Perhaps I can add a little to discussion of the OSH RotaMax engine
display.  Like several responders, I did not discover the “up front”
RotaMax display until after 5:00 pm on Friday, July 27^th .  I was
interested enough to return Saturday am for a more detailed explanation
of how “charge-cooled” engines could solve the rotary’s heating
problem.  This was a new concept for me.  During the discussion, I
slowly came to realize that I knew the person with whom I was speaking.
He was the same person who built-up my 20B while he was working for
Atkins Rotary in 1999.  He left them soon thereafter.



Here is what I was told:  The RotaMax engine is based on OMC patents
that have expired and available for anyone to utilize.  (There was no
mention of Moller, Fan Cool, or any other companies mentioned in this
thread.)  Their current engine development is being financed, he said,
by the ”autogiro people”, presumably RAE, as the 2-rotor demo engine was
mounted on one.  Apparently they want to replace the Subaru engine that
was mounted on an adjacent gyro.  This also explains why they were
located with the autogiro displays.  The “charge-cooling” feature
supposedly circulates the fuel-air mixture through the rotor housing
prior to combustion and is credited with solving the heat problem with
oil cooling systems used by Mazda.



Two rotary engines were on display: a single-rotor set up as a
generator, and the 2-rotor mounted on the gyro.  This engine was
carbureted and used a belt PSRU.  Production engines will have fuel
injection and dual ignition.  The engines are dry-sump with an external
oil tank metering oil into internal galleys that lubricate roller main
bearings from inside the e-shaft.  This oil is eventually mixed with the
fuel-air mixture that circulates through the rotor housing prior to
entering the combustion chamber, and is consumed in the combustion
process (approximately 1 quart of oil to 50 gallons of fuel, he said).
The fuel-air-oil charge is fed into the engine through a side-port at
low rpms, but a larger P-port begins opening around 2500 rpm and feeds
the engine exclusively at high power levels.



I was told that RotaMax is actively pursuing heavy fuel applications.
Further, he indicated that these particular rotary engines have a very
flat torque curve above 3,000 rpm, and therefore they may be able to
develop a direct drive engine without psru’s.  I’m not an engineer, so I
didn’t challenge the issues with this concept.  Other future
developments include a 3-rotor and 4-rotor aircraft engine, with 255 and
350 hp for the projected turbocharged models.



FWIW: Your skepticism may be warranted, given Moller’s history, but this
doesn’t appear to be any kind of stock-scam.  Time, and results, will tell.



I saw your “Cooling the Rotary” book shortly after you left it at
Mistral’s tent.



Tom Parkes



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