Cool project! I built a single cylinder 2 valve air powered motor for my science fair when I was in middle school. It ran off of surgical tubing that I would pump up and once the flywheel was started, the cylinder would tale a gulp of air and the surgical tubing would collapse in volume accordingly with each cycle. I used clear acrylic tubing for cylinder and valves with ping pong balls under spring pressure for valves that seated on O-rings so all internal workings could be seen. The following year I tried to make the motor power a wheeled vehicle, but unfortunately it just wasn’t powerful enough.
Thank you for responding with your experimenting story. My beginning was similar. I would say it worked, but not very well and the amount of air that was necessary was just impractical. Over the years I got things a little better but even today an enormous amount of air is still going to be required for any small distances.
Pretty neat what you're doing. I've fiddled around a little with steam engines, and while that's not what this is, there may be some good ideas in that whole science you can tap into, they worked on that technology for more than a hundred years. The first thought (IF I understand what you have done) is when the piston receives the compressed air at 75psi, depending on the stroke the air pressure exiting may still be significantly above ambient and might be able to power another piston. This was done routinely in the past, where the areas of the pistons and swept volumes were sized such that the air pressure exiting then entered a cylinder with a piston diameter and stroke that would use up the remaining pressure efficiently, then overboard. A two stage system. The other thing I noticed (again, I may be getting how this works wrong...) you have single acting pistons, if so the stroke upwards to top dead center is drag on the system and doesn't provide power. It's not clear to me you would have a more efficient engine if you had a double acting piston assembly, but it would produce more power. Maybe you could turn the side of the piston with the rod attached in the high stage piston and the other side of the piston in the low stage (pressure) piston, which would be an interesting arrangement. In any event, my hat's off to you, I'm here on my backside surfing the net and there you are DOING SOMETHING!!. You've just inspired me to go get something done!
Hi and thank you for your comment. As a matter of fact, I am working on going through my comments, complaint suggestions, and and all the good things and I plan on making my next video through the numerous ideas and will talk about why I’m doing what I’m doing and why I’m doing it the way I’m doing . My original goal some 20 years ago was to design a simple easy to work on efficient as possible to use the least amount of air to get the most mechanical advantage out of the machine which I call an engine. Some people say it’s not it’s a motor, but. Anyway, you have some good ideas and I thought about those and it’s hard to explain but doing those things would just increase the size weight, complexity, and increase the amount of air that would be necessary such as double acting cylinders. I’m using 2 inches of air and using a double acting cylinder, I would use 4 inches , do the same thing. Anyway, I’ll be making a video soon and cover the things you suggested also - see you then
Awesome! I wonder if there could be a self centering shape you could put on the rings that could work like the way a belt will self center on a domed pulley to keep the rings from rubbing.
Thanks again for your comments and suggestions, and I have thought about various ways to do what you’re talking about, but that also presents the problem with installing the internal driveshaft rotator. I’ve taken the dividers away and that didn’t cause a problem. I was probably being over concerned about the rings not running true, which turned out to be not a problem. I’m already working on the next video which has improved performance and much less noise with those dividers gone.
it seems your engine would be more optimal on lower psi and lower rpm, rather than shaking the whole thing apart. you dont need the high rpm for power like a gas motor does . so having a coulple tanks at 3 or 4 thousand psi and regulating it down to 100 or so would give you power and longevity on the air supply. what are your thoughts ?
Thanks for your thoughts and following along. In order to meet my requirements for use in my car, it has to have both the power and the speed to allow me to go between 50 and 60 mph Using my old Pickup as a gauge, I need 2400 RPMs to go 60 miles an hour and horsepower I would imagine somewhere around 40 hp, so how do I come up with that? It’s gonna be a combination of cylinder size but also minimize the amount of air that used and depending on how much pressure would be required to make the engine run at 2400 RPMs so right now it’s too soon to tell I would just be speculating
Thanks for your thought Each has it's advantage, but the 4 cylinder uses more air than the 6 cylinder, and I'm afraid Balance is a big problem with the 4 rings. I have a plan for it though, I have a lawnmower body that I want to try a chain drive to the axel. I think it will make a great little go cart, but that's down the road a ways. Stay tuned!
@@AirEngineResearch Thank you sir to hear this. Have you ever tried the push-pull system that come from scotch yoke method? maybe the flywheel might be easier with scotchyoke or an arrangement like of the avadi engine concept here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hZfU7vsLC8c.html. Im just trying to think of solving many parts issue as well as creating seals that hold properly.
Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) transform potential chemical energy into kinetic energy. Hydraulic, pneumatic, and electric MOTORS convert stored potential energy into angular energy. You have designed a pneumatic motor, not an engine. Steam would be much more efficient, due to Latent heat of Vaporization. Energy losses due to adiabatic cooling, of the air, make it extremely inefficient.
Thank you for your comments, and you have good points. Compressed Air does work through expansion inside a closed cylinder to produce motion which I am trying to use to it maximum potential. I am trying to build the most efficient Engine for use with compressed air and its properties. As compressed air expands it absorbs as much heat as it can, and it expands accordingly to how much heat it absorbed. I realize expanding air has no comparisons with explosive gasses, but there are ways to add heat to air before release and/or during expansion. Adding or somehow Saving heat, is another area of research for me. When I can't improve the mechanical device anymore, I'll work on expansion ideas. Thanks again for following along with my endeavor.
@@AirEngineResearch Thank you for the response. Didn't have a fair comprehension of the endothermic properties of an expanding gas. I think all research yields benefits in some manner. Additionally a compound ICE/motor could have great heat control potential. Please don't allow my ignorance to be disparaging, formal education can cause one to be myopic to a potential revolution in man harnessing of energy. Having read Power Hungry: myths of green energy, I tend to doubt things that seem to contradict Jevon's Paradox. ie making things less efficient causes people to reduce demand. Your retort is well appreciated.
Hi, and thanks for your comment. If you stop and think about it, the steam engine has a boiler with water in it that is heated with fuel externally, and that builds pressure in the boiler that is transferred into the cylinder at which time it pushes the piston. Compressed air is compressed in a tank at high-pressure losing heat in the process and when that pressure is rereleased into the cylinder, the air expands by absorbing heat from the surroundings which increases the temperature And pressure of the air in the cylinder pushing the piston. Even though air feels cold when it blows, it is being warmed
