throttleless premixed-charge engine (ultimate WAI)

[MetroMPG]

a throttleless premixed-charge engine is the extreme evolution of the Warm Air Intake concept:

it's an experimental motor (based on a production automotive 4-cylinder) which is not restricted by a butterfly valve, but which is controlled by adjusting the air density (through heating) and fuel mix:

- up to 16% more efficient compared to the same engine operated using conventional throttle control at same power and engine speed) due to the absence of throttling losses

http://carambola.usc.edu/Research/TPCE/TPCE.html
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[Matt Timion]

holy crap. It's stuff like this that give me hope for the future. I'm willing to bet that this combined with the exhaust turbo-like alternator would provide a huge mpg savings. The best part about these technologies is that they can be retrofitted to existing engines.

[Compaq888]

If I got 16% improvement in street mileage that would put me over just above 26mpg. And my highway mileage would be 50mpg. That is sex.

[Sludgy]

Diesel engines are the original throttleless engines.

Try looking at the Fairbanks-Morse website for a really interesting throttleless natural gas engine. Their opposed piston diesel/natural gas engine has a thermodynamic efficiency of about 40%. This is significantly better than automotive diesels, which are about 32-34% efficient, and enormously better than automotive gas engines which are about 25% efficient.

Because of their relatvely small size, (relatively) light weight and high efficiency, Fairbanks-Morse opposed piston diesel engines powered US submarines until nuclear power came along in the '60s.

Five such engines are used to power flood control pumps at the Charles River dam in Boston. It's a public facility run by the Metropolitan District Commisssion. Maybe they will give you a tour.

http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/engines/literature/Opposed%20Piston%20Tech%20Spec.pdf

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

Diesel engines are the original throttleless engines.

true enough. raises an interesting question which i will post in a new thread...

[MetroMPG]

never mind. i was going to ask "who would buy a diesel" (like the moped question), but i did a quick search and saw it was sort of dealt with already.

[SVOboy]

I'd buy a diesel! Mwahaha.

[Compaq888]

I'd buy the diesel european accord.

[kickflipjr]

If the same car got the same mpg both gas and diesel I would always pick the gas car. But diesel cars get better mpg.

europe seems to be all about diesel.

also, It isn't too cool seeing black smoke go out the tailpipe.

[SVOboy]

Poor US people are still doomed to thinking diesels are dirty, when in fact they are now cleaner than gas, which is why most new cars in europe are diesel and get much better mileage. Gas is crap. And diesel cars can be run on veggie oil, so screw gas I say.