Latest Update: Scuderi Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine Demo

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kogz4wedwtk


This link to youtube shows a brilliant animation on youtube of the workings of the new internal combustion engine by Scuderi. This engine provides a dramatic increase in fuel efficiency by specialising cylinders and cut harmful gasses by unto 80% my previos article can be found at the link below:

http://motorsportengineering.blogspot.com/2009/01/scuderis-new-split-cycle-air-hybrid.html

Since this article a working prototype was created which i will review when i find time to research it, but results look promising!

Scuderi's Own 'How it Works' Page: http://www.scuderigroup.com/technology/how_it_works.html

Previous Review:

Scuderi's new Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine


Scuderi Group in West Springfield, Massachusetts, has recently developed the "Scuderi Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine" (catchy i know). It is effectively a split-cycle internal combustion engine, but its revolutionary design has modified the common Otto cycle and instead of being only 33% efficient as most engines are, this new system is (in testing) claiming to reach efficiency levels of 40% far and above any other internal combustion engine, and best of all at this level up-to 80% of the toxic and atmosphere damaging gases are not present.

The initial invention was by Carmelo J. Scuderi and apart from the new stroke system, has a range of features to increase power output. One is a hybrid air system which takes energy from braking and stores it compressed air which can be then used in the engine or other areas of the car, to boost efficiency.

So how does it work? The conventional system runs on a four stroke cycle this new system split up this cycle into across two cylinders, one for compression and one for power. The gas is compressed in the compression cylinder and travels through an inlet passage to the power cylinder where it is ignited. The gas passage contains a series of uniquely timed valves which maintain the pressure in the gas throughout all four stages of the cycle, as the power piston moves to top dead centre of its cycle the gas is released into the power cylinder and fired to induce the power stroke. a very good animation of the system can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scuderi_Split_Cycle_Engine _-_Cycle.gif (or at the top of this post if the animation plays properly!)

By splitting the cycle the Scuderi engine brings a number of advantages to its unique system. The dedicated cylinders can be optimised for the job they are doing as opposed to being multi-tasking like in a normal engine, this boosts their efficiency and it make their engine different to any other around. This means the power stroke is longer and the gases thermal efficiency increases (see the Miller Effect), the compression cylinder can be made wider and as such supercharging the gas in the power piston, increasing power. On top of this the cylinders can be offset at almost any angle to maximize mechanical efficiency and placement within the vehicle.

The key features of it are that:

1. has an exceptionally fast combustion rate
2. a large increase in thermal efficiency
3.a large reduction in NOx emissions (Nitrogen Oxide)

for greater detail there is a breakdown of all the stages and detailed explanations at http://www.scuderigroup.com/technology/theory_of_operation.html

The engine already has 35 issued patents and 60 patents pending in over 50 countries related to the design on the engine, including: Cargine Engineering (Sweden), Gates Corp (Denver), Schaeffler Group (Germany) and the engineering division of Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH.

Overall this engine design is an exciting new development in the world of cars, it could revolutionize the four stroke cycle which has been pretty much unchanged for the best part of 100 years







PLEASE NOTE: This video is not of my creating, but a brilliant animation. Due to the success of the previous article i'd like to share it with those interested, thoughts would be widely appreciated, if the creator of the video has any issues with my hosting i'd happily remove it from my site

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FIA Announces Dates For Diffuser Appeal - 8 Teams to Be Heard

The FIA has published further details relating to next week’s International Court of Appeal (ICA) hearing over the legality of the diffusers being used by the Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams teams.

Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault lodged the appeal in Australia after stewards rejected their protests over the diffusers. BMW Sauber lodged a similar protest and appeal in Malaysia.

All seven of the aforementioned teams, along with McLaren, are expected to be heard by the ICA next Tuesday, with an announcement of the hearing’s outcome expected the following day.

FIA statement in full:

The following hearing of the International Court of Appeal will take place in Paris:


Hearing

Appeals lodged by:

- OSK/ÖAMTC on behalf of its competitor Red Bull Racing;
- FFSA on behalf of its competitor ING Renault F1 Team; and
- CSAI on behalf of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the Stewards on 26 March 2009 at the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia and counting towards the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship

Prior to the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia, Red Bull Racing, ING Renault F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro submitted protests to the Panel of Stewards arguing that the cars of Brawn GP Formula One Team, AT&T Williams and Panasonic Toyota Racing did not comply with the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations. The disputes relate in particular to the technical design of the diffuser devices used by the latter three teams. The Panel of the Stewards rejected the protests submitted.

Red Bull Racing, ING Renault F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro have (through their respective ASNs) appealed the Stewards’ decisions.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Brawn GP Formula One Team, AT&T Williams, BMW Sauber F1 Team and Panasonic Toyota Racing have (through their respective ASNs) asked to be heard by the Court.

When

10.00 hrs
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Where

FIA Salle du Comité,
8, place de la Concorde,
75008 Paris

Decision

The decisions are expected on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, in the afternoon.

»»  read more

New Highly Efficient Scuderi Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine

Scuderi's new Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine


Scuderi Group in West Springfield, Massachusetts, has recently developed the "Scuderi Split Cycle Air Hybrid Engine" (catchy i know). It is effectively a split-cycle internal combustion engine, but its revolutionary design has modified the common Otto cycle and instead of being only 33% efficient as most engines are, this new system is (in testing) claiming to reach efficiency levels of 40% far and above any other internal combustion engine, and best of all at this level up-to 80% of the toxic and atmosphere damaging gases are not present.

The initial invention was by Carmelo J. Scuderi and apart from the new stroke system, has a range of features to increase power output. One is a hybrid air system which takes energy from braking and stores it compressed air which can be then used in the engine or other areas of the car, to boost efficiency.

So how does it work? The conventional system runs on a four stroke cycle this new system split up this cycle into across two cylinders, one for compression and one for power. The gas is compressed in the compression cylinder and travels through an inlet passage to the power cylinder where it is ignited. The gas passage contains a series of uniquely timed valves which maintain the pressure in the gas throughout all four stages of the cycle, as the power piston moves to top dead centre of its cycle the gas is released into the power cylinder and fired to induce the power stroke. a very good animation of the system can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scuderi_Split_Cycle_Engine _-_Cycle.gif (or at the top of this post if the animation plays properly!)

By splitting the cycle the Scuderi engine brings a number of advantages to its unique system. The dedicated cylinders can be optimised for the job they are doing as opposed to being multi-tasking like in a normal engine, this boosts their efficiency and it make their engine different to any other around. This means the power stroke is longer and the gases thermal efficiency increases (see the Miller Effect), the compression cylinder can be made wider and as such supercharging the gas in the power piston, increasing power. On top of this the cylinders can be offset at almost any angle to maximize mechanical efficiency and placement within the vehicle.

The key features of it are that:

1. has an exceptionally fast combustion rate
2. a large increase in thermal efficiency
3.a large reduction in NOx emissions (Nitrogen Oxide)

for greater detail there is a breakdown of all the stages and detailed explanations at http://www.scuderigroup.com/technology/theory_of_operation.html

The engine already has 35 issued patents and 60 patents pending in over 50 countries related to the design on the engine, including: Cargine Engineering (Sweden), Gates Corp (Denver), Schaeffler Group (Germany) and the engineering division of Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH.

Overall this engine design is an exciting new development in the world of cars, it could revolutionize the four stroke cycle which has been pretty much unchanged for the best part of 100 years

»»  read more

Honda Release Hydrogen Powered Car

From Blogger Pictures

Honda has finally put a zero-emission car onto the commercial market! The Honda FCX Clarity went on sale in the US, at the moment, purely in California due to the Hydrogen facilities available, but this is a huge step in the right direction, the car runs on hydrogen, and gives off pure water rather than the harmful gases which damage our enviroment! full BBC story is below:

Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle.

The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on electricity produced by combining hydrogen with oxygen, and emits water vapour.

Honda claims the vehicle offers three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional, petrol-powered car.

Honda plans to produce 200 of the cars over the next three years.

One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel-cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations.

Critics also point out that hydrogen is costly to produce and the most common way to produce hydrogen is still from fossil fuels.

Analysis of the environmental impact of different fuel technologies has shown that the overall carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen powered cars can be higher than that from petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.

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Should Formula One be single engine format?

From Blogger Pictures

Formula one began 58 years ago with the Alfa Romeo team of Farina and the great Fangio hitting the top, and ever since the first race in 1950, the aim of formula one has been to put engineering to its limits, safely, how fast can we go without dieing?

As a motorsport engineering student, I see the whole idea behind the sport is engineering to perfection, the best car, fresh ideas force breakthroughs and the cars get faster, more efficient and safer, and in time these developments inevitably get passed down the line to standard road cars. I believe removing the freedom of engine design and engineering from the formula one teams would be a massive step in the wrong direction.

A look at the first championship-winning car - Alfa Romeo 158/159 -

This is one of the most successful cars ever to be put onto the track. Designed firstly in 38 and developed throughout the 50's with the latest design and engineering, it was a single seater, 1498 cc, and 8 cylinder root type supercharger with around 425 BHP at its peak in 1951.

The modern day car of Lewis Hamilton however - Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes MP4-23

Lewis Hamilton recently raced this latest championship winning car to victory in Interlagos, Brazil. It boasts a 2400 cc engine (almost double the Alfa, get still with a V8 engine), which develops over 7000 horsepower at 19,000 Revs per minute! That's 15 times more powerful than the car of 50 years previous.

Alot of fantastic minds go into developing the engines and parts to an F1 car. Even with a set engine set I guess there are still areas to develop: removing weight, extra grip, down force, better efficiency levels, cooling systems etc.. But the primary weapon of a formula one car is obviously its engine and the flair of design and ingenuity going into designing these would be a massive shame to loose. The developments of an engine in the history of the sport is very clear, a V8 engine has become over 15 times more powerful!

I can see the argument for a similar engine however. The smaller teams such as Force India and the recently unfortunate Honda team would benefit greatly from a level playing field, whereas teams such as Ferrari and McLaren would find themselves with yet more competition. It may make for a more open competition, but it depends, should a team win purely on driver skill and the speed of their pit crew? Or is the engineering and massive amount of work that goes into reaching for that extra bit of speed and grip what makes you a worthy champion? I believe both, a team may have a great driver, but to be true champions its fantastic to see a true breakthrough in car technology in the process, which pushes one team to be greater. Forcing all competing teams to improve, become more efficient with methods, refine designs, and more importantly, get faster.

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