Opposed Piston Diesel Engines Are Crazy Efficient

The Achates Power opposed-piston engine is packed full of unique technology. The supercharged, turbocharged, diesel 3 cylinder makes use of six pistons, two of which operate in each cylinder. It’s a two-stroke design, meaning every time the pistons come together a power stroke occurs, forcing both pistons away from one another and rotating their respective crankshafts. The two crankshafts are geared together to a common output shaft, which powers the vehicle.

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. The engine in this video is a 2.7L 3-cylinder producing 270 HP and 480 lb-ft of torque.

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37

+1 1. Thanny commented 6 years ago

Well, here's my question.

Where does the pre-combustion chamber and glow plug go? In normal diesel engines, these occupy some of the space that would be occupied by the opposite cylinder here.

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+2 2. Judge-Jake commented 6 years ago

Not as funny as the last video but quite interesting.

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+3 3. sux2bu commented 6 years ago

#0 This diesel engine uses "compression ignition" which eliminates the need for glow plugs.
The squish area between the piston heads is so close that the heat of compression fires the mixture.

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+2 4. Thanny commented 6 years ago

#3 All diesel engines use compression for ignition. Glow plugs heat up the cylinder so that's possible in cold weather conditions. A diesel engine without glow plugs is very difficult to get running in the winter.

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+3 5. sux2bu commented 6 years ago

#4 According to the manufacturer "the use of glow plugs would be based on an as-needed, per application basis. We can engineer it either way, depending on customer requirements."
I have diesel engines in some of my construction equipment that do not need glow plugs. I guess it just depends on the climate where the engines are used.

10

+5 6. RealGOrdjy commented 6 years ago

#0 i think that due to the natura of the combustion chamber where the volume ratio is lower, with a good start engine you wont need the glow plug. It's like most spring and summer months in portugal even with normal diesel engines where the engine starts very well due to pure compression, due to the inicial air temperature avaiable. Having a higher compression in the chamber and lower volume, i assume that they can time the injection a bit later to enhance detonation.

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+2 7. sunnydaze4me commented 6 years ago

That engine is incredible , so much torque in such a small package.

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+1 8. Natan_el_Tigre commented 6 years ago

Neat! A rare case of our tax dollars hard at work.

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0 9. buckleg08 commented 2 years ago

gas prices high 2022...

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0 10. Judge-Jake commented 2 years ago

#9 You are telling me. Filled up my vechile yesterday 70 lltrs diesel £140.00 £2.92 a litre six months ago it would have been £90