In a news item “New car engine sends shock waves through the Auto Industry” it has been reported that Researchers at Michigan State University have built a prototype petrol engine that requires no transmission, crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel compression, cooling systems or fluids. Their so-called Wave Disk Generator could greatly improve the efficiency of gas-electric hybrid automobiles and potentially decrease auto emissions up to 90 per cent when compared with conventional combustion engines.

The engine has a rotor equipped with wave-like channels that trap and mix oxygen and fuel as the rotor spins. These central inlets are blocked off, building pressure within the chamber, causing a shock wave that ignites the compressed air and fuel to transmit energy.

The Wave Disk Generator uses 60% of its fuel for propulsion; standard car engines use just 15%. As a result, the generator is 3.5 times more fuel efficient than typical combustion engines.

Researchers estimate the new model could shave almost 1,000 pounds off a car's weight currently taken up by conventional engine systems.

Last week, the prototype was presented to the energy division of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is backing the Michigan State University Engine Research Laboratory with $2.5 million in funding.

Michigan State's team of engineers hope to have a car-sized 25-kilowatt version of the prototype ready by the end of the year.

Now look at this video:

Engineers and inventors have been attracted by the uniform motion and apparent simplicity of a rotary design since the early part of the 20th century. Countless patents have been granted and a great number of prototypes can be seen in many museums. Both steam and internal combustion engines have been the subject of rotary designs of one kind or another. But the simplicity was more apparent than real and all attempts encountered huge engineering problems.

The one rotary type engine ever to go into production was the Wankel engine (Inventor German engineer Felix Wankel). Wankel was granted his first patent in 1929, but he didn’t begin development until the 1950s at NSU, who licensed the design worldwide.

Wankel rotary engines have been installed in a variety of vehicles and devices including cars, motor bikes, aircraft, go-karts, jet skis, snowmobiles, chain saws, and auxiliary power units. Perhaps the greatest proponent of the Wankel engine has been the Japanese company Mazda.

The German manufacturer NSU Motorenwerke AG fitted their NSU Spider, an executive 4-door Saloon with a twin rotor Wankel engine. Power was transmitted to the front wheels by a Fichtel & Sachs synchromesh manual gear box with automatic clutch and Fichtel & Sachs torque converter.The car was known as the NSU RO80 and was in production from 1967 to 1977.

However, the RO80 was beset with problems and quickly had a reputation for unreliability. The engines developed early problems, engines had to be changed before 30,000 miles, and in addition, the car had a very high petrol consumption.

Whilst a lot of problems were solved, it undermined the manufacturer’s reputation and mainly due to generous warranty provisions, severely damaged NSU’s financial position.

In 1969 NSU was acquired by Audi, who are part of the giant Volkswagen Group. Second hand RO80s were worthless at that time. But now, many years later, they have become highly valued classics because of their rarity.

 It will be interesting to see what the guys in Michigan achieve. Perhaps the shock waves are confined to their design for the moment.