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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
I wish you hadn't referred to the boxer layout.... :
If you look at the ecomotors website- www.ecomotors.com and give it a minute, the banner plays a real cool animation of the engine in action. Pretty cool.
This engine was originally designed for military vehicles- tanks specifically. You can freight train banks of these engines to increase displacement and power. You can also clutch banks of these when power is not needed to increase fuel mileage. A very cool design.
Machine Design magazine interviewed one of the innovators of this design. You can find this interview on their website, I believe. -
Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
Interesting, it looks kind of like what you'd get if you took a Napier Deltic and put everything on one crankshaft.
Other than the weird piston pin on the side of the engine, it doesn't look too tricky to build, but I'm not sure about the power claims.Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
I spotted this a couple of years ago. It has been in use already...
I wonder what another $23.5 million is doing.
the drawback is one failure is now twice. :
must be one hell of a resonance when it decides to skip a fart.
the "hypocrisy" engines.. I wish they would go away. Like counterbalanced cranks and shared rod pins...
absolutely silly retardation.
linear to rotation needs alot of control. This engine does not have it.
hey, mr.gates.. gimme 23 million to design an engine.Previously boxer3main
the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
I seem to remember seeing a steam engine designed a 100 years ago had a two piston, single cylinder setup very similar to this thing. I'm not going to bash someone who is trying to think outside the box when it comes to designing something new.BS'er formally known as Rebeldryver
Resident Instigator
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
Thanks for citing the website and Machine Design article. I'm going to do a little further reading on the OPOC design. In the video on www.ecomotors.com they stated that their goal is to demonstrate a production vehicle capable of achieving 100mpg, while a consumer automotive application is interesting, 100mpg can be readily achieved by more conventional or other alternative methods. We're probably not likely to see this sold to the masses if anything, the neat modular design will probably keep it in the industrial or military sectors.Originally posted by RRI wish you hadn't referred to the boxer layout.... :
If you look at the ecomotors website- www.ecomotors.com and give it a minute, the banner plays a real cool animation of the engine in action. Pretty cool.
This engine was originally designed for military vehicles- tanks specifically. You can freight train banks of these engines to increase displacement and power. You can also clutch banks of these when power is not needed to increase fuel mileage. A very cool design.
Machine Design magazine interviewed one of the innovators of this design. You can find this interview on their website, I believe.
edit: I couldn't find the article on Machine Design's website but I did find this video interview from Machine Design on another website, check it out it ya'll are interested...
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
huh??? WHERE?Originally posted by boxer3main
I was involved with a different engine that competed with the above referenced engine last year for government funding for "enhanced efficiency engine combinations"
ALL that these guys had, was a youtube video of an engine running for less than 10 seconds, very very unimpressive. My team drove vehicles equipped with OUR powertrain, to the showdown.
Neither of us won the grants - they went to a company in Finland who was being pimped by Al Gore :
This engine is in the early prototype stages. There are no 100mpg, 1000hp versions of this engine anywhere that I am aware of. Maybe something's changed in the last 8 months, however.www.realtuners.com - catch the RealTuners Radio Podcast on Youtube, Facebook, iTunes, and anywhere else podcasts are distributed!Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
Neat stuff, man. Although, I don't suppose you can openly talk about it. Regardless, it must have been a fun project to work on.Originally posted by dieselgeek
The websites and available online information seems to be at least 2 years old. A ten second YouTube clip? C'mon! That wouldn't even pass muster in one of my BS engineering classes, lol.ALL that these guys had, was a youtube video of an engine running for less than 10 seconds, very very unimpressive. My team drove vehicles equipped with OUR powertrain, to the showdown.
Neither of us won the grants - they went to a company in Finland who was being pimped by Al Gore :
This engine is in the early prototype stages. There are no 100mpg, 1000hp versions of this engine anywhere that I am aware of. Maybe something's changed in the last 8 months, however.
Bummer to hear that your team didn't get selected to advance further but it's probably for the better. When it comes to certain technologies I'd prefer to be a privateer instead of being bound to politics and bureaucracy.Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
I can talk about it, the guys I work with are 100% open and cool.
About 2 years ago I get a call from a guy who said "Bruce Bowling told me to call you, we have an engine we're trying to use a Microsquirt on, and can't get it running, and he said you could help"
I ask the guy "Which engine is it? I've done lots"
Answer: "Uh, it's a prototype engine you've never seen before"
So, they agreed to ship me an engine! 72" v-twin, 90 degrees, final version made 100hp at 5000rpm. Anyways, I have a youtube of the engine in my buddy's shop, the first time we got it running. Clue #1 that this thing is superbadass, is the fact that it's sitting on a junk table, not bolted to anything, and not vibrating at all:
The guy who designed this engine, was involved with KTM and Husqvarna's latest 4-stroke engines - the absolute state of the art in 4-stroke design (my opinion). They had the engine running fine on carburetors, but they needed it to run on EFI and it was a challenge because none of the other EMS vendors could support the strange firing / ignition timing - the engine is 90 degree v-twin with separate crank pins that result in good balance, but odd firing order.
No problem for microsquirt. Took us an hour or two to get it running.
Then we sent it back to them, and I came out to San Jose for dyno tuning and testing of different cams, intakes, heads, etc. Lots of fun!! you run into ALL kinds of problems developing prototype engines - I'm not an engineer, or builder, I just do the EFI. But these guys are a lot of fun to work with.
Anyways, we put it on the dyno - here is one vid I took and put up on youtube:
We had a tech from Superflow pay a visit, because the engine was showing unrealistic low fuel consumption for it's displacement (really low BSFC). They thought the metering equipment on the dyno might be inaccurate - but it was calibrated and shown accurate.
The EMC/Wescoa guys are a classy bunch: their next test was to bolt the engine to a VW transaxle ans stuff it into a super clean Porsche GT-R replica (because one of the investors owns a Porsche repli-car company). Video of first drive here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dieselge...10/szNDQMM2pYw
Neat thing is, this engine is actually meant for use in a Parallel Hybrid powertrain. COmbined with a pair of patented, highly specialized electric motors, this combo put 400 ft-lbs TO THE WHEELS on a Ford F150 truck they tested late last year.
We felt we were a shoe-in for the gov't funding. Last minute surprises, we didn't get the money. I'd probably be working fulltime for these guys by now. For the moment, they're working on the stuff they can afford: another round of engines are being cast at the foundry in SoCal, with some minor revisions (oil drainbacks are being opened up, changes to crank flange, etc.)
When we saw some of the other engines seeking funding, basically nobody had their powertrains as far developed as our team. But, we didn't have flashy crazy technology - ours was based on evolution of existing engines, not some crazy far out design.
It may still take off, but it's going to be funded privately moving forward.www.realtuners.com - catch the RealTuners Radio Podcast on Youtube, Facebook, iTunes, and anywhere else podcasts are distributed!Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
Scott was leaking me some info on this deal as he was working on it and it is really neat. Sad to hear it wasn't awarded the "golden ticket". Hopefully someone in the private sector sees the value in it and sufficient cash is raised to further the development.
BrianThat which you manifest is before you.Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
Seems to be just another opposed-piston engine with a different variation of monkey motion. deltic, jumo, fairbanks-morose, cromer (see malc's sig).
The opposed pistons give high compression and corresponding thermal eff. The 2 stroke cycle yeild high hp/lb. However, emisions will be an issue. Maybe GDI and CRD can address some of this.
Still, hard to imagine that this layout is any better than the deltic
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
I remember talking with the WESCOA guys on the phone a couple times. I didn't remember much other than it being a V-twin that they had a few difficulties with; but I never heard the full story. I'm amazed they managed to get a V-twin balanced like that, having ridden a couple two cylinder bikes that had all the balance of a paint shaker.Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
from the hot rod perspective, I like the potential of running a motor with the ability to have huge intake/exhaust ports without the attendant shrouding.... I like the idea of its ability to use steam, diesel, or any burning fuel. Given the advances in material science, perhaps this could be something cool... especially if you couple it to an electric generator....Doing it all wrong since 1966Comment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
if it had any real chance of success , government funding would not be neededComment
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Re: Company Working on Strange New Engine, Bill Gates Invests $23.5M Into Project
DG, wow! Thanks for sharing the story and video clips. That V-twin is really a badass piece of machinery. The unique crank orientation, and consequent firing order, really is a neat feature.
Though that Porsche looks like a lot of fun, I'm thinking of a full tube chassis dune buggy... :o
lol!Originally posted by Aircooled
I have to admit my ignorance when it comes to ICE designs outside of the common vee and rotary designs. I didn't know of the Deltic prior to Matt's earlier post. Along with the stuff Aircooled listed, it looks like I can add some more bitchin' stuff to my summer reading list. :D
I have to say, BANGshift University is worth every bit of tuition I paid ;DComment
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