A simple multi-fuel engine will displace the familiar internal combustion engine. Prospects for the development of internal combustion engines
It is obvious that the internal combustion engine is not economical enough and, in fact, has a low efficiency. This forces scientists to look for alternatives - in particular, to create affordable electric or hydrogen transport. However, recent developments show that ICE can be made truly effective. What makes this feasible and what prevents the use of such technologies in practice right now?
10/18/2012, Thu, 15:09, Moscow timeWithout exaggeration, the internal combustion engine spun the motor of scientific and technological progress. Road transport is the most important means of transporting passengers and goods. In the United States today, almost 800 cars fall per 1,000 people, and by 2020 in Russia this figure will be about 350 cars per thousand people.
The vast majority of more than a billion cars on the planet still use the internal combustion engine (ICE), invented in the 19th century. Despite all the technological tricks and "smart" electronics, the efficiency of modern gasoline engines is still "marking" around the mark of 30%. The most economical diesel ICEs have an efficiency of 50%, that is, even they emit half of the fuel in the form of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Naturally, there is no need to talk about the economy of ICE, especially when you consider that modern cars burn 10-20 liters of fuel per 100 km of track. Not surprisingly, scientists around the world are trying to create affordable electric and hydrogen cars. However, the concept of an internal combustion engine did not exhaust the potential of modernization. Thanks to the latest achievements in the field of electronics and materials, it became possible to create a truly effective ICE.
Eco motor
EcoMotors International engineers have creatively redesigned the design of a traditional ICE. He kept the pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft and flywheel, but the new engine is 15-20% more efficient, moreover, it is much easier and cheaper to manufacture. At the same time, the engine can run on several types of fuel, including gasoline, diesel and ethanol.
In general, the EcoMotors engine has an elegant, simple design that has 50% less parts than a conventional motor
This was achieved by using the opposed engine design, in which the combustion chamber is formed by two pistons moving towards each other. At the same time, the engine is two-stroke and consists of two modules with 4 pistons in each, connected by a special coupling with electronic control. The engine is completely controlled by electronics, due to which it was possible to achieve high efficiency and minimum fuel consumption. For example, in traffic jams and other cases when the full engine power is not needed, only one of the two modules works, which reduces fuel consumption and noise.
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The motor is also equipped with an electronically controlled turbocharger that utilizes the energy of exhaust gases and generates electricity. Overall, the EcoMotors engine has an elegant, simple design that has 50% less parts than a conventional motor. It does not have a cylinder head block, it is made of ordinary materials and produces less noise and vibration. At the same time, the engine turned out to be very light: it produces more than 1 hp per 1 kg of weight (in practice, it is approximately 2 times lighter than a traditional engine of the same power). Moreover, the EcoMotors product is easily scalable: just add a few modules and the small engine turns into the motor of a powerful truck.
An experienced EcoMotors EM100 engine with dimensions of 57.9 x 104.9 x 47 cm weighs 134 kg and produces 325 hp. at 3,500 rpm (diesel), cylinder diameter - 100 mm. The fuel consumption of a five-seater car with an EcoMotors engine is planned to be extremely low - at the level of 3-4 liters per 100 km.
Savings in everything
Achates Power has set a goal to develop ICEs with a fuel consumption of 3-4.5 liters per 100 km for a car the size of a Ford Fiesta. While their experimental diesel engine shows a much greater appetite, but the developers hope to reduce consumption. However, the main thing in this motor is an exceptionally simple design and low cost. We agree that saving on fuel is worth little if it costs the cost of repeatedly increasing the cost of the engine.
Achates Power engine has an extremely simple design
The Achates Power engine has an extremely simple design. This is a two-stroke boxer diesel engine in which two pistons move towards each other, forming a combustion chamber. Thus, there is no need for a cylinder head and a complex gas distribution mechanism. Most motor parts are manufactured using simple manufacturing processes and do not require expensive materials. In general, the engine contains much less parts and metal than a regular one.
At present, the Achates Power motor demonstrates 21% greater efficiency than the best "traditional" diesel engines in testing. Moreover, it has a modular design, high specific power (weight / hp ratio). Also, due to the special shape of the upper part of the piston, a vortex flow of a special shape is created, which provides excellent mixing of the air-fuel mixture, efficient heat dissipation and reduced combustion time. As a result, the engine not only meets the military specifications of the US Army, but also surpasses the characteristics of engines that are currently installed on military equipment.
Easy way
The American company Transonic Combustion decided not to create a new engine, but to achieve impressive (25-30%) fuel economy using the new injection system.
The high-tech TSCiTM injection system does not require radical engine alterations and, in fact, is a set of injectors and a special fuel pump.
The TSCiTM combustion process uses direct injection of supercritical fluid gasoline and a dedicated ignition system
The TSCiTM combustion process uses direct injection of supercritical fluid gasoline and a dedicated ignition system.
A supercritical fluid is a state of matter at a certain temperature and pressure when it is neither a solid, nor a liquid, nor a gas. In this state, the substance acquires interesting properties, for example, has no surface tension, and forms fine particles during the phase transition. In addition, supercritical fluid has the ability to quickly transfer mass. All these properties are extremely useful in an internal combustion engine, in particular, supercritical fuel mixes quickly, does not have large droplets, quickly burns out with optimal heat dissipation and high cycle efficiency.
Electronic valve
Grail Engine Technologies has developed a unique two-stroke engine with very attractive features. So, with a consumption of 3-4 liters per "hundred", the engine produces 200 hp. 100 hp engine weighs less than 20 kg and a power of 5 hp - only 11 kg! At the same time, the Grail Engine, unlike conventional two-stroke engines, does not pollute the fuel with oil from the crankcase, which means that it meets the most stringent environmental standards.
The engine itself consists of simple parts, mainly made by casting. The secret to outstanding performance lies in the way the Grail Engine works. During the movement of the piston upward, negative air pressure is created below and through a special carbon fiber valve air enters the combustion chamber. At a certain point in the movement of the piston, fuel begins to be supplied, then at the top dead center, using three ordinary electric candles, the fuel-air mixture is ignited, the valve in the piston closes. The piston goes down, the cylinder is filled with exhaust gases. Upon reaching the bottom dead center, the piston again begins to move upward, the air flow ventilates the combustion chamber, pushing the exhaust gases, the cycle of work is repeated.
The secret to outstanding performance lies in the way the Grail Engine works.
The compact and powerful Grail Engine is ideal for hybrid cars where a gasoline engine produces electricity and electric motors spin the wheels. In such a machine, the Grail Engine will work in optimal mode without sudden power surges, which will significantly increase its durability, reduce noise and fuel consumption. At the same time, the modular design allows you to connect two or more single-cylinder Grail Engine to the common crankshaft, which makes it possible to create in-line engines of various power.
New models of cars appear every year - but for some reason they are not worth the above economical and simple engines. Indeed, everyone is interested in the engines of the new design: from the ubiquitous investor Bill Gates to the Pentagon. However, automakers are in no hurry to install new products on their cars. Apparently, the whole point is that large automakers themselves produce engines and, of course, do not want to share profits with third-party developers. But in any case, strict environmental standards and electric cars will force automakers to introduce new technologies that are much more important for the health of people and the whole planet than multimedia systems and design delights.
Mikhail Levkevich
PrintWork conscientiously for the benefit of man. The improvement of motors is ongoing. Either the designers are fighting for an increase in power, then they are reducing the weight of the engine. The development of motor industry is influenced by factors such as oil price fluctuations and toughening environmental standards. Despite all these difficulties, they are the main source of energy for cars.
Recently, many new developments have appeared that are aimed at improving traditional motors. Some of them are already at the implementation stage, other new products are available only in the form of prototypes. However, a little time will pass and part of these innovations will be implemented in new machines.
Lasers instead of spark plugs
More recently, lasers were considered fantastic devices that ordinary people learned about from Martian films. But today there are developments aimed at replacing laser devices. Traditional candles have one drawback. They do not give a powerful spark, which is able to set fire to a fuel mixture with a large amount of air and a low concentration of fuel. The increase in power led to rapid wear of the electrodes. The use of lasers for igniting a lean fuel mixture looks very promising. Among the advantages of laser candles should be noted the ability to adjust the power and angle of ignition. This will not only immediately increase engine power, but also make the combustion process more efficient. The first ceramic laser devices were developed by engineers in Japan. They have a diameter of 9 mm, which is suitable for a number of automotive engines. Novelty will not require significant refinement of power units.Innovative rotary engines
In the near future, pistons, camshafts, valves may disappear. Scientists at the University of Michigan are working on a fundamentally new design of an automobile motor. The power unit will receive energy under the action of blast waves that support movement. One of the main parts of the new installation is the rotor, in the housing of which there are radial channels. When the rotor rotates rapidly, the fuel mixture passes through the channels and instantly fills the free compartments. The design allows you to block the output ports, and the combustible mixture does not leak during compression. Since the fuel enters the compartments very quickly, a shock wave forms. It pushes a portion of the fuel mixture into the center, where the ignition takes place, and then the exhaust gas exhaust. Thanks to this original solution, the researchers were able to reduce fuel consumption by 60%. The mass of the motor also decreased, which led to the creation of a light car (400 kg). The advantage of the new motor will be a small number of rubbing parts, so the engine resource should increase. Scuderi Development
Scuderi employees have prepared their version of the engine of the future. It has two types of piston cylinders, which allows more efficient use of the generated energy. The uniqueness of the development lies in the connection of the two cylinders using the bypass channel. As a result, one of the pistons creates compression, and in the second cylinder the ignition of the fuel mixture and the release of gases occur.This method allows you to use more economically generated energy. Computer models show that the fuel consumption in the Scuderi engine will be 50% less than traditional ICEs.
Thermal split engine
It was possible to increase the efficiency of the Scuderi engine due to the thermal separation of the motor into 2 parts. In a conventional four-stroke engine, one problem remains unresolved. Different measures work better in certain temperature ranges. Therefore, scientists decided to divide the engine into two compartments and put a radiator between them. The motor will work as follows. In cold cylinders, the fuel mixture will be inlet and compressed. Thus, maximum efficiency is achieved in cold conditions. The combustion process and exhaust gases occur in hot cylinders. Presumably this technology will provide fuel savings of up to 20%. Scientists plan to refine this type of motor and achieve 50% savings.Mazda Skyactiv-G Motor
The Japanese company Mazda has always sought to create innovative engines. For example, some production cars are equipped with rotary power units. Now the designers of the car concern have thoroughly taken up fuel economy. Next year it is planned to release a car with the Skyactiv-G engine. He will be the first model from the Skyactiv family. The 1.3-liter Skyactiv-G sports engine will be installed on the compact version of the Mazda2. Distribute torque will be a variator gearbox. The power plant is characterized by a high compression ratio, so that fuel savings of up to 15% are achieved. The developers claim that the average consumption of gasoline will be about 3l / 100 km.
Opposite engines were equipped with different cars by different automakers. This design is not without flaws, which engineers continue to work on. As you know, in a boxer engine, the cylinders are horizontal and the pistons move in opposite directions. EcoMotors designers placed two pistons in each cylinder, which are directed to each other. The crankshaft is located between the cylinders, and connecting rods of different lengths are used to move the pistons in one cylinder. This arrangement of the piston group allowed to reduce the weight of the engine, since massive cylinder heads are not required. Significantly less piston stroke in the opposed unit than in a traditional gasoline engine. According to EcoMotors engineers, a car with an OPOC engine should consume about 2 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. Powertrain Pinnacle
Another promising development is based on the boxer engine. In a Pinnacle motor, two pistons move towards each other while in the same cylinder. Between them, ignition of the fuel mixture occurs. The engine has two crankshafts and the same length of the connecting rods. This design allows you to get tremendous energy savings at low cost power unit. It is assumed that the efficiency of the gasoline engine can be increased by 50%. Across the planet, scientists are looking for new approaches to creating powerful, economical and environmentally friendly ICE models. Some developments look quite promising, for others the future is not so bright. However, only time will decide who will bathe in glory, and whose development will fall on the dusty shelves of the archive. The new multi-fuel engine is ready for mass production. With the same power, the new engine is more than 2 times lighter than ICE
Cyclone Power Technologies has announced the completion of development and testing of a new type of multi-fuel engine. Currently, the stage of commercialization of the new product, as well as its certification for the automotive industry, has begun. A new type of engine called the Waste Heat Engine (WHE) is a device for converting the thermal energy of a burning fuel into mechanical work. Actually, the internal combustion engine (ICE) does the same, but in contrast to it, WHE is an external combustion engine.
The principle of operation of WHE is very simple: in the external combustion chamber, the heat carrier, deionized water is heated, which in turn pushes the pistons or turns the turbine. The efficiency of WHE does not exceed that of a diesel engine, but an external combustion engine has several advantages.
First of all, WHE can consume any fuel: liquid or gaseous. It can be ethanol, diesel fuel, gasoline, coal, biomass, or mixtures thereof - in general, anything you like, including the heat of sunlight, exhaust steam, etc. For example, the initial tests used fuel obtained from the peel of an orange, palm or cottonseed oil, chicken fat. At the same time, biofuels can not be diluted with oil, which means that the emission of the WHE engine can be cleaner. Since WHE is able to operate at a relatively low temperature of 225 degrees Celsius, it can use a variety of heat sources for operation.
One of the main advantages of WHE is less parts and a simpler device than ICEs, cnews.ru says. External combustion does not require a complex valve system and gas distribution mechanism, although due to high pressure high strength materials must be used. In general, WHE-DR is much lighter than a traditional ICE. Thus, a typical 4-cylinder engine block weighs about 90 kg, while a similar WHE aluminum block weighs about 35 kg.
The cost of manufacturing a WHE should not be higher than the cost of manufacturing a similar-power ICE, but the new engine will be lighter and will be able to use the cheapest types of fuel.
Small car chassis with a 330 hp WHE engine In the center there are tanks for various types of fuel: coal powder, liquefied gas (hydrogen, methane, etc.), liquid fuel (gasoline, biofuel, etc.).
WHE engines can be used in the entire power range. In particular, small electric generators with a capacity of 1 kW to 10 kW will be small in size and will be able to feed on any type of fuel, which is extremely important for emergency energy sources. The same engines can be used for small equipment, such as lawn mowers, or put them in bags for use in industry, on ships, etc.
Medium-sized WHE engines with 100-400 hp ideal for cars and small boats, and large engines with power from 400 to 1000 hp - for ships.
Due to the absence of smoke, vibration, less noise during operation and more environmentally friendly exhaust, external combustion engines can be used to power city trains and other types of public transport.
INFORMALS
Many of us probably know that the internal combustion engine was invented a long time ago, it was already in the century before last. Since then, many original design solutions have been proposed that would seem to be able to overturn all concepts of engine building. The coup still did not happen, and our good friend - the crank piston engine slowly, conquered the whole world. However, it is still worth talking about the informals of the world of engines.
Rotary wave motor
One of the original designs of the internal combustion engine was proposed by our compatriots. This design is rather unusual and is called a rotary wave engine. Let's first understand what elements this tricky structure consists of and how it works, and then we'll talk about all the advantages and disadvantages.
Design
The engine (1) is used as the basis for the engine. It has a rather unusual shape, on the internal surfaces of which special screw channels are made. Inside the case there is a hollow rotor (2) having the same screw channels on its surface. The hollow rotor and the power take-off shaft (3) are interconnected by a constant velocity joint (CV joint) (4). Please note that on the right side of the hollow rotor is a mechanism consisting of a block of gears (5) and an eccentric (6). Thanks to it, the rotor has the ability to run on the helical surface of the housing. The entire engine is conditionally divided into three main parts: the compressor compartment (A), the combustion chamber (B) and the expansion compartment (C).
How does a rotary wave motor work?
From the design of the engine, we smoothly proceed to consider the working process of the Two-Hypotrochoid RVD, where the two-way housing works in conjunction with a single-start rotor, and it consists in the following. As soon as the power take-off shaft begins to make rotational movements in the cavity, located between the screw channels of the rotor and the casing, in the compressor compartment, air starts to be sucked in. Since we are considering the joint operation of a two-start housing and a single-start rotor, two portions of air will fall into the compassor compartment for one revolution of the power take-off shaft.
After the air has been captured and cut off from the environment, it is directed through a screw channel into the combustion chamber, undergoing comprehensive compression. Diesel additives can be added there. This is due to the fact that the height of the screw channels of the rotor and the housing decreases, approaching the combustion chamber. After the air has passed the compression stage, it enters the combustion chamber directly, and at the same time, fuel is injected.
A candle is provided in the combustion chamber to ignite the combustible mixture, although it is necessary only for the first ignition. Since in the future, the combustion of the mixture will occur only due to the hot gases remaining in the combustion chamber. After the transformation of the fuel mixture into hot gas, the latter is sent to the screw channels of the expansion compartment, having huge pressure and temperature in its arsenal.
The expansion chamber is the exact opposite of the compressor chamber - the height of the channels along the direction of gas movement only increases. Due to this, useful work takes place, since, expanding, the gases make the rotor rotate. True, part of the received power is lost when compressing the next portion of air necessary for the "fiery heart".
Advantages of the rotary wave engine
It should be said that above we examined the most simplified design of a rotary wave engine. There are engines of this type with a five-way housing and a four-way rotor. Moreover, such multi-start constructions can play the role of gears, since with four rotors running around the screw surface of the housing, the output shaft will make only one full revolution. That is, the engine itself allows you to increase the torque four times, which is not so little agree.
Another advantage of the engine is hidden in a minimum number of friction pairs. In fact, friction is present only in bearings on which a power take-off shaft is fixed and in a constant velocity joint. But what about the losses associated with the fact that the rotor runs around the body, you ask? These losses are simply absent, the rotor waves "diverge" at the minimum possible distance from the waves of the casing. The advantages include the small mass of this type of engine. After all, looking at the diagram, you will not find either a gas distribution mechanism, or a heavy flywheel, or a crankshaft. Since the rotor itself is the simplest gas distribution mechanism, and the flywheel does not need a rotary wave engine, because it simply does not have alternating movement. Due to the small number of parts and their small mass, the rotary wave engine is able to develop revolutions in the range from 3000 to 30000 rpm.
The omnivorous nature of this engine should be discussed separately. Indeed, in principle, a high-octane fuel is necessary for a rotary-wave engine only at the time of start-up, as soon as the combustion chamber warms up, then any combustible liquid can actually be fed into it, the main thing is that hot gases necessary for rotor rotation are released during combustion.
Rotary Wave Motor Disadvantage
This type of engine has one significant minus, which, in principle, impedes its global distribution - this is high technological effectiveness, and, accordingly, an even higher cost of finished products. So a large number of pluses overlap with one fat minus.
Rodless piston engine
The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a rodless piston engine was born in our country for a long time. The events took place at the turn of the thirties and forties in the design bureau, where they dealt with the development and construction of aircraft engines. One of the designers of this closed enterprise proposed then to move away from the usual scheme of the internal combustion engine, where the piston and crankshaft are interconnected by means of a connecting rod. This designer was S. Balandin, and he developed a new type of internal combustion engine - a rodless ICE, which was later called the Balandin engine.
How does a rodless piston engine work?
In order to understand how this miracle of engineering works, first take a look at the drawing. The engine consists of the following parts: 1,2,3,4 - pistons, 5,6 - bearings, 7,8 - cantilever shafts, with bearings for the crankshaft, 9,10,11,12 - gears of the synchronization mechanism, 13 - cranked shaft, 14.15 - slider, 16 - power take-off shaft.
Now let's see how all these components work interconnectedly. So, imagine that the fuel-air mixture enters the combustion chamber of the first cylinder, first it gradually compresses, and then it ignites. The sharply increased pressure of the hot gases forces the piston 1 and the slider 14 rigidly connected with it to move down. The arising movement immediately takes the crankshaft 13 out of its idle state, since the increasing pressure from the side of the slider makes it rotate around the bearings, which are located on the cantilever shafts 7 and 8. In turn, the rather complex planetary rotation of the crankshaft 13 instantly makes rotational movements and cantilever shafts 7.8. As a result of these intricacies of mutual displacements, a torque arises, which is transmitted through synchronizing gears 9,10,11,12 to the power take-off shaft 16.
According to Balandin's theory, the design considered above should have a high mechanical efficiency equal to approximately 94 percent, while a conventional, that is, connecting rod internal combustion engine could boast only 85 percent efficiency. In addition to high efficiency, the engine should have the following advantages. Firstly, it reduces the load on the pistons, as unlike crank engine, they do not warp during movement, as a result of which there is no piston friction against the cylinder wall. Secondly, there is the possibility of using a piston volume for air injection, or for organizing a work process. Thirdly, there is the possibility of abandoning the flywheel, since the pistons and sliders have sufficient mass, and hence inertia.
It would seem that how many advantages this engine has over the connecting rod engine, but why has it not yet been put into mass production? But the thing is as follows. Problems with this design began almost immediately after the construction of the first prototypes. They categorically resisted to work, the "first-born" jammed almost after the first revolutions of the crankshaft. But after this problem was solved, then the problem was piston scuffing, new troubles began - the engine refused to produce the required engine life. This time, the fault was the extremely strong wear of the guide sliders. At the same time, they encountered the difficulty of supplying lubricant to the sliders and their guides.
A lot of problems associated with the development of the engine led to the fact that a large number of designers initially picked up the idea of \u200b\u200bBalandin, refused further work in this area. Yes, plus everything else, the engine was very complicated from a technological point of view. Since many interconnected elements were used in the motor, the tolerances on the dimensions of these parts should have been minimal, otherwise the engine's performance would have been a big question. It should also be said that most of the engine-building enterprises in our country could not boast of the high-precision equipment necessary for the production of rodless engines. But even if it were imagined that the production of these unusual units would have been mastered, the figures for their cost were surprising, I think, no less than the design decisions.
Kushul engine
In the modern world, it has become fashionable to be environmentally friendly. Literally everyone is talking about environmental cleanliness. First of all, this issue affected the road transport, not for nothing that most modern cars comply with Euro 4 standards. Even in our nature, an unloving country, Euro 2 norms have been introduced. Money is spent on improving environmental safety of cars, they go on improving injection systems, developing the latest converters, as well as the production of the latest types of fuel. Probably, many know about all of the above, but few know about the development of an environmentally friendly engine in the 60s of the last century, working at the Leningrad Institute of Aviation Instrumentation. 
The engine, built by the professor at first glance, resembled a regular 6-cylinder V-shaped engine with a small angle of camber. But this is only at first glance. In fact, there were cardinal differences. The engine consisted of 1.2 well-known pistons, 3.4 connecting rods of a non-standard design, a flywheel - 5, a cylinder block 6. A distinctive feature of this engine was a bypass window 7 connecting parallel cylinders to each other.
In order to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of the Kushul engine, let's look at its working process. The inlet - the pistons, as on a "normal" engine, go down, but the whole difference is that one cylinder is "fed" with a highly re-enriched fuel-air mixture, and the second only gets clean air and not a gram of fuel. Compression - the pistons go up, compressing the “good” inside the cylinders. Moreover, the pistons come with a slight difference, the first ahead of the second by 20-30 degrees. That is, when the fuel-air mixture is ignited in the first cylinder, the piston 2 is 30-40 degrees from bm. Working stroke - the piston 1 begins to move downward under the action of expanding gases, while the piston 2 still continues it moves upward and compresses the air in the cylinder. After a while, the pistons will line up and the pressure above pistons 1 and 2 will have approximately the same value. But the stroke continues and the piston 1 moves down, the hot gas pressure above it decreases, and the piston 2 continues to move up and compress the air in the cylinder. Due to the large pressure difference, the air in the second cylinder begins to flow into the first through the bypass window at high speed. A new portion of air allows the fuel trapped in the first cylinder to burn completely. After piston 2 has passed bmw in it, the working course also begins. Hot gases at this moment in time simultaneously act on two pistons at once. Release - exhaust valves open, both pistons go up, emitting combustion products into the atmosphere, all like a conventional engine, but with one caveat. The release process of the Kushul engine is not very loud, the fault is the low pressure of the exhaust gases - the fuel fell into one cylinder, and the expansion of hot gases occurred in two. By the way, one more advantage of this engine can be traced here - a rather high efficiency, since the energy of hot gases is used as much as possible in the bowels of the engine, and the exhaust gas is emitted at relatively low pressure and temperature.
The main trump card of this engine, for which it was created in principle, is the low emission of harmful substances, due to the most complete combustion of fuel. The advantages include the ability to work on various types of fuel and efficiency.
As always, it was not without a fly in the ointment. All the flaws "got out" during the sea trials of the engine built by Kushul, which was implanted in the "body" of the legendary "Volga". There were not many shortcomings, but they were quite substantial. The first is the large mass of the unit, they tried to fight it using lightweight parts, but their service life was significantly less than that of massive ones. The second is the unbalanced operation of the engine, since two cylinders worked at each moment of time, the engine was similar to a three-cylinder engine. A balance shaft was not provided for in the design of this engine, although now almost all three-cylinder engines are paired with a “balancer”.
As in other cases, the design of this engine did not "go" for technological reasons. A conventional engine was much easier to manufacture than a Kushul engine. And how it all started well then.
Rotary piston diesel
I think that many have heard of Wankel rotary piston engines. This type of engine got its fame in our country thanks to two automobile companies - this is VAZ and Mazda. Although moving the first company is, frankly, a copy of the second engine. "Mazda" certainly shed a lot of sweat and blood, bringing the design of the rotary piston engine to perfection, and she, it should be said, managed to do it. Although if you look at the history, then in the rotary piston boom, which was about forty years ago, probably all the companies that were at least somehow connected with the development of engines took part. During this period, a lot of interesting rotary piston engines were made. We will talk about one of them - this is a rotary piston diesel engine designed by the famous Rolls-Royce company. 
The figure shows a two-stage rotary piston diesel engine Rolls-Royce. The basis for the engine was housing 8 in which there were two working cavities. In the cavity 3, the rotor of the high-pressure stage 5 was located, and in the cavity 1, the rotor of the low-pressure stage 7. In addition, the rotors were of different sizes, one was three times smaller than the other, they also differed in the shape of the working surface - the small one had special notches, the big one could not boast of it. Both rotors synchronously rotated in one direction, as they were connected by a gear transmission. The power take-off shaft docked with the eccentric shaft of the rotor 7. There were two cavities in the casing - 2.6, which connected the high and low pressure stages, as well as two windows - 9 and 10, respectively, the outlet and inlet. Nozzle 4 was located in the upper part of the body and supplied “heavy” fuel to the high pressure stage.
This engine worked as follows. The rotor 7 cut off a portion of the air from the environment that entered the low-pressure section through the inlet 10. Then the air moved through the channel 2 into the high-pressure section, experiencing slight compression, but only until the face of the rotor 5 crossed the bypass channel. After the air was in the cavity between the rotor 5 and the housing 8, it experienced strong all-round compression and was gradually transferred to the working area of \u200b\u200bthe nozzle 4. After fuel was injected into the pre-compressed air, combustion took place. The gases formed expanded only in the high-pressure section, but only until the face of the rotor 5 opened access to the bypass channel 6. After that, the expansion already took place in two sections, until the face of the rotor 7 opened the outlet window 9.
Many of you will probably wonder: "Why was it necessary to make the engine two-section?" Two-sectioning was primarily necessary in order to organize a diesel cycle in a rotary piston engine. Secondly, the pressure on the eccentric shafts of the rotors was halved, respectively, this gave an increase in engine life.
When designing this unusual engine, the Rolls-Royce company solved a huge number of technical problems. Big problems were associated with the selection of the ideal shape of the grooves made in the working surface of the rotor of the high-pressure stage. A lot of time was taken up by issues related to rotor bearings and radial seals. Since in diesel engines the loads on these elements are much greater than in an engine running on gasoline.
After the engine was finally brought to mind, Rolls-Royce had to make a difficult decision for itself. Namely, to close this project. Since the engine, although it pleased with its positive features, all the advantages of diesel engines and the compactness of the RPD can be attributed here, but it was quite difficult to manufacture, had a high cost and, most importantly, a small resource.
Maxim Uteshev
It's obvious that internal combustion engine not economical enough and essentially has low efficiency. This forces scientists to look for alternatives - in particular, to create affordable electric or hydrogen transport. However, recent developments show that ICE can be made truly effective. What makes this feasible and what prevents the use of such technologies in practice right now?
Internal combustion engine without exaggeration, he spun the motor of scientific and technological progress. Road transport is the most important means of transporting passengers and goods. In the United States today, almost 800 cars fall per 1,000 people, and by 2020 in Russia this figure will be about 350 cars per thousand people.
The vast majority of more than a billion cars on the planet still use the internal combustion engine (ICE), invented in the 19th century. Despite all the technological tricks and “smart” electronics, the efficiency of modern gasoline engines is still “marking” around the 30% mark.
The most economical diesel ICEs have an efficiency of 50%, that is, even they emit half of the fuel in the form of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Naturally, there is no need to talk about the economy of ICE, especially when you consider that modern cars burn 10–20 liters of fuel per 100 km of track. Not surprisingly, scientists around the world are trying to create affordable electric and hydrogen cars. However, the concept of an internal combustion engine did not exhaust the potential of modernization.
Thanks to the latest achievements in the field of electronics and materials, it became possible to create a truly effective ICE.
Eco motor
Company engineers EcoMotors International creatively redesigned the design of a traditional ICE. He retained the pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft and flywheel, but the new engine is 15–20% more efficient, moreover, it is much easier and cheaper to manufacture. At the same time, the engine can run on several types of fuel, including gasoline, diesel and ethanol.
Fig. 1. Overall, the EcoMotors engine has an elegant, simple design that has 50% less parts than a conventional motor.
This was achieved by using the opposed engine design, in which the combustion chamber is formed by two pistons moving towards each other. At the same time, the engine is two-stroke and consists of two modules with 4 pistons in each, connected by a special coupling with electronic control.
Engine fully electronically controlleddue to which it was possible to achieve high efficiency and minimum fuel consumption. For example, in traffic jams and other cases when the full engine power is not needed, only one of the two modules works, which reduces fuel consumption and noise.
The motor is also equipped with electronically controlled turbocharger, which utilizes the energy of exhaust gases and generates electricity. Overall, the EcoMotors engine has an elegant, simple design that has 50% less parts than a conventional motor. It does not have a cylinder head block, it is made of ordinary materials and produces less noise and vibration.
At the same time, the engine turned out to be very light: it produces more than 1 hp per 1 kg of weight (in practice, it is approximately 2 times lighter than a traditional engine of the same power). Moreover, the EcoMotors product is easily scalable: just add a few modules and the small engine turns into the motor of a powerful truck.
An experienced EcoMotors EM100 engine with dimensions of 57.9 x 104.9 x 47 cm weighs 134 kg and produces 325 hp. at 3,500 rpm (diesel), cylinder diameter - 100 mm. The fuel consumption of a five-seater car with an EcoMotors engine is planned to be extremely low - at the level of 3-4 liters per 100 km.
Savings in everything
Achates Power has set a goal to develop ICEs with a fuel consumption of 3-4 liters per 100 km for a car the size of a Ford Fiesta. While their experimental diesel engine shows a much greater appetite, but the developers hope to reduce consumption. However the main thing in this motor – extremely simple construction and low cost. We agree that saving on fuel is worth little if it costs the cost of repeatedly increasing the cost of the engine.
Fig. 2. The Achates Power engine has an extremely simple design.
The Achates Power engine has an extremely simple design. This is a two-stroke boxer diesel engine in which two pistons move towards each other, forming a combustion chamber. Thus, there is no need for a cylinder head and a complex gas distribution mechanism. Most motor parts are manufactured using simple manufacturing processes and do not require expensive materials. In general, the engine contains much less parts and metal than a regular one.
At present, the Achates Power motor demonstrates 21% greater efficiency than the best "traditional" diesel engines in testing. Moreover, it has a modular design, high specific power (weight / hp ratio). Also, due to the special shape of the upper part of the piston, a vortex flow of a special shape is created, which provides excellent mixing of the air-fuel mixture, efficient heat dissipation and reduced combustion time.
As a result, the engine not only meets the military specifications of the US Army, but also surpasses the characteristics of engines that are currently installed on military equipment.
Easy way
American company Transonic combustion decided not to create a new engine, but to achieve impressive (25-30%) fuel economy with the help of a new injection system.
The high-tech TSCiTM injection system does not require radical engine alterations and, in fact, is a set of injectors and a special fuel pump.
Fig. 3. The TSCiTM combustion process uses direct injection of supercritical fluid gasoline and a dedicated ignition system.
The TSCiTM combustion process uses direct injection of supercritical fluid gasoline and a dedicated ignition system.
Supercritical fluid – it is a state of matter at a certain temperature and pressure, when it is neither a solid, nor a liquid, nor a gas. In this state, the substance acquires interesting properties, for example, has no surface tension, and forms fine particles during the phase transition. In addition, supercritical fluid has the ability to quickly transfer mass. All these properties are extremely useful in an internal combustion engine, in particular, supercritical fuel mixes quickly, does not have large droplets, quickly burns out with optimal heat dissipation and high cycle efficiency.
Electronic valve
Company Grail engine technologies developed a unique two-stroke engine with very attractive characteristics.
So, with the consumption of 3-4 liters per “hundred”, the engine produces 200 hp. 100 hp engine weighs less than 20 kg and a power of 5 hp - only 11 kg! At the same time, the Grail Engine, unlike conventional two-stroke engines, does not pollute the fuel with oil from the crankcase, which means that it meets the most stringent environmental standards.
The engine itself consists of simple parts, mainly made by casting. The secret to outstanding performance lies in the way the Grail Engine works. During the movement of the piston upward, negative air pressure is created below and through a special carbon fiber valve air enters the combustion chamber. At a certain point in the movement of the piston, fuel begins to be supplied, then at the top dead center, using three ordinary electric candles, the fuel-air mixture is ignited, the valve in the piston closes. The piston goes down, the cylinder is filled with exhaust gases. Upon reaching the bottom dead center, the piston again begins to move upward, the air flow ventilates the combustion chamber, pushing the exhaust gases, the cycle of work is repeated.
Fig. 4. The secret of outstanding performance lies in the way the Grail Engine works.
Compact and powerful Grail Engine Ideal for hybrid cars where a gasoline engine generates electricity and electric motors spin the wheels.
In such a machine, the Grail Engine will work in optimal mode without sudden power surges, which will significantly increase its durability, reduce noise and fuel consumption. Moreover, the modular design allows you to connect two or more single-cylinder Grail Engine to the common crankshaft, which makes it possible to create in-line engines of various power.
New models of cars appear every year - but for some reason they are not worth the above economical and simple engines. Indeed, everyone is interested in the engines of the new design: from the ubiquitous investor Bill Gates to the Pentagon. However, automakers are in no hurry to install new products on their cars. Apparently, the whole point is that large automakers themselves produce engines and, of course, do not want to share profits with third-party developers.
But in any case, strict environmental standards and electric cars will force automakers to introduce new technologies that are much more important for the health of people and the whole planet than multimedia systems and design delights.
