5/16/2008
Moller International Achieves Breakthrough in Rotary Engine Performance
Moller International announced that it has achieved a
major breakthrough in rotary engine performance. A version of the Company’s
Rotapower® engine is
designed in such a way that the engine’s two
rotors operate in series rather than parallel. This design allows the
first compressor/expansion rotor to supercharge the second power rotor
while the exhaust from the power rotor is further expanded in the
compressor/expansion rotor, extracting additional power.
In effect, the
engine operates in what is termed a compound cycle. Because of the
additional energy captured from the exhaust gases, engine noise is
reduced by 93% and exhaust temperature is reduced by 47%. Moller
International’s non-compounded Rotapower
rotary engine has already demonstrated a fuel consumption 12% below that
of the new Mazda Renesis rotary engine. Compounding is expected reduce
the Rotapower engine’s
fuel consumption by an additional 25%.
Rotary engines are particularly small and light relative to their power
output and nearly vibration- free in operation. Compounding makes the
Rotapower engine
potentially much better than the piston engine in fuel consumption as
well. This was the major limitation that prevented the rotary engine
from supplanting all piston engines.
It now becomes an attractive
candidate for the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) market where
weight, space, fuel consumption, emissions and vibration are all
critical. The Rotapower
engine previously demonstrated its ability to meet California’s
Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) standard without exhaust
after-treatment.
Moller International is in the final phase of negotiations to license
worldwide production and marketing rights for its Rotapower
engines to Rotapower Engine Systems, Limited of Southampton, United
Kingdom.
For further information contact: www.moller.com