Pistonless rotary engine: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 20:58, 23 October 2024

A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does. Designs vary widely but typically involve one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. Although many different designs have been constructed, only the Wankel engine has achieved widespread adoption.

The term rotary combustion engine has been used as a name for these engines^{[citation needed]} to distinguish them from early (generally up to the early 1920s) aircraft engines and motorcycle engines also known as rotary engines. However, both continue to be called rotary engines and only the context determines which type is meant, whereas the "pistonless" prefix is less ambiguous.

Pistonless rotary engines

A pistonless rotary engine replaces the linear reciprocating motion of a piston with more complex compression/expansion motions with the objective of improving some aspect of the engine's operation, such as: higher efficiency thermodynamic cycles, lower mechanical stress, lower vibration, higher compression, or less mechanical complexity. As of 2006^[update] the Wankel engine is the only successful pistonless rotary engine, but many similar concepts have been proposed and are under various stages of development. Examples of rotary engines include:

Production stage

Wankel engine
LiquidPiston engine
Beauchamp Tower's nineteenth century spherical steam engine (in actual use as a steam engine, but theoretically adaptable to use internal combustion)

Development stage

Engineair engine
Hamilton Walker engines
Libralato rotary Atkinson cycle engine
Nutating disc engine
Quasiturbine
RKM engine, German: RotationsKolbenMaschine
Sarich orbital engine
Swing-piston engine, Trochilic
Wave disk engine

Conceptual stage

Gerotor engine
Internally Radiating Impulse Structure: IRIS engine

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Internal combustion engine}}
 {{About|pistonless design|other uses of this term|rotary engine (disambiguation)|the early piston design|rotary engine}}
-{{refimprove|date=April 2016}}
+{{more citations needed|date=April 2016}}
-[[File:Rotary Engine Photo Sequence 01.gif|thumb|300px|right|[[Libralato engine]] ]]
+[[File:Rotary Engine Photo Sequence 01.gif|thumb|[[Libralato engine]] ]]
-A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. An example of a pistonless rotary engine is the Wankel engine.
+A '''pistonless rotary engine''' is an [[internal combustion engine]] that does not use [[piston]]s in the way a [[reciprocating engine]] does. Designs vary widely but typically involve one or more [[wikt:rotor|rotor]]s, sometimes called '''rotary pistons'''. Although many different designs have been constructed, only the [[Wankel engine]] has achieved widespread adoption.
-The term rotary combustion engine has been suggested as an alternative name for these engines to distinguish them from early (generally up to the early 1920s) aircraft engines and motorcycle engines also known as rotary engines. However, both continue to be called rotary engines and only the context determines which type is meant.
+The term '''rotary combustion engine''' has been used as a name for these engines{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} to distinguish them from early (generally up to the early 1920s) [[aircraft engine]]s and [[motorcycle engine]]s also known as ''[[rotary engine]]s''. However, both continue to be called ''rotary engines'' and only the context determines which type is meant, whereas the "pistonless" prefix is less ambiguous.
 ==Pistonless rotary engines==
-The pistonless rotary engine avoids the reciprocating motion of the piston engines with its inherent vibration and rotational-speed-related mechanical stress. The smoother ride and longer living engine are one of the reasons pistonless rotary engines have become so popular. As of 1964, the Wankel engine has been the only production pistonless rotary engine with the NSU Spyder produced by Felix Wankel and NSU. While Felix Wankel and Beauchamp Tower’s are the only production stage many engines have made it to the development stage and examples are listed under the Development stage of the article.. Examples of rotary engines include:
+A pistonless rotary engine replaces the linear reciprocating motion of a piston with more complex compression/expansion motions with the objective of improving some aspect of the engine's operation, such as: higher efficiency [[Thermodynamic cycle|thermodynamic cycles]], lower [[Stress (mechanics)|mechanical stress]], lower vibration, higher [[Compression ratio|compression]], or less mechanical complexity. {{As of|2006}} the Wankel engine is the only successful pistonless rotary engine, but many similar concepts have been proposed and are under various stages of development. Examples of rotary engines include:
 ;Production stage
+*[[Wankel engine]]
+*[[LiquidPiston]] engine
-The Felix Wankel Rotary engine has been in production since the early 1960s and has been in many different manufacturers' cars. The most common production of the Wankel engine is in the Mazda rotary line up since the 1960s. Another example of the Wankel rotary is the two-stroke version. The two-stroke Wankel Engine, while very similar to the four strokes, has an increase in low-end torque and power. Like other versions of the two-stroke engines, Wankel Two strokes are not popular in mass production and are only used in specific cases such as industrial equipment and range extenders. Another version of the pistonless rotary engine that was produced was Beauchamp Tower’s Spherical Engine. The engine uses steam and a combination of disk chambers to create pressure powering the engine. The engine has been used for driving carriage lighting dynamos on locomotives.
+* Beauchamp Tower's nineteenth century [https://web.archive.org/web/20180119014044/http://www.aqpl43.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/POWER/tower/tower.htm spherical steam engine] (in actual use as a steam engine, but theoretically adaptable to use internal combustion)
-* [[Beauchamp Tower]]'s nineteenth century [https://web.archive.org/web/20180119014044/http://www.aqpl43.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/POWER/tower/tower.htm spherical steam engine] (theoretically adaptable to use internal combustion)
-* The [[Wankel engine]]
 ;Development stage
+*[[Angelo Di Pietro (inventor)#Di Pietro Motor|Engineair engine]]
+*[[Hamilton Walker (New Zealand)|Hamilton Walker]] engines
-Engines under the development stage have been produced, whether by a company or individual, but have not been put into mainstream use. The engines listed below, while not a complete list, is a diverse number of engines that have not achieved the production stage that Tower’s and Wankel’s engine have received.
+*Libralato rotary [[Atkinson cycle]] engine
+*[[Nutating disc engine]]
-* The [[Angelo Di Pietro (inventor)#Di Pietro Motor|Engineair engine]]
+*[[Quasiturbine]]
-* The [[Liquidpiston]] engine
+*[[RKM engine]], {{langx|de|RotationsKolbenMaschine}}
-* The [[Hamilton Walker (New Zealand)|Hamilton Walker]] engine
+*[[Sarich orbital engine]]
-* The Libralato rotary [[Atkinson cycle]] engine
+*[[Swing-piston engine]], Trochilic<!-- see talk page -->
-* The [[Quasiturbine]]
+*[[Wave disk engine]]
-* The Ramgen [[Integrated Supersonic Component Engine]]
-* The [[RKM engine]], {{lang-de|RotationsKolbenMaschine}}
-* The [[Sarich orbital engine]]
-* The [[Trochilic engine]] <!-- see talk page -->
-* The [[Wave disk engine]]
 ;Conceptual stage
+*[[Gerotor]] engine
+*Internally Radiating Impulse Structure: [[IRIS engine]]
-Unlike the previous stages, the conceptual stage didn’t reach past the drawing board. The only mainstream recorded engine to reach the conceptual stage and not attempt to reach development was the Gerotor engine. This engine was a positive displacement pump that used a cog to create power. The engine concept, as shown above, did not have an intake or exhaust system and was scrapped early in its production. The Gerotor, while only one in mainstream ideology, was not the only failed attempt of creating a more efficient rotary engine.
-* The [[Gerotor]] engine
 ==See also==
 * [[Range extender (vehicle)]]
-== References ==
-{{Reflist}}
 == Further reading ==
-* Jan P. Norbye: 'Rivals to the Wankel: A Roundup of Rotary Engines', Popular Science, Jan 1967, pp 80-85.
+* Jan P. Norbye: 'Rivals to the Wankel: A Roundup of Rotary Engines', Popular Science, Jan 1967, pp 80–85. [https://books.google.com/books?id=CSEDAAAAMBAJ]
+* [https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/ramblers-forgotten-1964-rotary-engine/?fbclid=IwAR2iWLJPySVAqwdxyR9EqQPKJxcsqfRTj7dNfLpcTo7aO2AvDdPR6xMqO-U Article referencing the October 1964 issue of Mechanix Illustrated and the AMC/Rambler rotary]
-{{Piston engine configurations}}
 {{Heat engines}}
 {{Authority control}}
-[[Category:Pistonless rotary engine|*]]
-[[Category:Piston engine configurations]]
+[[Category:Pistonless rotary engine| ]]
 [[Category:Proposed engines]]
 [[Category:Engine technology]]

v t e Heat engines
Carnot engine Fluidyne Gas turbine Hot air Jet Minto wheel Photo-Carnot engine Piston Pistonless (Rotary) Rijke tube Rocket Split-single Steam (reciprocating) Steam turbine Aeolipile Stirling Thermoacoustic Manson engine
Beale number West number
Timeline of heat engine technology
Thermodynamic cycle