This is from "Stratified Charge Rotary Engine Critical Technology
Ennoblement Volume I" Page 253

It is a chart comparing a 400 HP John Deere rotary with a PT6. The
PT6 weighs close to maybe 600 to 900 pounds. Cost well over $100,000
dollars. Fuel burn probably .6.

Fuel burn on the rotary .5.  17% better.

Rotary weight with gear box 250 pounds. Add another 30 pounds for the
cooling system.

I put in the TTC 2 rotor engine. Imagine a Mazda 3 rotor with the
same boost. :-)

Of course we are running Methanol so subtract a couple of hundred to
run on gasoline.

Paul Lamar

I would say well over $100,000. One was bought by my friend for his
Turbo Beaver, 4 years ago, a unit overhauled, which he bought at
auction for $230,000CDN.

Steve Carlisle

Wow!!!

It never seizes to amaze me how dumb people are. Does it take a
degree in physics or mechanical engineering to see the potential of
the Wankel? Do they fully comprehend the importance of power to
weight ratio? Must the skies be full of Wankel powered airplanes
before they realize that they really work?

Are they hung up on 5 to 10% worse fuel burn? That could go away with
one additional invention.


Paul Lamar

Maybe it's the certification issue?

Steve Carlisle

Austro engines have a 100 HP 2 rotor certified. I don't think the
owner of Austro engines really understands the rotary :-) He has been
hung up on diesel aircraft engines :-)


Paul Lamar



Seems strange that there seems to be no obvious reason why companies
like Curtiss Wright, John Deere and Rotary Power International all
seemed to abandon the Rotary Engine technology.

Steve Carlisle

   In the case of RPI they just went bankrupt.

   Yes it does. I think when the truth came out that the stratified charge did not work that gave those companies a bad name.  I think John Deere tested it and discovered CW was lying. There was also an anti rotary campaign by the wacko environmentalist which they justified on the 10% worse BSFC of the Mazda..

   Since RPI there have been advances in CFD that allowed a simulation of the air flow inside the combustion chamber. IMHO that revealed the problem of why the stratified charge did not work. Also some advances in high pressure fuel injection have been made since then. Not that that alone is going to help.

   BTW can anybody tell me why my air passages in this rotor housing are a bad idea? This is a quiz.

   Paul Lamar


   Paul,
 Does the rotor actually follow that airflow path Paul ?
 Chris Hoskins.

   I am not sure what you mean by that.

   Paul Lamar

I do not intend to be insulting. Everyone must be looked at and dealt with individually. Many post grads seem to become brain dead or arrogant after getting their degree. When working for an oilfield compressor manufacturer, I felt the engineers should have to spend a year or two working on the floor for a year or two to get practical experience. The best engineer they had was a young lady just out of school. The biggest idiot was the head engineer; sat up in the ivory tower and NEVER came to the shop to see what was going on. He figured and told the foreman he drew it so it would work. If their was a problem it must be because we did not read the prints correctly. He told the foreman to get over it and make it work. Fortunately not everyone is that bad.
Dale Davies


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