International Engine of the Year Awards.

[hightower99]

The problem with rotary valves ( and the Coates ) is that so far nobody has identified a way to get variable valve timing and opening.

So it can't match the wide performance and fuel efficiency of modern ICEs.

I have a system on my own version that is very similar to the coates system that can change duration and timing and the equivelant of lift (size of opening). Mine has a single larger spheriod that opens and closes an area equal to the piston's. So both intake and exhaust travel through it in seperate channels)

[Matra et Alpine]

Intrigued, ht, without being able to "rotate" the sphere orthogonal to it's axis, I can't see how you can alter the duration.

Do you have rotating sphere within rotating cage ? Or are you individiually rotating each sphere under computer control rather than driven from crank ?

[hightower99]

unfortunately it is just some sketches on paper and some specualtion but I was thinking of having a single "cam" of spheres with a set of divider plates (one stationary in relation to the sphere and one moveable) to seperate the intake and exhaust paths. The spheres are made of two halves that are only conneted by the shaft running through the middle. The curved top and bottom in the picture (side view) are only the outline, only the flat walls are there. 2 plates that are long enough that they cross on one side but leave an opening on the other can be moved in relation to the sphere to control timing and the size of the opening. All of the control of the moving (in relation to the spheres) is done by hydralics located in the main drive gear (ala VTEC timing system)

here is a simple (and hasitly drawn) paint picture to give you an idea:

[Matra et Alpine]

Phew, it will be a challenge making the movable parts move at cam rotation speeds without lots of wear ( and weight ).
Have you worked out the rudiments of the control system yet ?
I think you're going to find lots of sliding surfaces that are then difficult to seal

[hightower99]

Hmm maybe I didn't explain as well as I had thought?

All the moveable parts rotate with the sphere and are attached to the main rotating shaft. To move them in relation to the sphere is easily accomplised by simple hydraulic systems on the main drive gear, like in VTEC where the camshaft timing (advance/retard) can be changed in relation to the drive gear. I have worked out how a highly simple version of the hydraulic control would work and how to give it the ability to move all 3 of the moveable elements seperately. Sealing should not be so much of an issue as it would work with Coates highly effective ceramic seals that requires no cooling or oil. The moveable pieces are only subject to low pressure (compared to combustion) situations and the sealing of them is not hard. The only hard thing to do is create a computer control system (I am not proficient enough with software design) and create a prototype with my limited fonds without encrouching on Coates owned patents.

Here is another quick paint pic showing what would be the internals of the Cam gear (yellow) the blue and green arms move around when oil is pumped into and out of the white areas and they then (through straight mechanical linking) control the same coloured pieces in the previous pic.

[Matra et Alpine]

ah interesting... how are you going to get oil into those areas while they are rotating ?

[hightower99]

Well the yellow part is actually inside the cam gear that is driven by the crankshaft, I didn't draw the teeth because it is just a quick sketch. This system for changing position is really nothing new, many existing system already use a similar system (but they only move the cam in relation to the gear whereas I am moving 3 different things) Basically a small ring shaped outlet in the engine block that is tied to the oil system mates with the back of the gear. High pressure oil is pumped in through one ring shaped inlet and a smaller ring shaped outlet lets the oil out. Control of the flow is by a small ring washer that sits between the engine block and the gear and it is moved by another oil channel controlled by a valve controlled by the computer. This is exactly how VTEC and MIVEC and a bunch of other systems work so it is not new. The only thing that might make trouble is that mine would need 3 ring washers or a single larger one that would need finer control.

[Matra et Alpine]

Yeah kind of like I imagined it would have to be.|
Count the number of ring washers ...... you are going to have serious reliability issues as in this case your movable surfaces have to contend with partial vacuum and partial compression so can't be just "normal" seals. They're going to have to be quite sophisticated.

It's a good idea, but have you done any of the math on surface area and pressures on the moving surfaces and the required forces to ensure the sealed surfaces stay that way yet ?
Rough rule-of-thumb suggests there are issues there that will hamper feasibility.

[hightower99]

Unfortunately I haven't drawn this device into my desktop engineer program and paint is far too simple to give you a really clear picture.

About the ring washers, the number is up to how complex I want the holes in them to be. I could use only one ring just fine, but using 3 rings would be simpler to make the rings but the control would be tougher. If I actually made this system I would use one ringwasher.

About the seals and how they are. I included nothing indicating any seals in the pictures I posted but have sketched out a few seal designs that look promising for this. Most of the seals are created by physical overlapping of the holder sphere and the movable componants, and do not rely on the same type of seals found on pistons. All of the pieces that do move do so relatively slowly and over a short range. Pressures encountered are minimal in a NA application as the pressures of combustion and compression are isolated from the internals of the sphere by an outer cage.

I will probably end up making a detailed 3D model in my CAD program and that will be much more detailed. Untill then I guess I have some math to do.

[Matra et Alpine]

Hmm, I think we should create a thread just for this ht.

it's sounding good BUT I still think you've not got the control worked out.
You can't control two chambers with one ring.
If you want to vary opening, dwell and closing and overlap then you're going to need to have at minimum TWO separate control feeds as far as I can see from your diagram. Each of those needs a separate route into the rotating cam which means more than just one ring. Also means lots of complexity in oilways IN the cam too. Which raises the issue on oil composition and longevity.

You've described the seals for the combustion chamber. I'm concerned you've got difficulty on the seals for the hydraulic control of the movable vanes. THOSE will have to be high pressure and require proper oriented seals ( or "leak" which will destroy emissions )

Look forward to your CAD work or any other inputs on the design.
Dont' worry about the computer control aspect of this. It's is trivial compared to finding a way to mechanically move it

[RacingManiac]

direct injection doesnt really improve power by a significant amount, fuel economy is the main reason to use it ... not really a concern for the cars the v10 is going into

Apparently no one told Audi that when they made the V8 for the R8(the racer, not the road car).......

Direct injection does allow you to run at a higher compression ratio without issue of detonation, which does improve performance, and efficiency of the engine....

[2ndclasscitizen]

I was of the idea that FSI was created to ensure a more complete fuel burn as well as higher compression (the reason you must use 98RON in FSI engines)

[henk4]

there is a diesel engine in the list...