Perfect engine for a Seven

[panamericano]

Light?  Ridiculously.  Looks better than a science experiment, so far.

 

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/company-builds-powerful-500cc-one-stroke-engine-immediately-installs-it-in-a-miata?utm_term=The Drive_Wire_07.14.23&utm_campaign=The Drive_Wire_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email

[IamScotticus]

Experimental airplanes rejoice!

[MV8]

No need to toss the ford plants just yet. The thrust angle versus the rotor ramp angle, compression ratio, and throttle rate would be critical. I expect the throttle response to be very slow/turbine like so good for recip aircraft that maintain rpm for the most part but not so much for ground vehicles. Imho, an on-demand/throttleable hydrogen converter cell is the ultimate engine with no need for storage as a load buffer.

Edited July 15, 2023 by MV8

[inchoate]

iirc they've been using swashplate engines in naval torpedoes for quite a while but the opposed piston thing is a pretty cool twist.  i don't think they throttle well but maybe a good power plant as half of a hybrid system.

[Christopher smith]

Maybe those torpedo engines were running on Otto Fuel. It is mostly propylene glycol dinitrate which is essentially nitroglycerin minus 1 nitrate group. Terrible stuff to work with. Has anyone tried nitromethane in a seven? That is another example of a molecule that has its own oxygen and loads of energy. Crazy stuff for sure but I think Grand Prix cars used exotic mixtures decades ago in piston engines and drag racers still do.

[inchoate]

all of this is way outside my area of expertise but iirc back in the 80s turbo era of F1 they were running basically pure toluene for qualifying so they could get the boost way up without detonation.

[Christopher smith]

For sure toluene is a great fuel and outstanding octane booster. I think the nitromethane was pre- WW2 Grand Prix stuff. I suspected that some of the early lead free pump fuels might have contained some highly toxic benzene which was not quite separated completely from the toluene processing. Probably ok now and since most of us have not gotten leukemia from the 1970s-1980s we are probably in the clear by now. Still best to avoid contact. Sorry for the boring chemistry.

[CarlB]

Mercedes pre-war grand prix cars used Nitrobenzene. If you want some really powerful oxygen baring fuel, try Hydrazine. The byproducts of combustion are way more toxic than nitromethane or benzine. 

[Christopher smith]

 Many thanks CarlB for that clarification on nitrobenzene. Although hydrazine (N2H4) has no oxygen on its own, I would bet if you adjusted the mixture it would go like "rocket fuel" and burn a few engine components while doing it!---in fact it was used a lot as rocket fuel but needed fuming nitric acid, liquid oxygen or high strength hydrogen peroxide to  provide oxygen and work in rockets. And yes, hydrazine and the newer unsymetrical dimethyl hydrazine are really nasty. My work was mostly in solid rocket propellants ( Indian Head NOS) however.

[S1Steve]

Thanks for the interesting chemistry lesson Gentlemen. As someone that worked in a petroleum refinery, it’s cool to learn about something a little different…. Class Dismissed…🍻

[7Westfield]

Top Fuel runs nitromethane

all the crews wear face masks when they test run one

if you wander up at the wrong time, it just brings tears to your eyes

really takes some hot stuff to get 12K hp out of 500 inches