How efficient are opposed-piston engines?
Research has shown two-stroke opposed piston engines to be wildly efficient. 3 cylinder designs are the most efficient, and it’s possible to achieve brake thermal efficiencies as high as 55\%, a massive improvement for road car engines.
Are piston engines more efficient?
Turbines aren’t as efficient as piston mills, but the difference isn’t as much as you might think if you consider the improved performance. That’s because piston engines are more efficient and offer a lower specific fuel consumption (. 43 lbs./hp/hr) compared to turbines (.
What impact do you think using opposed-piston engines will have?
The efficiency advantage of the opposed-piston two-stroke engine is mainly due to lower in-cylinder heat losses due to elimination of the cylinder head and lower surface area to volume ratio “30\% lower surface area to volume ratio for equivalent four-stroke engine displacement”.
What is horizontally opposed-piston?
A flat engine, also known as a horizontally opposed engine, is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. The most common configuration of flat engines is the boxer engine, in which the pistons of each opposed pair of cylinders move inwards and outwards at the same time.
How much horsepower does an opposed-piston engine have?
The Achates Power opposed-piston engine I saw in the Calstart webinar was a heavy-duty diesel for use in 18-wheelers. The 10.6-liter three-cylinder (with six pistons) makes 400 hp at 1700 rpm and 1,674 lb-ft of torque at 950 rpm.
What is an Achates opposed-piston engine?
It’s the Achates opposed-piston (OP) engine, a prototype of which was shown in a Ford F-150 pickup at the 2018 Detroit auto show. That engine had three long cylinders in a row, with one crankshaft below and another above the row of cylinders. A pair of opposed pistons reciprocated in each cylinder, each connected to its own crankshaft.
What are the advantages of an opposed piston?
A further advantage of the opposed piston configuration is that counter-rotating crankshafts (one above the cylinders and one below) and counter-reciprocating piston assemblies inherently balance the engine, resulting in lower vibrations and greater reliability, contributing to increased time between overhauls.
How far can you fly with an opposed piston engine?
An airplane in the 1930s flew 6,000 miles with an opposed-piston engine without refueling. Submarines appreciated range, too. As did trains. You could go farther with the fuel you could carry using an OP engine.