Comment on The Engine of our dreams exists. It's Clean, Powerful, Supercharged and 2 Stroke
Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 3 weeks agoI thought the video was pretty convincing, this engine seems pretty badass.
Honestly, this engine could be a pretty big deal for a few industries, small aircraft especially. Switching to these two stroke engines could improve the power/weight ratio of your engine by nearly 2x and not lose any fuel efficiency in the process, for small aircraft that’s a really big deal.
For a specific example, a Cessna 172 carries about 300 lb of fuel, and we know that the plane’s performance improves significantly when it’s tank is nearly empty, the top speed for example is about 15% higher on a nearly empty tank. Its standard 4 stroke engine weighs about 250 lb, so a 125 lb weight reduction would mean a proportional improvement, but not just to top speed, but also shorter takeoff distance, faster climb, higher max takeoff weight, etc.
LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
I’m curious if this actually ends up being significantly lighter though.
I doubt it’ll end up replacing a conventional two stroke motorcycle, as it’s far more complex. But I could see it used in aircraft.
Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
People will go to some great lengths for a little extra performance. Think of the Wankel engine, this is basically the same sort of power/weight improvement but it’s immensely less complicated and more practical with this 2 stroke engine. But that Wankel today engine has actually gone into mass production in a few cases, notably in the much loved Mazda RX-7.
And let me be clear, this 2 stroke is far more practical than the rotary Wankel engine.