Water assisted engine anybody???

[morrisman]

Is this new, or old hat?

The guy who builds Crower slider clutches has been tinkering.

www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060224/FREE/60222004/1024

[morrisman]

GreenV8S said:

Haven't worked out how the water is consumed. Is it a dead loss system like a simple steam engine, or does it recycle the water like a Stirling heat engine?

Sounds like it just blows out with the exhaust, but I see no reason it could not be condensed and recyled. He does mention having to carry large water tanks, which negates the benefits gained by not having to fit a rad and cooling fans.

It all seems rather too simple to be true, injecting water and using the resultant steam to provide oodles more power.

[morrisman]

omi said:

surely a cast manifold would crack and tubular would warp heavily under such rapid and intense heat changes... fantastic idea this 6-stroke... like he says, he's been looking for faults for aa while now, and the weight of water is the only one! condenser would be good, but not sure if the same benefits of lower emissions would apply. exhaust gases into the water tank? would act as a silencer, cleaner and go some way towards heating the water so it's not stone cold water on the metal, but would still expand massively as steam... with a conventional exhaust on a multiple-cylinder engine, what do you reckon the exhaust note would sound like?

I'd guess you'd introduce the water as a fine mist, to stop such violent heat exchange. Injecting the water directly into the combustion chamber does much the same though with, apparently, more benefits.