Six-Stroke engine. How hard?

Ok this is a long shot but a future project. Bruce Crower has thought of a way to get 40% more efficiency out of an engine. He has a six stroke design that injects water onto the head and cylinder walls to use the excess heat to a free extra power stroke (not really free but come on guys). All I see that you would need to do is get a new camshaft, new timing set to allow for 6 revs rather than 4 and a direct inject water injector along with a tank.

I see this as a real plus. You can run your system leaner giving you better fuel economy and then remedy all that extra heat with a water squirt. This seems like a GREAT idea.

Modify your engine ( might be best to do 6-stroke with a 6 cylinder) fill up with gas, fill your water tank, and go.

I know this would take alot of work but really all you have to adjust the timing and the cam along with few other things. This guy did a 1cyl in 1.5 years from idea beginning idea to final project. Cost him $600 to develop and all that I think. (This was also in popular mechanics back in 2007, I'll check the article when I get home.)

Time, I have it. Precise machine shops, I have them. Cam worthy steel, I can get it. More input, I need it.

LETS KEEP ALL THE NEGATIVITY OUT OF THIS THREAD.

I'm sure 5-90 will come in, in a few minutes and tell me why this is not a good idea or tell me the exact opposite. Be civil, be nice.

thanks guy.

Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crower_six_stroke



--Alex

it only works with a delorean

sorry, i had to,....... continue

I read that article...very cool stuff...Ive also wondered why this hasnt been explored more...

diesels drive their mechanical inector with an extra cam lobe, set to hit the injector lifter much like a valve lifter, at every other revolution of the crank. makes for one crowded galley in the block, so much webbing to brace the extra load.

a six cycle will require the camshaft to run at 3/1 ratios, with all kinds of 3/2 harmonics to deal with.
sounds possible. best done with math and simulations first.

I'd read about that at school a couple of years ago - the idea seems to be making use of the "waste heat" that is retained in the castings, improving the efficiency of the heat-cycle engine. Should work with Otto or Diesel cycles (may or maybe not Wankel, and I don't think it will happen at all with two-strokes. Isn't it funny how all thre major heat-engine cycles are named after Germans? Nikolaus Otto, Rudolf Diesel, Felix Wankel...)

The basic idea is sound, and makes a lot of sense - but it probably won't pass smog. The "waste heat" he's using is part of the two-thirds that doesn't get converted into motion, so it is improving the efficiency of the cycle.

It would take a revised timing set (drive at 1:3 instead of 1:2) and modified camshaft timing to make it all happen. Either a "camel hump" on each lobe to activate the valve twice, or use a HP system to have DI water injection and a "camel hump" on the exhaust lobes for the second exhaust cycle.

I haven't looked into the idea in a while, but it's on my list. I think it's a good idea - it would probably help keep things clean as well (since it would "steam-clean" the inside of the chamber,) it could help to reduce NOx without EGR (by using some of the remaining heat, you can reduce combustion chamber temperatures significantly - and deleting EGR is just about always a good thing. It's a silly notion...) and you'd just have to make sure that, if you run dry on water, the only thing you lose is power. And, make it so it can use tap water in a pinch (it should normally run with filtered/distilled water - but tap water should be doable for brief periods of time.) I don't know how much water is required per hour of runtime - I hadn't seen data on that yet.

Now, combine something like the Crower cycle with the Coates Spherical Rotary Valve, and we're really onto something...

its do able.

actually ducati has been working on a similar project for quite a while.

http://fenzo2k4.blogspot.com/2007/02/6-stroke-technology.html

http://www.ducati.com/bikes/techcafe.jhtml?artID=11&detail=article&part=general

hmm i don't think this will ever catch on in the main stream, too many drawbacks. Especially with the technology coming out on the new electric cars and hydrogen cars. Internal combustion engine will be obsolete in a couple decades.

I suppose it could work if you wanted to convert an engine that you already have, but it would seem an expensive way to get more mileage, and you're not gauranteed it would even run smoothly. Just buy a TDi volkswagen.

I dont think you even need a new cam or roller, now you can use an off the shelf fuel management module and replace the injector with a solenoid that will squirt whatever you want, whenever you exactly want.

I agree with Pharaoh. I think that a better "backyard" solution would be water injection as opposed to an additional cycle.

I know that some pro diesel tractor sled pullers began to inject water thru the combustion cycle to lower EGTs, and noticed a marked power increase. The increase is mostly at the extreme end of cylinder pressures, and temperature, 1900* and up. Very few gasoline engines reach the temp or pressure to use water as a "combustible". Some World War II fighter planes used water injection, but mostly to combat preignition, if I remember correctly.