By definition, a turbine is more economical than internal combustion due to higher efficiency. However, I doubt meeting emissions requirements is in the cards.
I don't see why not. A continuous combustion process should be _easier_ to clean up, with appropriate effort.
Then there is the pavement melting exhaust temperatures and the noise.
Harleys are noisy too. A _proper_ muffler makes all the difference in the world, and at a single RPM one could design a resonant system to noise-cancel. An intake muffler is also somewhat necessary, and I think they might to be able to do something with asymmetric blades to cut the 'whine'. Just like on radiator fans. High RPM makes for better energy density, and cuts the size of any mufflers needed. If the exhaust temperature is too high they need a better extractor. (Turbine assembly.) For emissions and temperature control I'm sure they'd use ducted bypass air to mix with the exhaust stream anyway.
In the sixties or seventies the Navy experimented with portable turbine powered de-watering pumps, but they weren't too practical as emergency equipment to combat flooding and extremely loud.
Not the epitome of optimal engineering, those days. Loud means they didn't finish the job.
I think they could be started using only human muscle.
No need for that here. A turbine would be pretty hard to hand-start. That alone could have tanked that effort. This would use the brushless generator end as the starter motor. Really, with a potential target market of _every_ new vehicle on the roads in the world, _somebody_ could do the requisite engineering to make a task-optimized design that would be efficient, effective, practical, small, and (relatively) cheap. I don't see why it wouldn't be 2-3x the price of an automotive turbocharger. Patent the sucker. They'd make a fortune. -- Jim _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
