|
|
| |
|
Approximately 950 companies are manufacturing
engines worldwide so one would think there must be absolutely
no way to improve their products, because if there were, it would
have been devised long ago and put to use. As it turns out, an
engine that captured exhaust heat and reused it in the gas cycle
was patented by J. F. Place in 1885. There is no indication that
Place built and tested any prototypes. Other inventors followed
with about sixty US patents, but in US engineering and patent
history, no test data or evidence has been found of such prototypes
having been built or tested.
|
|
In a similar field, namely turbine engines such as those
used for compact stationary power units (and similar to those used
in jet aircraft), recuperative engines have been built and sold
commercially. Since recuperation works in a turbine engine, it can
almost surely be made to work in a reciprocating internal combustion
engine. Recuperative turbines are not used in aircraft however due
to their bulk and weight |
|
I first became aware of the exhaust gas waste problem with
Otto engines while driving a Model T Ford. When on the highway,
I noticed the exhaust pipe became plainly visible through cracks
in the floorboards under my feet due to its glowing bright red.
It was probably operating at 1,200 to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.
This seemed extremely wasteful and I began to wonder about a solution.
If you think, "Oh, the Model T had an archaic antique engine made
when engineers were dummies. Car engines today are highly efficient
gems of perfection", well you're being fooled. Cars today are smoother
and much more powerful but in many respects, they are less efficient
that the T. The T got 25 miles per gallon. If you check the manifold
in your new car, you may find it runs even hotter and that even
more fuel is being wasted than in a Model T. |
| |
|
