There are some fundamentals of engines that often get overlooked when these sorts of amazing claims are made. Not discounting this guys claims. Just trying to keep people's feet on the ground when examining new concepts.
First, if you're burning gasoline, stoichemetric ratio is about 14:1. That means 14 parts air to one part gasoline. Alcohol fuels are closer to 7:1. Using that ratio and your power requirements will tell you how much air you have to move through the engine in a given time period. Doesn't matter if it's a rotary or reciprocating engine. You gotta have air to burn with the fuel and air flow characteristics of engines can be dead giveaways about their power potential.
Second, although this gent's design is not exactly a reciprocating assembly, that little dwell he adds to extract a longer burn time means that his pistons have to slow down or stop once each "power stroke" which is the akin to conventional 2-stroke engines stopping at the bottom of the stroke to reverse the piston. It looks like smooth continuous rotating motion but it's not.
Third, Conventional engines run around 30% efficient. That means that for each 3hp worth of heat generated in the cylinder, one goes out the crankshaft, one out the radiator, and one out the exhaust pipe. If this guy's engine can put out cold exhaust gases and no heat is lost to the ambient environment, he would be a miracle worker. The cold exhaust idea is the basis of turbochargers and why they improve efficiency.
I'm not a believer that nothing new will be invented. But, I'm skeptical of drastic claims until proven independently. Personally, I think this guy has combined a turbine with a 2-stroke engine. If he maintains the same efficiency as convnetional motors but cuts the package down to a third the size, he'll be one smart dude and deserves to get rich. I hope it works.  |