And I thought the Rotary engine was a totally new idea when it first came out. I don't even know what to say about this. I am not sure I totally understand it either. I wish I had sound on my computer!
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I saw this a while ago, there might be a video of the real one on streetfire.net im not sure. However, I dont see this thing really taking off and going anywhere.
seen it. I dont think the components would be a great improvement, personally, i would hate to rebuild it.
well at least it looks like it would be easier to seal the combustion gases in than with a rotary and its apex seals... but year I don't see it going far...
to be honest, at this point, even trying to design a better internal combustion engine is almost pointless, might as well invest the time and effort into improving the output, weight, and energy consumption of electric motors.
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I just thought it was neat. Definately have to give it up to the guy or guys who thought up this thing.
I'm not sure I would want to rebuild that thing either!
Team GREEN
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Making the turns since 1999
1998 EK Civic Hatch - Yes, it's a Honda.
that thing sounded like @!#$ and it almost sounded like a sick 350 without headers on it
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And what was up with all those sparks???
Those guys are brave. I would have a wireless remote control where I can stand a 1/4 mile away while I turn that thing on. That thing looks scary.
those sparks are coming out of the exhaust ports...probbaly some unburned fuel maybe some metal shavings from the first time it ever ran or something....it seems like a really cool idea the only major problem i see at a glance is that the exhaust and intake ports are continuosly rotating...it would be hard to filter the air going in or muffle the exhaust coming out
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RaiLS wrote:And I thought the Rotary engine was a totally new idea when it first came out.
If you were around when the "rotary engine first came out", you'd be in your late 40's
Search wikipedia for Wankel engine, first used in 1960 in Mazda and NSU cars.
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Who ELSE has said a peep about a 4 assed anything?
Shifted: I think it was from the 30's or so.. it was originally a bicycle motor that was supposed to be a cross between a jet and a piston engine.
RIP CPL Brian St.Germain (SAINT), Semper Fidelis
It was just a comment on how the rotary engine was such a side step from the conventional piston engine. I really don't care when the rotary motor actually came out. Does everything on this site have to be so damn exact? Jesus.
Team GREEN
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the prototype is supposed to put out about 260hp... nuttin to sneeze at saying its in such a infant stage
Yeah, my Sunbird is supposed to put out a whopping 96 hp, but I can tell you right now with 3000 miles on a rebuilt engine I aint gettin that!
GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:IC engines don't have to run exclusively on Gasoline though
where did i say they did? ethanol is still pretty far behind in our capability to refine it for vehicle use, and also gets pretty sh*tty mileage due to its stoich ratio being so much richer than gas... maybe if you could get this thing to run on biodiesel, ok, but still, that adds a lot of carbon-cleaning to an engine that doesn't look very easy to disassemble. Hydrogen? Natural gas? Ok maybe, but a lot of people (including me) are still a little averted to the idea of packing a canisters of pressurized and explosive gasses into their cars. And again, neither have a refinement/production system capable of satisfying the needs of the worlds automotive fleet.
Overall electric motors have a ton of advantages over any IC engine its just that the technology required for smaller, lighter motors to make the same kind of power as a production IC engine is just so far behind what it shoult be by now... not to mention how far behind the battery technology is. Just seems to me that reinventing the wheel on IC engines is beating a dead horse unless there's some new, plentiful, easily replenishable and refineable alternative fuel I haven't heard of.
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Scarab (Jersey Jay 1.8T) wrote:GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:IC engines don't have to run exclusively on Gasoline though
where did i say they did? ethanol is still pretty far behind in our capability to refine it for vehicle use, and also gets pretty sh*tty mileage due to its stoich ratio being so much richer than gas... maybe if you could get this thing to run on biodiesel, ok, but still, that adds a lot of carbon-cleaning to an engine that doesn't look very easy to disassemble. Hydrogen? Natural gas? Ok maybe, but a lot of people (including me) are still a little averted to the idea of packing a canisters of pressurized and explosive gasses into their cars. And again, neither have a refinement/production system capable of satisfying the needs of the worlds automotive fleet.
There is a celluose medium (IIRC) that is being developed by Dupont (again, IIRC) that will contain the gas in the event of a rupture, and either way, Hydrogen produces WAY less waste in the overall scheme of things than even electric vehicles do... There isn't nearly as much heavy metals and toxic dielectrics left over as there is in Electric. Also, there are newer extraction methods for hydrogen and oxygen (similar to the way nitrogen is extracted from ambient air... Look at Costco, the big green machine in the bays... same principle) that are coming about that will separate hydrogen from oxygen and not require major electrical input as most electrolytic processes require. Technology is way behind the curve, no doubt at all, but, I scarcely think that IC is a dead technology, the variety of fuels is more than enough to keep the technology going, use lubricants that are vegitable based, and you have the answer to the oil problem.
Quote:
Overall electric motors have a ton of advantages over any IC engine its just that the technology required for smaller, lighter motors to make the same kind of power as a production IC engine is just so far behind what it shoult be by now... not to mention how far behind the battery technology is. Just seems to me that reinventing the wheel on IC engines is beating a dead horse unless there's some new, plentiful, easily replenishable and refineable alternative fuel I haven't heard of.
True, on all counts (except the dead horse
), Electrics do have a few serious problems though:
- Needing heavy/toxic metals and dielectrics (that are difficult nigh impossible to re-cycle in large quantities)
- They drain power off the already aging and stressed north american power grids.
- Larger motors require VERY strong parts as the acceleration curve is not gentle (it's actually very abrupt, you need good gearing to ramp up/down speed), so that typically means heavier parts and shorter ranges, which leads to the next problem,
- There is no way to quickly charge a vehicle for long-range use. Last I checked,most high-capacity batteries require at minimum 2 hours to charge in order to get 200 miles worth of travel (this is with braking power regeneration technology)
Maybe newer technology will solve some of these problems, but they're inheirent and innate to electric vehicles.
The answer isn't going to pop up overnight, and until either (or both) have the infrastructure to be able to suffice a large fleet, it's going to be gasoline or diesel fuelled vehicles for the forseeable future, and that means, internal combustion. The fact that we don't have to re-tool for emerging technologies is a real boon, it means that you're not going to see $50,000 price tags for a super-subcompact hydrogen/hybrid hydrogen-electric/Hydrogen-gas-diesel car. IC is efficient enough that it's not entirely unviable. I'm not trying to negate electrics or other unknown power sources (like a flux capacitor
), but they're just not there yet, and they have serious and endemic hurdles to overcome before they can compete with IC in the realm of power and portability.
RIP CPL Brian St.Germain (SAINT), Semper Fidelis
well acceleration curve can be solved with simple potentiometers and perhaps even something along the lines of a computer controlled voltage regulator that would regulate motor power to have a gentler powerband. Also, your point about toxic chemicals that are hard to recycle is right along with what i was saying in how far behind the technology is...
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