Quote:
Originally Posted by maxc
On Bruce's engine "why inject water after alot of heat is gone out the exhaust valve!"
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If I remember the magazine article correctly, it was to use the residual heat left in the cylinders & heads for more power. He let the ICE do the 4 strokes normally, but then instead of going back to "intake" (from the intake manifold), he added 2 more strokes - a water injection somewhere near TDC, which would rapidly turn to steam, cool everything in the process, and also drive the cylinder down for another "power stroke". After that, another exhaust stroke to dump the steam. Thus a "6 stroke" engine - 4 "conventional" & 2 more steam.
The benefits were more power for the gas (or diesel) burned, and a tremendous cooling effect. As I recall, he believed that, when perfected, this could eliminate the entire cooling system - radiator, etc.
The "mechanical types" I talked to after reading it thought the possible pitfall might be the radical temperature changes inside the engine as the gas heated it up & then the water cooled it back down again. Will the metals and other materials be able to withstand the stresses of much higher temperature fluctuations every 6 strokes?
Then also, as mentioned previously on here, could the water tend to dilute the oil? The rings would have to seal really well, even as the steam tries to "steam clean" the oil off the cylinders each time. In the "old days of steam", I guess the whole lubrication problem with those things was pretty serious. Gotta keep moving parts oiled so they don't wear out, but the steam is contsantly trying to "steam clean" that very oil off of them. A constant battle. They were constantly oiling stuff, and I think, used a whole lot of oil, too. Maybe that would cause problems with todays "environmental rules".
But I personally thought it was a brilliant idea. Seems he said in the article the whole thing would "go quiet" for awhile as he got his patent(s) issued & found someone to take on the R & D and bring it to market. Who knows? Did it get buried? are "they" still working on it? Did they hit a hurdle they couldn't overcome? - mechanical or legal/finacial? I'd sure like to know.