Gnarly Gnu Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 "LiquidPiston, Inc., of Bloomfield, CT, recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, to use the hyper-efficient rotary engine technology for military purposes. The advanced combustion tech could be used in weaponized UAVs, robotic soldiers, and generators that produce 3kW of electric power—but fit in a backpack. Father-and-son team Nikolay and Alec Shkolnik say LiquidPiston can dramatically downsize combustion engines used in military scenarios. The Shkolniks say that their motor can be adapted to use only Jet Propellant 8 (JP-8), the fuel favored by the U.S. military, to produce power in a small, quiet, and efficient package. "A diesel generator that's the size of a desk and weighs 300 pounds becomes a 2-foot-square engine that generates the same power," Alec Shkolnik tells Popular Mechanics." [MEDIA=vimeo]64911927[/MEDIA] 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunder Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Like the design and concept but the seals have always been the downfall of this type (rotary) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG3 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I wonder how they cool that rotor with the hot exhaust gas flowing through it..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnewbery Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 With intake air and skin cooling, same as a lawn mower. Puts an upper limit on the output but that didn't stop the Corvair engine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Gnu Posted May 2, 2015 Author Share Posted May 2, 2015 Like the design and concept but the seals have always been the downfall of this type (rotary) Was trying to figure out about the seals. Same as a conventional Wankel is it? Anyways, not as funky as the Bexengine but not bad for a couple of amateurs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunder Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 No idea about these seals exactly, but these type engines are notoriously hard to keep the gases separate and contained for any length of time. Expansion and contraction of metals makes it hard. Look how long Mazda persisted with the Wankel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperplace Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 for a moment this had me thinking of the Humphrey pump: this internal combustion engine actually has a liquid piston! Altho' I doubt it will adapted for aviation anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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