Wave Disc Engine/Generator for Series Hybrids

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by Rokeby

(Thinking of a Wankel's wipers/seals.).

The Wankel was the first thing I thought of when I looked at the illustration. It looks to be a quasi two-stroke quasi-turbine type of thing, much the way I view the Wankel engine.

-soD

[dcb]

I personally wouldn't categorize a wankel as a two stroke, it sucks and squeezes and bangs and blows like a 4 stroke (you can follow the air charge clockwise from the upper right).

[docrings]

New Video Link:

HERE

Lot's of news out this month...with what looks like a working prototype on the stand in the lab (and a model in his hands).

[NeilBlanchard]

Shock wave puts hybrid engines in a spin - tech - 15 March 2011 - New Scientist

[Frank Lee]

What's messing me up is at #4; the intake and exhaust for the chamber are uncovered at exactly the same time... one would think that in order for it to work the exhaust would only flow to the outside and the intake come into the chamber... but I presume the exhaust is under far higher pressure, because it has to be, because it didn't expand at all in the "chamber". So then in order for the intake to displace the exhaust as pictured, and the exhaust to do any useful work on blowdown, there has to be hella centrifugal force throwing all the gasses to the outside...

[NeilBlanchard]

The two eye shaped bits near 1 is stationary, and the intake comes in through 1. Both the sides are exhaust. I think.

[fjasper]

Originally Posted by Rokeby

"All the presented below results correspond to the case of heat release
steam equal 800 W and disk rotational speed equal 176 500 rpm.

The rotational speed sounds crazy, but it's not outside the realm of operation for turbochargers. Plus, it's fast enough for foil bearings to work, and they're just cool.

[docrings]

Both sides are exhaust...correct. The force from the gas expansion seems to push off the rotor and give the push to keep the spin going.

I wish I knew what the ignition source is... a constant spark fixed to the wall? What kind of tolerances are between the rotors and the outside walls, that prevent gas blow-by? Is there room for more efficiencies with rotor shape changes, exhaust outlet configurations, inlet directional vanes, timing changes by moveable fixed walls/ignition timing, etc.? Does the inlet fuel/air charge A/F ratio need to be precise or a wider range than an ICE? Carbureted or fuel injected into the air stream? ECU control with O2 sensor feedback loop?

What RPM does the turbine need to spin before fuel is introduced and ignited? What is the RPM range?

Fuel volume per KWh of electricity generated would be nice to know, too....to get a handle on fuel costs vice ICE generation for range extender operation.

So much potential, so few questions answered!