Diesel engine efficiency improved by 50%

That's pretty exciting. Doesn't seem too scammish either. If it's legit it could really solve many problems in one go. It'd certainly make diesel hybrids a lot cheaper!

 

Seems to good to be true type of thing. However I hope it is true, and that the big (little?) three don't slap that guy with a suitcase full of cash to keep the engine for themselves

 

Wow, this is legit. Amory Lovins endorses it, and the principal is sound:

Use electronics to control fuel delivery and air management (camless means solenoids for valves) reducing moving parts which reduces cost and boosts efficiency. Controlling fuel delivery precisely eliminates the need for other emission control tecnologies.

For example, an engine could be built to run clean without a cat because proper combustion took place in the first place.

Nate

 

I'd love to see it happen but we've all seen stuff like this come and go.

 

Hi All,

I googled around on this. One article says that engine torque was improved by 40 % with the Sturman electro-hydraulic valves. So, that means horsepower was improved by 40 % as well. The newspaper article apparently mispoke on the 300 % improvement in engine power.

This is a great improvement, all the same. Which may pay for the valves in over-the-road trucks.

A racing engine with these valves might see a 300 % power improvement however. As it could be built for limited lifetime service, and run at 215 % the long-life RPM. Assuming the valves could be tuned to still deliver the 40 % torque improvement at the higher RPM.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Sep 1 2007, 08:28 AM) [snapback]505368[/snapback]</div>

This is not necessarily true. You can have a 40% improvement in maximum torque without any improvement of maximum horsepower. It all depends on the torque/speed curve. If the torque is increased 40% across the entire speed range, then yes, you get a 40% increase in power. Power is a measurement of work over time, so speed and torque are equal factors. Of course an increase of torque at a given speed implies and increase of power at that speed. It's easy to jump to general conclusions that are not supported by the supplied data.

Tom

 

Hi Gbee42,

While true, its most probable the reporter of the original article did get the fact straight that the engine power was increased. Just not by 3 times as was reported. IE, a 250 HP engine now putting out 750 HP, for example.

Thinking again, its most probable the power increase was 30 %, not 300 %.