Scrapbook of Experimental Rotary Engines

This is a follow-up to my previous Experimental Rotary ICEs video. It shows the family tree & close-ups of the prototypes that haven't been cannibalized for spare parts. The earliest sketches for some of these models date back to the early '80s. Work has been carried out since then whenever time & $ permits. Thousands of man-hours later & with the benefit of hindsight, many of these designs are admittedly naive. However, they were a necessary part of the learning process. The work continues & the current designs are more refined.

The latest model produces 1/5 horsepower on the dynamometer & it does so without requiring any lubrication, or a cooling system. Performance should improve with the next generation seals. Some models have been dry run (no combustion) for months at a time without any problems. The wear properties of graphite-on-polished-steel are truly unbelievable! The advantages of being able to modulate the vane engagement (for ganging up & throttle control) is very noteworthy.

Three new designs are currently on the drawing board. One uses a single rotor & 2 vanes to compress & burn the charge. In another version, the vanes pivot rather than slide. A third design uses graphite lined metal rotors & vanes. The purpose of this program is to develop more fuel efficient engines. These videos are intended to inspire & motivate interested parties into building their own prototypes for the benefit of all. -Dave

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• rotary
• internal
• combustion
• engine
• alternative
• energy
• fuel
• hybrid
• efficient
• hydrogen
• gasoline
• biodiesel
• oil
• experimental

[BlakeMason2]

Truly a labor of love. The machining is quite intense. You really must have skill to be ablt to do that at home. I envy people with home shops--I would so like to join you in an endeavor like this. Do you really do paper CAD? I couldn't live w/o Solidworks. That's $7,899 for one seat of the software.

[RotaryICEman]

Thanks. I have used Solidworks before, but I prefer open source software. I have dropped Windows in favor of LINUX, and I'm now benefiting from the many free applications that are available for it.

[RotaryICEman]

I continue to get allot of requests for blueprints & more detailed information. Note that it's all posted on the "Open_RotaryEngine" Yahoo! group. There are hundreds of files there including: sketches, code, schematics, pictures, commentary, etc.

[bigqman123]

ICEMAN.....make more videos!!!!

[RotaryICEman]

I was working on another video, but it was really just more of the same, so I set it aside. I'll try to post some more material, and snippets on the Yahoo group when I get a chance. There are some people working on an animation, and I'll post it as soon as they finish it.

[RotaryICEman]

NOTICE: I've finally posted a paper on the theory of operation, and a proposed powerplant application. It's a first draft, and it's incomplete, but it's a start. It's up on the Yahoo! group. I always try to reply to all the messages that I receive, but note that it may take me a week, or more to do so, so please be patient. Thanks for all your comments, and feedback.

[4mulas]

Buying experience 

[2ndsonof8]

Wow, what a work! Well done! You have accomplished a fantastic job! Your engine number 15 is very similar to the one I've been struggling to build. It looks like the rotary engine designed by Franchot, a long time ago. Did you build all of the engine parts by yourself? What about the sealing, is it possible, in your opinion, to get them working with direct injection of diesel/biodiesel?

[chabbalato]

looks like a few promising rotary compressor designs!

[Electrorod1]

This is gonna kill the Wankel.