Smokey's hot vapor engine

[80broncoman]

Smokey's hot vapor engine fact or fiction? what are the opinions?
When I started work at crane I asked about it. I was told not to mention smokeys name or mention the project. They had invested money it the project about 84? (At the time I even sent them a resume then) and the company blamed smokey, and were a little sore about it.

Here is some info: http://store.yahoo.com/basementgroupsto ... spres.html

 

[SuperMag]

The hype went greatly beyond the truth, which was that you could gain more power and economy by raising the operating temperature of the engine. Simply stated, if there is no ∆T between the engine and the combustion process, then you don't lose heat (and pressure) to the engine.

A valid thesis, but due to the fact that engine lubricants and componentry can't stand very much more heat than they do now makes the power and economy gains modest at best. Currently we don't have the technology to make the adiabatic engine practical.

Although some certainly try...
http://www.adiabatics.com/adiabatic%20engine.htm

 

[Lazy JW]

Smokey's engine was probably the closest thing to the mythical "100 mpg" carburetor that anyone has actually produced, and as noted, it fell far short. But it also proves, at least to me, that there really is an economy benefit to pre-heating the intake charge in order to improve fuel vaporization. Of course, since I already believe this, I like to read things that further support my pre-conceived notions
Joe

 

[rbohm]

8) more than a few of my auto tech teachers have said that if you can get an engine to run at 1000 degrees f, you can make serious power, and still have excellent fuel economy. the problem though comes in the materials needed to build just such an engine, and not just the lubricants needed. some ceramic materials can handle the tempratures, but not the forces that would act on them. other ceramics can handle the forces, but not the temps. however if we can raise the temprature an engine runs at by 30% or so, then we can approach what smokey did in the late 70's/early 80's. as the article stated, the patents and the not invented here mentality prevented an real research being done on the concept.