Revetec (new) engine design

[RED60]

Does anybody have any info on this engine or how its development is going apart from whats on the web site..... will/would be an interesting design to see up and running and taken to its full development.... I've looked through all the info available but want to know more, especially from independent sources....

[turbo gu]

If its the engine I am thinking of its been around 10 years! I think the people that had the orbital engine bought in to it!

[RED60]

If its the engine I am thinking of its been around 10 years! I think the people that had the orbital engine bought in to it!

From what I've read, yes its been around in a basic form for about that long... I don't know if orbital bought into it, though apparently they were hired to do some testing/developmental work on it...... as with a lot of this type of "experimental" stuff, the info unfortunately seems heavy on hearsay/anicdote and light on hard data in a form that means much... maybe their just protecting their assets, but I would think some dyno graphs with as much actual hard data would help overcome the almost smoke and mirrors situation..... not dissimilar to another Australian invention "metal storm". Apparently the American defence monolith was very sceptical of the devices ability to fire at such a high rate..... but their scepticism may also be b/s, who would know...

[ISUZUROVER]

... but I would think some dyno graphs with as much actual hard data would help overcome the almost smoke and mirrors situation.....

Did you look on their website?



http://www.revetec.com/development5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The X4v2 aviation engine with asymmetrical Trilobes achieved 180Nm of torque @1,300rpm with a peak torque of 203Nm@3,000rpm.
Similarly, our previous 1.35litre automotive boxer engine produced 125Nm@2,100rpm with a peak torque of 138Nm@3,700rpm which equates to approximately 90% of its peak torque.

I won't be investing my money though. Venture (vulture) capitalists who invest in high risk ventures like this expect to lose their money 50% of the time. New technology investments are not for small time investors.

It took 50 years and lots of perseverance by Mazda until the wankel design was anything to write home about (in terms of combined performance, economy and reliability).

Most performance and economy gains in recent years of engine development have been down to software as much as hardware.

They must have exhausted their original patent by now?


Wiki also has info:

In April 2008, Revetec completed their first Independently Certified Test Report carried out by Orbital Australia, achieving a repeatable BSFC figure of 212g/kW-h (38.6% efficiency) with a best tested figure of 207g/kW-h (39.5% efficiency).

How many other competing technologies are out there?
http://www.nevisengine.com/technical.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DamTriton]

Dynacam was another aviation engine along similar lines but using a "wobbleplate" and longitudinal cylinders. Treestump pulling torque at 2000 rpm, 2600 max rpm, idle at 200 rpm, only a couple of dozen moving parts in total.

Google it, the company lost everything and sold the patents for something that was already certified tby the FAA. People and manufacturers are that resistant to change.

[ISUZUROVER]

Dynacam was another aviation engine along similar lines but using a "wobbleplate" and longitudinal cylinders. Treestump pulling torque at 2000 rpm, 2600 max rpm, idle at 200 rpm, only a couple of dozen moving parts in total.

Google it, the company lost everything and sold the patents for something that was already certified tby the FAA. People and manufacturers are that resistant to change.

Dynacam sold the engine to the Axial Vector Engine Co - who seem to be more interested in stationary/diesel versions.

Proven reliability is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd priority with aero piston engines. Most aero engine designs haven't advanced sinve the 1950s.

There are a lot of issues with axial designs (e.g. see below).

A variation on the swashplate engine is the cam-plate engine, in which the plate is not a flat surface, but is given a sinusoidal contour. The pistons can now be made to move back and forth twice or more during one rotation of the main shaft, giving more firing strokes and potentially increasing the power output of an engine of a given size. See The Dynacam Engine below.
There is a whole gallery of non-axial cam engines just around the corner from here.

An engine expert speaks:

"Such cylinder arrangements have serious disadvantages with regard to accessibility and mounting structure, which would make them undesirable for most services even if a reliable mechanism could be developed. There is no likelihood of such engines becoming important competitors to the conventional types."

(Quote from The Internal-Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice by Charles Fayette Taylor, 2nd edition, pub MIT press 1985. This book is a standard work on the subject of IC engines)

While I hesitate to argue with Charles Taylor, I don't see his point about accessibility and mounting structures. Accessibility for adjustments with the engine running would of course be a challenge with one of the rotating-barrel types; doing a compression test would be a most interesting procedure. The doubt about the reliability of wobble & swash mechanisms is more telling. However, I don't doubt that if we really needed axial engines with long-term reliability for some reason, the problem could be solved.