amazing Stuff...

Now that is one of the most interesting and innovative developments that I have seen in engines in many many a year.

I liked his concept of turning off the fuel injectors during downhill deceleration and using the engine as an effective air brake -- then saving the pressurized air in a tank to use as 1) supercharger air for greater hp when needed and 2) run the entire engine cycle as an air engine at slower speeds (city/parking lot speeds).

This engine would also be able to go from 4 cylinder to 3 cylinder to 2 cylinder effortlessly by holding the valves open and turning off the fuel injectors.  Gas mileage boosts would have to come with such a smart engine, real serious gas mileage boosts.

Such an engine could swing effortlessly between supercharged fast acceleration mode to high efficiency "drop a cylinder or two" flat surface cruise mode, to airpump decel mode when going down a mountain to airmotor only when creeping around inside a parking deck.

AND, once the technology became widespread, motors get smaller and much less mechanically complicated.  

Also, "any fuel engines" become possible on an intentionally high compression 20:1 engines since you are direct injecting the fuel in a controlled fashion on each power stroke it could be anything that pours and flows at your ambient storage temperature.

One now has to ask how long term reliable this valve actuator solenoid thingy will be since you will have 8 to 16 of the little buggers to deal with .....



"Honey, the engine light came on again --- yes, it was the little valve symbol again ---- no, I didn't save the receipts from the last time, I gave them to you.   No, check inside the glovebox, if I put them anywhere it was there."

What would I do without the little tic....tic.....tic......tic.....tak......tic to keep me company on my ride?
Could I get a little recording of the rockers and valves to play in my headphones?

You might be able to get rid of the throttle butterfly completely in an engine with this valve system.  You could just control the engine speed by how far and long the valves open.  Some early stationary engines would limit how far the intake valves would open to control engine speed.  THe intake valves were suction valves and the governer would have a ramp device that controlled how far the valves would be sucked open on the iintake stroke.

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 06/27/13 at 04:05:12:


Mr. Goodwrench - "Sir, The computer says you've been running on 2 cylinders for the past 6 months... didn't you notice the light? or the lack of pick up?  this is an 6 cylinder you know.

Interesting concept. Most of the ideas have been around for decades. Individual valve actuation has usually had the problem not only of valve inertia, but of the force required to open the exhaust valve against residual combustion pressure in the cylinder at the end of the power stroke. Controlling engine power by altering intake valve timing and duration has been done, and as said it allows the throttle butterfly to be eliminated. Shutting off fuel during throttle overrun is common on fuel injected systems, primarily because if no fuel is injected there is no exhaust pollution. Disabling cylinders during periods of low power demand has been done for many years, too, although sometimes depending on how it is done there can be problems with engine roughness or uneven heating. The idea of using engine compression as a brake is the essence of compression braking on Diesels, with the exception that a Diesel compression brake just dumps the compressed air into the atmosphere instead of storing it in a tank. Matter of fact, some of the old steam locomotives could be set up to inhale ambient air instead of steam and compress it into a receiver, allowing the engine to act as a brake (and get mighty hot, too). I would like to see more information on the air/oil valve actuator, in particular information about what controls it.  

Edited to add: I'd also like to know whether it only opens the valves against spring pressure, like a cam, or whether it also pulls the valves shut like Ducati's Desmodromic system. If it only opens them, it needs more force to act against the springs. If it also closes them, it has to be double acting.

mpescatori wrote on 06/29/13 at 05:05:35:


Electric solenoid valve actuation is the method usually tried, and it has not proven workable - or it would be in use. It is true that magnetic fields have no inertia (although they have an electronic analog), but the mechanical parts which must be moved (the valves) DO have inertia and will not move instantly. Solenoids which will move a valve against the pressure of the valve springs become rather large and power-hungry, which presents the difficulty of finding a place for them. Add the residual pressure against the exhaust valve at the end of the power stroke and the solenoid gets bigger. If the valve springs are removed, the solenoid needs two coils - one to open and one to close the valve. Unless the solenoid core is permanently magnetized reversing the current through the solenoid will have no effect.

It might be possible to use solenoid valves to control hydraulic pressure, which in turn will actuate the engine valves. This looks to me to be what the compressed air does in the video, though I cannot be sure. If so, the engine computer has to control the compressed air, no doubt by an electrically controlled valve of some sort. If the compressed air actuates the valve itself, I can see no reason for the oil supply to the actuator. There seem to be some "unanswered questions."