| News: Hot rod engineer makes six-stroke engine |
| 17 Mar 06 15:14 |
Hot rod builder and former drag racer Bruce Crower has developed an engine that captures the energy usually lost in waste heat. The veteran engineer has been studying this problem for around 30 years, and has now come up with a solution.
Crower's six-stroke engine works on the principle of water injection: after the exhaust stroke, as in a conventional four-stroke combustion cycle, water is injected into the cylinders. Both intake and exhaust valves are closed, the water quickly turns to steam and an additional - fifth - stroke adds to the cycle. The steam is then vented from the exhaust valve as a sixth stroke.
Efficiency of the engine is said to have been improved by up to 40% and the engine is said to be only warm to the touch after running for an hour. As the water has a cooling effect, increased combustion ratios are possible, leading to improved efficiency and reduced carbon deposits in the combustion chamber.
However, fuel vapourisation is a potential drawback and emissions may be increased. The power output in the conventional four strokes of the combustion cycle is also reduced by around a third, and the added weight of the containers for the water - it would need another tank alongside the petrol tank - also affects performance and consumption.
Water could also have a detrimental effect on engine life and on catalytic converters. It's unlikely that such an engine would reach production in the near future - water injection has been tried before and the concept discarded - but Crower is to continue with his experimentation.
Crower's six-stroke engine works on the principle of water injection: after the exhaust stroke, as in a conventional four-stroke combustion cycle, water is injected into the cylinders. Both intake and exhaust valves are closed, the water quickly turns to steam and an additional - fifth - stroke adds to the cycle. The steam is then vented from the exhaust valve as a sixth stroke.
Efficiency of the engine is said to have been improved by up to 40% and the engine is said to be only warm to the touch after running for an hour. As the water has a cooling effect, increased combustion ratios are possible, leading to improved efficiency and reduced carbon deposits in the combustion chamber.
However, fuel vapourisation is a potential drawback and emissions may be increased. The power output in the conventional four strokes of the combustion cycle is also reduced by around a third, and the added weight of the containers for the water - it would need another tank alongside the petrol tank - also affects performance and consumption.
Water could also have a detrimental effect on engine life and on catalytic converters. It's unlikely that such an engine would reach production in the near future - water injection has been tried before and the concept discarded - but Crower is to continue with his experimentation.
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