I am sure that Felix Wankel and all other early adopters including
Mazda would have had no idea that 650 HP would be extracted out of a
200 pound, two rotor, Mazda engine.
One thing has become crystal clear. Spark plug cooling is a major
issue in high HP Wankel's. Jim Mederer has done wonders in addressing
this issue. However the time has come to rethink the cooling system
to make it better.
This is the way I would do it. Put the cold water in the centre
housing near the spark plugs. Let it flow fore and aft and come out
of the centre housing on the other side.
The center housing has another job and that is scavenging the hot
cooling oil out of both rotors.
The easiest way to do that is run the engine plugs up and rearrange
the oil drain backs. For an aircraft that makes a lot of sense. That
way the hot water, hot oil and the exhaust comes out the bottom of
the centre housing.
The turbo can also be under the engine. Fuselages are higher than
they are wide because sitting people are higher than they are wide.
This concept not done yet. I have a lot more work to do when I find
some spare time from the ignition biz.
Thanks to Larry Childs for the excellent rotor housing 3D's.
Paul Lamar
BTW a Super Cub with this engine would set world records for STOL
take off and landing.
Paul, I was reading an article a little while ago, about putting
quantum particles (silver or gold or copper or something) into the
water and vastly improving the thermodynamic efficiency of it (the
water). Something in the region of 50% if I recall correctly, it
could be your answer to your cooling problems. If you think the idea
has merit I'll try and find the article, I think it was in New
Scientist mag. Chris. Hoskins
I would be very interested in that.
Paul Lamar
This is not a surprise as any material with high thermal capacity
would help to improve cooling. The problem is to keep the particles
suspended over long periods of time, and at different temperatures.
Gordon
I am worried it would plug up the heat exchanger.
On the micro level... how well does the water transfer the heat to
the particles?
Paul Lamar
At the nano meter size, the particle receives and gives out heat
instantaneously. So in theory this works. The trick is to have
stable suspension, perhaps by using surfactants to make the particle
surface pro water. Thus the particle would suspend in the water like
emissions similar to milk. But surfactants mostly are not stable at
high temperature. So after some time the metal particles would settle
to the bottom.
Gordon
A few years ago, Detroit Diesel became aware of a coolant problem.
There are three compounds whose nomenclature seem similar. Silcone,
Silica, and Silicate (Sodium Silicate). Silicate is used as a
corrosion inhibitor. Detroit Diesel found that over time the silicate
would come out of suspension and form a sand like substance in the
cooling system. While the engine was running this stuff would be
picked up in the flow and due to it's gritty nature take out the
water pump seal. How would these tiny bits of metal work in the
cooling system?
Dale Davies
Also, be aware that there's considerable health concern over
nano-particles. In a nutshell, the blocking/filtering mechanisms we
have in our body (skin, cilia, mucous membranes, etc) aren't built to
keep particles of this size out--they are rarely found in nature, so
there's not much need for a defense against them. But when deliberately
made and introduced, they can get in and then concentrate in various
tissues. Also, the characteristics of some substances change at
nano-scales, and so just because a substance is innocuous at normal
particle sizes does not mean they are not a problem as nano-particles.
Nanoparticles were being put into all kinds of consumer products as
the next "new thing", now manufacturers are turning 180 degrees and
removing the substances in light of these concerns.
More in this paper:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC544578
Mark Waldron
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