Very cool actually -- the inventor, Bruce Crower, has been involved in racing and currently builds high-performance cams and other engine parts.
From Damn Interesting:
The Six-Stroke EngineA bit more:
Under the hood of almost all modern automobiles there sits a four-stroke internal combustion engine (ICE). Though the efficiency of the design has been improved upon significantly in the intervening years, the basic concept is the same today as that used by the first practical four-stroke engine built in the 1870s. During every cycle in a typical car engine, each piston moves up and down twice in the chamber, resulting in four total strokes� one of which is the power stroke that provides the torque to move the vehicle. But the automotive industry may soon be revolutionized by a new six-stroke design which adds a second power stroke, resulting in a much more efficient and less polluting alternative.
His addition to the ICE design is simple in principle, yet a stroke of genius. After the exhaust cycles out of the chamber, rather than squirting more fuel and air into the chamber, his design injects ordinary water. Inside the extremely hot chamber, the water immediately turns to steam -- expanding to 1600 times its volume -- which forces the piston down for a second power stroke. Another exhaust cycle pushes the steam out of the chamber, and then the six-stroke cycle begins again.Clever idea -- the engine gets a bit more power from the waste heat (the article is stating 40% more power). There is a downside in that the vehicle will need to carry as much water as gasoline so the weight saved by not needing a radiator and cooling system is somewhat lost by the extra baggage but still, this is not a bad idea and would be fantastic for a fixed engine such as a generator...
Besides providing power, this water injection cycle cools the engine from within, making an engine's heavy radiator, coolant, and fans obsolete. Despite its lack of a conventional liquid cooling system, his bench engine is only warm to the touch while it is running.
So that I do not leave you all wondering where I was coming from in my earlier posting, I have loaded the 2004 computer file into a Web site. This approximately 70-page computer file was written at a time when, because of health issues, I was facing the thought of death. This file was then mass-distributed via disks and numerous emails. It may answer some of your questions. Why let Bruce Crower possibly have the information edge on you? To view the 2004 file, go to: http://plaintruth.250free.com
The information in the computer file I gave as a gift to humanity in 2004. I again renew that commitment. I also have a different Web site which goes much further into the extremely efficient multi-fuel system which I have been researching and experimenting toward since 1980. This environmental-friendly system has the potential for eliminating all dependence on foreign oil and drastically reducing the fuel costs of all who use it. To view this informative site, just send your request to des348digital@yahoo.com Don�t be left in the dark!
The engine of Mr. Crower is very interesting. In 2004, I was sending out numerous computer disks which spoke of a system for recovering the heat wasted to the exhaust and cooling systems by using a steam cycle within the engine cylinder.
The technology does exist today for a many-fold increase in fuel economy. The X Prize Foundation believes this so strongly that they are looking at presenting a $25-million prize for the group which can produce a production vehicle capable of obtaining 250 mpg.
At this time, I am looking for people interested in working together to produce the Ultimate Engine. This engine may obsolete the Crower cycle engine. I do have a restricted Web site which discusses my project.
I have put more than 25 years of research toward building the final prototype. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact me by email at: des348digital@yahoo.com
...Mr.Crower is working on a design with a seperate, steam only exhaust valve that will direct the steam cycle exhaust to a condenser unit that will greatly reduce the amount of onboard water.
You shouldn't need to carry 20 gallons of water for that. You may for his current design - but there doesnt' seem to be anything preventing the 'steam' part of the cycle from becoming near-optimum needing only 3-4 times as much water as all the pistons could hold at 'full compression'.
That doesn't sound like much water at all. A '2 liter' engine is a measurement of the uncompressed volume... and 20-1 is in the range of compression ratios for a diesel -> 100mL of water per cycle.