The Quasiturbine or Qurbine engine is a proposed pistonless rotary engine using a four-sided rhomboid rotor whose sides are hinged at the vertices. A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. ... A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. ...

Patents for the Quasiturbine are held by the Saint-Hilaire family of Quebec. As well as an internal combustion engine, the Quasiturbine has been proposed as a possible pump design, and demonstrated as a pneumatic engine using stored compressed air and as a steam engine. For other uses, see Patent (disambiguation). ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Official languages French Government - Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Duchesne - Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 75 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area  Ranked 2nd - Total 1,542,056 km² (595... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks near the Hengsteysee, Germany. ... Pneumatics, from the Greek πνευματικός (pneumatikos, coming from the wind) is the use of pressurized air in science and technology. ... Compressed air is used to refer to: Pneumatics, the use of pressurized gases to do work, as used in the Air car Breathing gas, often used in scuba diving, also to inflate buoyancy devices Compressed air can also be used for cooling using a vortex tube. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ...

Three designs have been proposed:

• Two-port with carriages, suitable for use as an internal combustion engine.
• Four-port without carriages, suitable for use as a pneumatic or hydraulic engine, steam engine or pump.
• Two-port without carriages, a conceptual design which is hoped to combine some of the advantages of the existing two- and four-port prototypes.

The main problems with this design are This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pneumatics, from the Greek πνευματικός (pneumatikos, coming from the wind) is the use of pressurized air in science and technology. ... Many hydraulic machines lined up Excavator. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ... An electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks near the Hengsteysee, Germany. ...

• it has far more moving parts than the Wankel engine
• it has never been shown to work as an internal combustion engine
• for all other possible uses there are many other designs that are more reliable and function more efficiently

Moving parts are the components of a device that undergo continuous or frequent motion, most commonly rotation. ... Wankel Engine in Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. ...

Two-port with carriages

The earliest Quasiturbine design used a three-wheeled carriage (French chariot, hence avec chariots or AC for with carriages) to support each vertex of the rotor. The wheels of these four carriages, making twelve wheels in total, ran around the periphery of the engine chamber.

A prototype of an internal combustion engine to this design was constructed, and enthusiastically reviewed in European Automotive Design magazine September, 1999. The prototype was turned by an external engine for 40 hours. European Automotive Design is a magazine targetting as its readership those involved in the final design of automobiles manufactured in Europe. ...

However, ignition with fuel was never achieved. If it was attempted no results were ever released, and development work on this design was suspended.

Advantages

• Cylinder ports in place of valves reduce the number of moving parts, in common with the Wankel engine and some two stroke engines.
• The carriages keep the seals almost perpendicular to the cylinder walls, in contrast to the Wankel engine where the angle varies plus and minus 60°.
• The rotor can be designed so its centre of gravity remains stationary or nearly so, minimising vibration.
• Sixteen strokes per revolution of the rotor, as opposed to twelve for a single-rotor Wankel engine and two for a revolution of the crankshaft of a single-cylinder single-acting piston engine.

Wankel Engine in Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. ... The two-stroke cycle of an internal combustion engine differs from the more common four-stroke cycle by having only two strokes (linear movements of the piston) instead of four, although the same four operations (intake, compression, power, exhaust) still occur. ... In physics, the center of gravity (CoG) of an object is the average location of its weight. ... Stroke can mean: In medicine, a cerebrovascular accident (or cerebral accident) A sunstroke In writing, a single line without any break such as stroke in graphics or Chinese characters, see stroke order. ...

Photo-detonation

The two-port design with carriages was proposed to make possible a new and superior mode of combustion, termed photo-detonation by the Quasiturbine inventors. This resembles detonation, as used in the Bourke engine, akin to knocking and pinging undesireable in common internal combustion engines. As of 2005, no research has been published supporting this claim. A related idea that flame transfer would be possible through special ports is similarly unsupported. A weapons cache is detonated at the East River Range on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan Detonation is a process of supersonic combustion in which a shock wave is propagated forward due to energy release in a reaction zone behind it. ... The Bourke engine was designed by Russell Bourke in the late 1930s, who endeavored to improve upon the Otto cycle engine. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Four-port without carriages

Quasiturbine configured as a steam engine

The second Quasiturbine design is greatly simplified to eliminate the carriages (French sans chariots or SC). At the same time, the ports were duplicated on the opposite side of the housing, thus converting the operation from four strokes per cycle to two and doubling the number of cycles per rotor revolution. This mechanism has been demonstrated running as a pneumatic engine using stored compressed air, and also as a steam engine. This is also the design proposed for use as a pump, and particularly as a supercharger. Download high resolution version (524x825, 88 KB)Subject: Picture of a Quasiturbine engine Source: Quasiturbine Agency Inc. ... Download high resolution version (524x825, 88 KB)Subject: Picture of a Quasiturbine engine Source: Quasiturbine Agency Inc. ... Pneumatics, from the Greek πνευματικός (pneumatikos, coming from the wind) is the use of pressurized air in science and technology. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ... An electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks near the Hengsteysee, Germany. ... A supercharger (also known as a blower) is an air compressor used to force more air (and hence more oxygen) into the combustion chamber(s) of an internal combustion engine than can be achieved at ambient atmospheric pressure (natural aspiration). ...

This design uses redesigned blades, longer than those for a similar sized housing of the first type owing to the absence of the carriages, and lacking the distinctive crown contour. Only the basic rotor geometry is common with the earlier design.

A pneumatic engine of this design was demonstrated powering a go-kart in November 2004, and another powering a small car in September 2005, both vehicles using stored compressed air to power the engine. As of 2005 a pneumatic chain saw driven by an air hose from a conventional external compressor is under development. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alternative meaning: Chainsaw (computer program) A chainsaw (also spelled chain saw) is a portable mechanical, motorized saw. ...

With a suitably redesigned housing to allow for thermal expansion, the same rotor design has been demonstrated as a steam engine.

Another potential variation of this design uses the two sets of ports independently, one as an engine and the other as a pump, thus potentially integrating the functions of a pump and its driving motor in one shaftless unit. One restriction of this usage is that the two fluids must be similar; It would not be possible for example to drive an integrated air pump with hydraulic fluid, as the rotor design is significantly different. As of 2005 no prototype of this variation has been demonstrated. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Advantages

• Fewer moving parts than most engines (including of course the Quasiturbine design with carriages).
  • Absence of valve gear required by many other forms of steam and pneumatic engines.
• Little vibration.
• High power-to-weight ratio.
• Possibility of integrated turbo-pump and turbo-expander configurations.

Concept of the two-port design without carriages. Intake (aqua), Compression (fuchsia), Ignition (red), Exhaust (black). A spark plug is located at the top (green)

The Walschaert valve gear on a steam locomotive (a PRR E6s). ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... As the name suggests, a turbopump comprises basically two main components: a pump and a driving turbine, both mounted on the same shaft. ... A turboexpander (also referred to as turbo expander, expansion turbine or simply expander) is a centrifugal or axial flow turbine through which a high pressure gas is expanded to produce work that is typically used to drive a compressor. ... Subject: The Quasiturbine combustion cycle Source: Quasiturbine Agency Inc. ... Subject: The Quasiturbine combustion cycle Source: Quasiturbine Agency Inc. ... This article or section should include material from Spark gap A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. ...

Two-port without carriages

This third design combines aspects of the first two. As of 2005 this design is conceptual only. It has not been built, but is used for purposes of illustration. If built it would not support photo-detonation. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many other designs are possible within the patented Quasiturbine model, with or without carriages and with differing numbers of ports. As of 2005, which design will be used for further work on the internal combustion version has not been announced. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The Quasiturbine was conceived by a group of 4 researchers, led by Dr. Gilles Saint-Hilaire, a thermonuclear physicist, and consisting of members of his immediate family. The original objective was to make a turbo-shaft turbine engine where the compressor portion and the power portion would be in the same plane. In order to achieve this, they had to disconnect the blades from the main shaft, and chain them around in such a way that a single rotor acts as a compressor for a quarter turn, and as an engine the following quarter of a turn. At the end of the 20th century, Thermonuclear has came to imply anything which has to do with fusion nuclear reactions which are triggered by particles of thermal energy. ... Articles with similar titles include physician, a person who practices medicine. ... A Siemens steam turbine with the case opened. ... A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. ... Two intersecting planes in three-dimensional space In mathematics, a plane is a two-dimensional manifold or surface that is perfectly flat. ...

The general concept of the Quasiturbine was first patented in 1996. Small pneumatic and steam units are available from the patent holders for sale or hire for research, academic training and industrial demonstration, as is a book (largely in French) describing the concepts and development of the design. Lacking any forced lubrication system, these engines function only for short periods, a few hours at most, before requiring maintenance.

The patent holders have announced that they intend to make similar internal combustion prototypes available for demonstration.

See also

Pistonless rotary engine, which discusses general advantages of rotary engines and comparisons between Quasiturbine, Wankel and orbital (Sarich) engines. A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. ...

A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. ... The Britalus rotary engine was invented in 1982 by Kenneth W. Porter, P.E., M.S.A.E, of King County, Washington. ... A combustion chamber is part of an engine in which fuel is burned. ... Controlled Combustion Engine (CCE) is a type of internal combustion engine designed by Brad Howell-Smith in 1995. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... An orbital engine is a type of internal combustion engine, featuring rotary rather than reciprocating motion of its internal parts. ... Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... A cold (un-ignited) rocket engine test at NASA A rocket engine is a reaction engine that can be used for spacecraft propulsion as well as terrestrial uses, such as missiles. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Toroidal engine design is a form of internal combustion engine that features pistons that rotate within a toroidal space. ... The trochilic engine is composed of two mirror image gull wing segments intermeshed and rotating about a common central axis. ... The Twingle engine is a small-capacity two-stroke gasoline engine. ... Wankel Engine in Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The D Slide Valve was a form of rectilinear slide valve for use in rotative steam engines invented by William Murdoch and patented in 1799. ... Internal combustion engines using either four-stroke or two-stroke cycle with spark ignition and compression ignition, use poppet valves to allow air to flow through the cylinder head cylinder and exhaust gases out. ... Left side of a Ford Cologne V6 engine, clearly showing a (rusty) cast iron exhaust manifold - three exhaust ports into one pipe. ... In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve (or multivalve) when each cylinder has more than two valves. ... Piston valve in a brass instrument A piston valve is a device used to control the motion of a fluid along a tube or pipe by means of the linear motion of a piston within a chamber or cylinder. ... A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. ... Figure 1: A de Laval nozzle, showing approximate flow velocity increasing from green to red in the direction of flow The main type of rocket engine nozzles used in modern rocket engines is the de Laval nozzle which is used to expand and accelerate the combustion gases, from burning propellants... piston engine Bristol Perseus The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines which have traditionally relied on the more common poppet valve. ... For the use of the term in optics, see piston (optics). ... The Bourke engine was designed by Russell Bourke in the late 1930s, who endeavored to improve upon the Otto cycle engine. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: not an article, just links to pictures If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... The hydraulic cylinders on this excavator control the machines linkages. ... Fairbanks-Morse opposed piston diesel engines on the submarine USS Pampanito. ... The radial engine is an internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A single cylinder engine, colloquially known as a one-lunger, is an engine configuration consisting of just one cylinder. ... The Stelzer engine is a diesel engine design proposed by Frank Stelzer. ... Usually found in 4 and 6 cylinder configurations, the straight engine (often designed as inline engine) is an internal-combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row, with no or only minimal offset. ... A sphere rotating around its axis. ... In Euclidean geometry, an arc is a closed segment of a differentiable curve in the two-dimensional plane; for example, a circular arc is a segment of a circle. ... The motion of a non-offset piston connected to a crank through a connecting rod (as would be found in internal combustion engines), can be expressed through several mathematical equations. ... piston (top) and connecting rod from typical automotive engine (scale is in centimetres) Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... Crankshaft (red), pistons (gray) in their cylinders (blue), and flywheel (black) Continental engine marine crankshafts, 1942 Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... The parallel motion was a mechanical linkage invented by James Watt in 1784 for his double-acting steam engine. ... The Peaucellier-Lipkin linkage (or Peaucellier-Lipkin cell), invented in 1864, was the first linkage capable of transforming rotary motion into perfect straight-line motion. ... In a piston engine, a piston rod joins a piston to a connecting rod. ... Cut away diagram of a Rhombic Drive Beta Stirling Engine Design Pink - Hot cylinder wall, Dark grey - Cold cylinder wall (with coolant inlet and outlet pipes in Yellow), Dark Green - Thermal insulation separating the two cylinder ends, Light Green - Displacer piston, Dark Blue - Power piston, Light Blue - Flywheels, Not Shown... The Scotch Yoke is a mechanism for converting the horizontal motion of a slider into rotational motion or vice-versa. ... The swashplate is the device that translates the pilots (or autopilots) commands via the helicopter flight controls into motion of the main rotor blades. ... Almen A-4 barrel engine The swashplate engine is a type of reciprocating engine that replaces the common crankshaft with a circulate plate. ... Watts Linkage The Watts linkage was invented by James Watt (1736--1819) to constrain the movement of a piston in a steam engine to move in a straight line. ... The Toroidal engine design is a form of internal combustion engine that features pistons that rotate within a toroidal space. ... The trochilic engine is composed of two mirror image gull wing segments intermeshed and rotating about a common central axis. ...

External links

• Quasiturbine official site.
  • eMotionReports Quasiturbine White Paper (PDF, 247 KB).
  • Crom's Quasiturbine Comparison White Paper (Microsoft Word format, 232 KB).
• U.S. Patent 6,164,263  Quasiturbine AC (With Carriages) Dec. 1999.
• U.S. Patent 6,899,075  Quasiturbine SC (Without Carriage) Feb. 2003.
• How Quasiturbine Engines Work from HowStuffWorks.
• Article on demonstration of a pneumatic Quasiturbine car, mainly in French.
• Quasiturbine entry on INIS at IAEA.
• "The Quasiturbine Gilles Saint-Hilaire on Next Generation Rotary-Engines", interview with Tim Ventura, April 24, 2006, American Antigravity (pdf)