SAE Show's Far-Out Ideas: Not So Crazy These Days?
By Michelle Krebs April 13, 2010This week's Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit is the auto industry's largest gathering of engineers. And as usual, the show will feature a number of way-out (some might say "wacky") concepts - particularly for powertrains.
But with brand-new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards now set at 35.1 miles per gallon starting in 2016, maybe some of the more far-out engine ideas floating around at the SAE show will be getting a less-skeptical reception.
Giant capital investment in a new-age engine design isn't the kind of thing that happens very often anymore - the Wankel rotary engine probably was the last real move of this type, some 40 years ago - but more than a few candidates at the show nonetheless are making the pitch:
The "split-cycle" engine by the Scuderi Group LLC separates the traditional four-stroke engine cycle between two opposed pistons. One piston handles intake and compression, the other power and exhaust. The group's patent portfolio includes more than 200 patents and 50 isssuing countries.
The FEV Group, well-regarded engineering consultants, is showing an "extremely downsized" 3-cylinder engine that churns out about 94 horsepower from a meager 698 cubic centimeters of displacement. FEV says the engine's combination of variable valve timing, direct fuel injection and turbocharging all are optimized to improve partial-load operation and the engine could be useful for Japan's K-class microcars or even for hybrids.
LiquidPiston Inc. presents an SAE technical paper detailing its High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle engine, developed by "serial innovator" Nikolay Shkolnik and his son Alec, an Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad.
The LiquidPiston engine makes the claim of being 20 percent to 50 percent more thermodynamically efficient than a diesel engine. If that's not enough, it's also said to be ultra-compact, able to generate one horsepower per pound of engine weight and operate quietly enough to do without a muffler.
The Shkolniks admit they're not currently pursuing the automotive market, but a LiquidPiston engines for "conventional passenger cars could deliver 100+ miles per gallon within a decade." For now, the company is targeting commercial, industrial and military possibilities for a quiet engine that could generate 20 horsepower from a package the size of a shoebox. - Bill Visnic, Senior Editor
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