all the maintenance/repair plus cost with it. Current engines are complex beca…
I think you're greatly overestimating just how efficient a conventional ICE can be if designed and tuned for single-rpm, maximum-efficiency operation. Basically, the Chevy Volt is exactly the car you're describing. It wasn't that great: it had a separate engine that only ran a generator, and would only come on when the battery was depleted. The problem is having a full EV powertrain, plus an ICE driving a generator,…
I sorta want to get a Rivian and stick a little generator in the bed. Kidding… mostly ;)
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#188Surely, I can't be alone in reading this having driven an RX-7, numerous turbos, but no diesels, thinking this is EXACTLY what I need to replace the 310cc single cylinder in my BMW motorcycle that gets 70 MPG consistently, sits comfortably at 70 MPH on the highway, but is slow on the uptake in a crowded on-ramp. I remember the BMW single being a revelation because it's a single, DOHC, eats corn gas for breakfast with…
People have shoehorned diesels and wankel rotaries into BMW airhead frames. It’s possible but not for the faint hearted. With a small frame like yours you’d probably be better served by an EV conversion if you want to go down that path.
Thanks for the comment.
I don't know anyone who has done the rotary or diesel conversion, though I have driven the zero and know another designer who built an electric motorcycle from scratch. When I say from scratch, I mean sketches, solid works, chassis - the whole 9. Of course, this gets easier at the edges where wheels, handlebars, exhaust, lights, and batteries are abundant.
My daily awareness of his progress was working close to his desk at work, so I'm not sure where it's at today though I recall he was about to transition from chassis to engine at the time - 2016. He was definitely ahead of the curve. Sadly, my skills are in things that we have the luxury of pretending are not bound by the laws of physics. ;->
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
As cool as the rotary engine is, Mazda’s attempt at a rotary hybrid is flogging the deadest of dead horses.
We will be driving an old RX7 in the '24 hours of Lemons' this year. Looking forward to pushing it in a nice casual race. Mechanically, we were not at a point where it was solid enough for 2022. I think the rotary engine was the only thing that was working. :)
I guess you already seen it, but for anyone who shouts at Wankel engine unreliability, small plug for Rob Dahm and his video about fixing that engine biggest problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwM6JJYPzkM
Re: “Inside-out Wankel” rotary engine delivers 5X the power of a diesel
#190I 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…
Check the new mx-30 r-ev from mazda. It's a wenkel engine that power a battery pack.