New Engine for the Next Century??

Vortec_4300 · May 15, 2006

This is an interesting design: http://www.angellabsllc.com/ Click on "animation"

Schmoe · May 16, 2006

This was brought up a few weeks ago. Bottom line, good for high rpm type of applications.

michaelc80 · May 16, 2006

It's an interesting conversation.... MYT Thread

Louie's gone fishing · May 16, 2006

Most of these concept engines prove that the standard engines we all know are well developed with a lot of engineering behind them. We assume they are just engines and ignore the fact that they do a good job. It's a big reach to think a new concept will be good enough to even stand beside a conventional engine in overall performance, with just a few years of development. Most expect their car engines to just work. Acceptance of a new engine that has even the hint of a problem won't happen, beyond that first group of buyers that will try anything new. A new engine has got to do a lot more than produce more power or get better mileage, to make it in this market place.

kwg020 · May 16, 2006

My guess is some one will buy up the rights and it will be buried forever and never be made available to the public. We've all seen it before. kwg

LarryL · May 16, 2006

Steve Jobs said that a new product in a mature market can't be as good or a little bit better, it has to be a whole lot better for people to switch and any significant numbers. How true. Makes getting into the engine market a tough deal.

Gary Allan · May 16, 2006

quote:
Originally posted by kwg020: My guess is some one will buy up the rights and it will be buried forever and never be made available to the public. We've all seen it before. kwg

Yep. I see Capstone Turbine all over again. Lots of promise ...lots of potential to revolutionize the market ...and absolutely no delivery in any practical manner. You will never see this in use. You will only see the hype ..the interest ..the build up to "something" ..and then it will disappear into nothingness.

LarryL · May 16, 2006

Gary, there must be money to be made in the hype phase of such a project. It's happened more than a few times.

Gary Allan · May 16, 2006

I can see it if you're blowing smoke up investors butts ..milking them for more $$$ to keep you in a psuedo job ...living large on them. I'm sure that the rich have their own set of upscale "panhandlers" that gravitate to this sort of stuff and, more or less, end up being "con men in concert" for hooking up genius types that have viable, but flawed, technology. In the case of Capstone the product must have actually been worth something since Onan bought them out and effectively removed them from the market.

BatmanLS1 · May 16, 2006

Was the Capstone Turbine thing the engine that got some insane MPG?

michaelc80 · May 16, 2006

quote:
Originally posted by Gary Allan: In the case of Capstone the product must have actually been worth something since Onan bought them out and effectively removed them from the market.

According to their website they are alive and well; over 3500 installations running all over the world and a worldwide list of distributors. [I dont know]

Capstone Website

carock · May 16, 2006

My limited brain power cannot see how any provision has been made for cooling this engine.

BlownF150 · May 16, 2006

I think they state it is oil cooled. In anycase is seem to generate a lot of torque but not much hp in the air motoring test. http://www.angellabsllc.com/images/4-1-04-814-NoAdd.JPG 134hp and 814 lb-ft.

Dominic · May 16, 2006

There's not a problem with making massive torque, just use gearing to harness it, however it really looks easy to break.

lght1 · May 18, 2006

Hi Ooops, I saw title and thought for a sec that Buick was re-introducing the Century. [Duh!]

the_oil_dealer · May 19, 2006

i actually saw this on a NAZI message board. No I'm not a nazi.

Gary Allan · May 19, 2006

quote:
Originally posted by BatmanLS1: Was the Capstone Turbine thing the engine that got some insane MPG?

No it was a gen set with one moving part and ZERO maintenance. No lubrication ..and at 25KW weighed 175lb. They attempted to run in mass transit ..but it didn't work out. It could run on #2 or NG (and probably propane) and was promoted as being competitive with conventional gensets. Just when the product was to be actually offered for sale ..Onan bought them ..and added remote monitoring ..and automatic synchronization with the utility and raised the price to $36k for 25kw ..WAY over the top when compared to conventional gensets that they were alledgedly able to compete with. They just priced it out of viable existance. The only people that can afford them are regulated utilities that get to hand down the cost to the captive public. If this engine has any worth ..it too will take a hike. It steps on too many established "flows" to allow a big impact on things.

Gary Allan · May 19, 2006

quote:
Originally posted by Gary Allan:
quote:
Originally posted by BatmanLS1: Was the Capstone Turbine thing the engine that got some insane MPG?
No it was a gen set with one moving part and ZERO maintenance. No lubrication ..and at 25KW weighed 175lb. They attempted to run in mass transit ..but it didn't work out. It could run on #2 or NG (and probably propane) and was promoted as being competitive with conventional gensets. Just when the product was to be actually offered for sale ..Onan bought them ..and added remote monitoring ..and automatic synchronization with the utility and raised the price to $36k for 25kw ..WAY over the top when compared to conventional gensets that they were alledgedly able to compete with. They just priced it out of viable existance. The only people that can afford them are regulated utilities that get to hand down the cost to the captive public. If this engine has any worth ..it too will take a hike. It steps on too many established "flows" to allow a big impact on things.

quote:
According to their website they are alive and well; over 3500 installations running all over the world and a worldwide list of distributors.

Sure. Try and buy one and see what you'll pay for it. Onan effectively removed this from the market in any substantial numbers. They could sell this hand over fist worldwide if it had been, as offered - alledged ..to be competitive with conventional powerplants. The price they were supposed to sell for ..heck ..every home owner could have a cogen setup that would pay big time. As opposed to a 1500lb diesel that wouldn't be multifuel and would have tons of maintenance and installation criteria?? At $36k?? I won't work. I had high hopes for this and tracked its progress. When Onan bought it I was psyched and started checking into it. When they came back with the $36k price I asked what happened to the "competitive with conventional" ..they said "where did you hear that?" rhetoric. I said "from your promotional literature" ..which was dated ..but still. Onan effectively killed this wonderful invention ..at least from being widely adopted [I dont know]

New Engine for the Next Century??

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